Sugar Bowl Resort Celebrates 70 Years of Skiing and Riding atop Donner Summit

Since its humble beginnings in 1939, Sugar Bowl Resort has been serving up memorable outings and adventures for snowsports enthusiasts from around the globe. Throughout its 70 years of growth into the modern resort of today, Sugar Bowl owes much of its success to staying true to its mission, to deliver the ultimate guest experience, providing memorable all-mountain adventures for skiers, riders and year-round mountain enthusiasts, and continuing a strong tradition as the authentic Tahoe resort. In celebration of 70 years, Sugar Bowl is planning a full calendar of special events throughout the season, including a week-long celebration of “Season 70”, January 25th – 31st, 2010.

Sugar Bowl Resort Announces New “Summit Chair”, Accessing the Judah Bowl

Sugar Bowl Resort has announced the addition of a new chairlift this summer, accessing the Judah Bowl area of the mountain. Located within the resort’s already approved and current United States Forest Service (USFS) special use permit boundary, the new chairlift will take skiers and riders to the ridge top of Mt. Judah, dropping them off just below the summit. The chair, a CTEC-built Garaventa fixed-grip quad, will have an uphill capacity of 1,200 people per hour. Chairlift towers are scheduled to be helicopter-flown in the morning of Thursday, October 1st.

Sugar Bowl Launches New “Backcountry Adventure Center” in 2009/10, Partners with Alpine Skills International and Truckee’s The Backcountry

With impressive sidecountry terrain at the ready and a new chairlift taking skiers and riders to the summit of Mt. Judah, Sugar Bowl has launched a new Backcountry Adventure Center (BAC) facility with Alpine Skills International and their AMGA and IFMGA-certified guides. Offering numerous programs and educational seminars, including Level 1 and 2 avalanche classes, wilderness survival courses, beacon drills in the new transceiver training center and guided sidecountry powder adventures in-and-out of Sugar Bowl, the BAC will also be a gathering place of sorts, offering aspiring newbies and seasoned pros alike a place to hang out, talk backcountry and get the most updated safety reports from the Sierra Avalanche Center. Located in the Village, across from the Lodge in the lower floor of the Ski & Sport Chalet building, the BAC will also offer a full array of backcountry-specific rental gear and retail items, provided by Truckee-based The Backcountry. A full calendar of class
es, programs and events will be available soon on Sugar Bowl’s new backcountry webpages, as well as on alpineskills.com.

Lowest Rates of the Year for Sugar Bowl Season Passes Good through October 31, Special Pass Rates Also Available at Ski Shows

Sugar Bowl Resort offers the lowest season pass prices of the year through October 31st. All passes come with free membership in the CORE Rewards program, where members earn points with every day skied and every qualifying dollar spent, that can then be redeemed for free items across the resort including lift tickets, food, drink, even a massage at the Summit Spa. Passes can be purchased online at sugarbowl.com or by calling (530) 426-6783. Sugar Bowl will also be offering special “Ski Show” rates on passes at regional shows, including Snowbomb’s San Francisco and San Jose consumer shows, the Sacramento Ski Dazzle and special Sports Basement evenings. Check sugarbowl.com for show dates and further information.

Sugar Bowl Resort and Alpine Skills International throw First Annual “Backcountry Ball”, Celebrate Opening of new Backcountry Adventure Center and benefiting the Sierra Avalanche Center

On Saturday, November 21st, 2009, Sugar Bowl Resort will be abuzz with backcountry enthusiasts, powder hounds and those just up for a good time, to celebrate the opening of the new Backcountry Adventure Center at Sugar Bowl. A collaboration between Sugar Bowl, Alpine Skills International and The Backcountry, the Backcountry Ball will be an evening of dining and music, filled with educational presentations from the Sierra Avalanche Center, slide shows from the region’s top photographers, gear exhibits from industry outfitters, and tours of the new Center itself. Tickets are $15 and will eventually be available for purchase at Truckee-based The Backcountry and online at the Sierra Avalanche Center’s website. Tickets will include dinner, one entry into the evening’s raffle giveaways and the opportunity to purchase 2009/10 Sugar Bowl lift tickets at a special discounted rate, all benefiting the Sierra Avalanche Center and their avalanche forecasting cause.

U.S. Ski Team, Daron Rahlves, Jayson Hale and other Olympic-Caliber Athletes to Train on Sugar Bowl’s Skier-Cross/Boarder-X Course February 1-17, Preparing for 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games

Sugar Bowl will once again construct a skier-cross/boarder-x course on the Tunnel 41 trail, this time to match the specs of Cypress Mountain’s 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games track. In doing so, Sugar Bowl provides a venue for athletes to train, greatly increasing the chances for a U.S. podium. Sugar Bowl’s own Daron Rahlves and Jayson Hale will train at Sugar Bowl, alongside the U.S. Ski-cross team and other top-level athletes. After the training sessions are over and the athletes have headed to the Games, the course will be opened for public use.

San Francisco Independent Film Festival Returns to Sugar Bowl February 27 and 28, 2010

With last year’s inaugural launch of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival at Sugar Bowl being deemed a success, the dates are secured for the return of the event in the 2009/10 season, with 6 independent film selections – the most popular titles from the San Francisco-based event the week prior - set to be screened at Sugar Bowl’s Judah Lodge, the evenings of February 27 and 28, 2010. A free event, the festival is a popular weekend for movie buffs looking for independent titles without having to travel to Reno, Sacramento or the Bay Area.

Sugar Bowl to Continue Popular “General Admission” Program in 2009/10
The General Admission program returns to Sugar Bowl this season, offering skiers and riders age 13 to 69 buying a Monday through Friday, non-holiday lift ticket the value-added bonus of free basic rentals for the day and a free two-hour group lesson of any level. Not only an innovative and creative way to attract new skiers, it also delivers value to the more experienced skiers since lessons are available at any level. The General Admission program is also valid for all season passholders.

“CORE Appreciation Days” Grow at Sugar Bowl Resort for the 2009/10 Season

As a way to say “thanks” to all the Sugar Bowl Daily CORE skiers and riders in the region, Sugar Bowl is planning five Core Appreciation Days this season, giving Daily CORE Pass holders access to $39 lift tickets. In this, the 70th season of skiing and riding at Sugar Bowl, the $39 ticket is in recognition of the first year of operation, 1939. The Daily CORE Pass costs just $19 and gets passholders free membership in the CORE Reward program, so it pays to purchase on these appreciation days. Scheduled dates are December 13, January 29, February 26, March 26 and April 9th.

Lodge at Sugar Bowl Offers Special Mid-Week, Non-Holiday Rates and Free Daily CORE Passes for Guests

The historic Lodge at Sugar Bowl is offering skiers and riders a great deal on slopeside accommodations in Tahoe’s only snowbound Village. Book your midweek, non-holiday stay at the classic high-alpine Lodge online at sugarbowl.com/lodge and receive 50% off your room rate. Each guest will also receive a free Daily CORE Pass worth $19, offering $10 off tickets for the passholder and a friend, all season long.

Sugar Bowl to Convert Mountain Sports Learning Center into Children-Specific Venue, Dubbed “The Den”

With Sugar Bowl’s innovative Signature Children’s Programs – Sugar Bears, Powder Cubs and Black Bear Adventures – being such a huge success last season, the resort has begun work to convert the Mountain Sports Learning Center into a kid-friendly, kids-only Children’s Snowsports Learning Center. With the program’s bear-themed titles comes the new nickname, “The Den”. The Signature Programs aim to increase the learning curve and improve the young skiers and rider's skills by limiting the student-to-instructor ratio to 3:1, guaranteeing more instruction time per student.