“Big Challenges Ahead”: Sierra-at-Tahoe Opening for the Winter Season Remains in Question

Photo: Sierra-at-Tahoe

After the Caldor Fire moved through Sierra-at-Tahoe, the ski resort’s management was elated that firefighters were able to prevent much of the damage to the lifts and lodges. Now, after more than a month of inspections at the resort, management is has reiterated that it will be challenging to reopen for the upcoming winter season.

The past month of inspections revealed varying damage to Nob Hill and Short Stuff chairlifts. On top of that, there’s a lot of damage done to the trees inside the resort’s boundaries. With damaged trees and infrastructure, the safety of customers and employees remains the top priority for the ski park. Even if they are able to open for the 2021-22 season, it may be in a limited capacity.

“Detailed inspections of the entire resort have revealed that we will not be able to offer you the same ski experience you have come to expect from Sierra,” said Sierra-at-Tahoe in a statement. “We’re not giving up, nor are we backing down from the challenge.”

The ski resort sits within the Eldorado National Forest, which was mostly closed to visitors until further notice. That doesn’t mean that Sierra-at-Tahoe would stay closed for the season, as it’s likely they would receive and exemption if the slopes were deemed safe for skiers. But there are still many hurdles to overcome before the ski park will be back to full operations.

Here is the full statement from Sierra-at-Tahoe:

Although we have been working nonstop—and will continue to—on plans to reopen the resort, we want to let you know that we are still uncertain as to how much terrain we will be able to open this year. The safety of our employees and guests continues to be our number one priority, and despite making progress every day and working together with our partners at the United States Forest Service, and with arborists, engineers and inspectors, we have big challenges ahead.

Detailed inspections of the entire resort have revealed that we will not be able to offer you the same ski experience you have come to expect from Sierra. The work ahead of us includes evaluating the damage to trees throughout the resort property, particularly those along ski trails and lift lines, and continuing to repair chairlifts that were impacted while simultaneously navigating global supply chain and shipping challenges that are slowing that progress.

We’re not giving up, nor are we backing down from the challenge. We want you to know what we know – our intention is to keep moving forward, and to open what we can, when we can to welcome you back to Sierra this season.

To our loyal Sierra-at-Tahoe Season Passholders: please check your email for options related to your 2021/22 season pass.

We realize that it’s incredibly frustrating not to have all the answers, or to have a clearer picture of what the season may look like. Like you, we wish we did. On behalf of our entire team, we appreciate your patience, support and understanding as we work through this unprecedented situation.

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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