KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Carry a face mask at all times & use it when close to others or indoors. It’s required in California and Nevada.
Stay home if you’re not feeling well or have been in contact with someone not well.
Assume all operations you are accustomed to are different this year.
Be prepared & dress for being outdoors all day, including eating outdoors.
Buy a season pass.
Purchase all day tickets & rentals in advance online.
Carry water & snacks.
Order food in advance online or pack a lunch.
Carry a credit card. Many resorts will not be accepting cash for any services.
Parking may be limited, so check in advance.
Parking reservations are required at some resorts.
Auburn Ski Club Training Center
Opening TBD
Events
Dec. 6 | Captain Nordic Day
Jan. 2-3 | Nordic Races
The ASC Training Center is a nonprofit winter sports facility dedicated to the lifelong enjoyment of winter sports for families and athletes and is one of the few training centers in the country to offer Alpine, Nordic, Biathlon and Snowboard programs in one facility. Its athletes range from first-time skiers and riders to Olympic-level and U.S. Team professionals.
Lodge limitations | The lodge will be closed, and guests will need to use their vehicles to put on gear and eat. As well, there will be no lockers. Portable toilets will be available at the Green Building.
Passholder access | Trail passes will be color-coded this year, and staff will perform routine checks to ensure all skiers are passholders. There will be times when blue-colored passes are blacked out and unusable, mostly during weekend mornings and race days. Too many skiers or limited groomed runs may also trigger trail closures.
Day passes & equipment | Only season passes are available and daily rentals are not being offered.
Boreal
Open
Resort access | Day tickets and lessons must be purchased online in advance. There will be reduced capacity to allow for distancing and the resort will use a phased arrival ticket model. Guests will choose their arrival time to access the resort, lodges, services and lifts. All tickets will be valid until the closing of the resort each day. Rentals will be available.
RFID tickets | Guests are asked to use the self-serve ticket pick-up kiosks and reload RFID tickets online for future visits.
Passholder access | Season passholders will have priority access to skiing and riding provided that parking is available.
Parking | Parking will be accessible and complimentary to guests with a valid and pre-purchased daily ticket, season pass, Bunker Session at Woodward Tahoe or Tahoe Tubing Session, as spots are available.
Lift access | Two riders will be allowed per chair on all lifts. Parties that arrive together may ride together at full per-chair capacity.
Lodge access | Only guests with valid tickets or passes will be able to access indoor facilities. Indoor break and warming areas will be available for 20-minute blocks.
Lessons | Private lessons will be offered. Families and parties that arrive together will be accommodated. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance.
Dining | Outdoor options include Hub & Spoke at the Boreal Base Lodge and The Grind Café at Woodward Tahoe with online ordering available. Outdoor seating will be expanded.
Woodward Tahoe | Reservations for two-hour sessions are required for daily and season pass visits.
Tubing | Tubing will be offered, and advance reservations are required. In addition to face coverings, gloves are also required.
Diamond Peak Ski Area
Opens Dec. 10
Events
Dec. 24-25 | Santa & Penguin Pete visit
TBD | Moonlight Snowshoe Hikes
Feb. 1-7 | IVGID Community Appreciation Week
March TBD | Retro Ski Day, Season Pass Holder Celebration
March 7 | Village Ski Loft Demo Day
March 14 | Pi Day
April TBD | Diamond Cut Video Competition Virtual Awards
Diamond Peak will not require reservations for its passholders, but is capping season pass sales like most ski areas. Daily skier visits will likely be capped on busy weekends and holidays.
Small group lessons and private lessons will be available. Lift tickets, rentals, lessons and season passes will need to be purchased in advance online. No walk-up ticket sales will be allowed.
Lift access | Guests from the same household or group will ride the chairlifts together, or two singles on opposite sides of a four-person chairlift. Singles will ride solo on double chairlifts. Kids under 51″ in height must ride someone taller than 51”.
Cashless | The resort is accepting only cashless transactions including for parking, ticketing and food & beverage outlets.
Dining | Reservations will be required for tables in the Base Lodge and Loft Bar. Outdoor tables on the Base Lodge Sun Deck and Snowflake Lodge Sun Deck will be first-come, first-served. There will be no indoor seating at Snowflake Lodge.
Name the Glades contest | Nearly 500 acres at Diamond Peak are gladed tree runs and the area has been cleared of smaller trees and brush. The resort is hosting the online “Name the Glades” contest to name the 13 trails in this area. Details TBA online.
Video contest | The Diamond Cut video edit contest is back for a third year, so grab a camera and film yourself having fun at the resort to enter. Details TBA online.
Donner Ski Ranch
Open weekends
Among the oldest and most iconic ski areas in the Western U.S., Donner Ski Ranch is a family-friendly resort that features a variety of terrain. It is also of the few remaining independently owned and operated family ski resorts.
Old School Days | Enjoy throwback pricing on lift tickets and packages deals Tuesday to Thursday starting Jan. 4 (excludes Feb. 16-18) with adults tickets only $49.
The Pie | Don’t leave with a slice of fresh-baked yummy pie. The Old 40 Bar & Grill is known for its tasty cuisine with locals, but the star attraction are the pies.
Granlibakken
Opens Dec. 18
Sled hill opens for Thanksgiving weekend
Events
Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving Dinner
Dec. 25 | Christmas Celebration
Dec. 31 | New Year’s Eve Celebration
Granlibakken has snow making underway and has been blowing snow for a few weeks in preparation for openings its sled hill for the season before Thanksgiving.
Resort access | All guests must purchase both sledding and ski lift tickets online. Guests will be able to make reservations for 1.5-hour sledding time blocks. The ski hill will be open and offering learn-to-ski lessons for private groups and/or families.
Dining | The Cedar House Pub opens for the season on Dec. 18 with dinner served daily through the holidays and then from Thursday to Sunday for the rest of the season. Rusty’s Kitchen will open daily during the holidays and then Friday to Monday for the rest of the season. There will be an outdoor ordering/pickup window with dining set amongst the scenic ski hill.
Kids ski & sled free | Kids younger than 3 ski and sled for free.
Heavenly
Open
For the first time in over a decade, the resort will open with skiing and riding on the California side of the resort, including the iconic Ridge Run. Reservations will be required for all guests for the 2020-21 season at all Vail Resorts.
A revised opening approach will provide passholders with more early-season skiable terrain and the ability to open additional terrain faster, as well as free and convenient parking in the California Lodge Base area. Heavenly plans to have beginner and intermediate trails open for skiing and snowboarding available via the Gunbarrel Express, Powderbowl Express, Canyon Express and Patsy’s chairlifts.
The plan for Heavenly’s opening includes green trails Patsy’s and Maggie’s and the blue trail Ridge Run, which is a favorite for its sweeping views of Lake Tahoe. While there will be no skiing or riding access available in the early season from the Heavenly Gondola, the gondola will be open for sightseeing access.
Complimentary shuttle-service will run between Heavenly Village Base Area and California Lodge Base Area.
Lift tickets | Vail Resorts will not begin selling daily lift tickets until Dec. 8. There will be no in-person ticket sales. All sales will be online only.
Lift access | Vail Resorts will only be seating related parties (guests skiing or riding together). For others, there will be limitations on the number of people on all lifts.
Cashless | All transactions will be cashless including hotels, restaurants, Ski and Ride School, and all other points of sale.
Dining | Restaurants will be open, including full-service, sit down restaurants. Most on-mountain restaurants will require advance reservations. At quick-service restaurants, only ready-to-go hot and cold food options will be available. Packaged beer and wine will be available, but full-service bars will be closed.
Homewood Mountain Resort
Opens Dec. 11
Homewood has sold out of its season passes and reduced on-mountain capacity by the day and there will be no in-person interactions. As well, all lift tickets sales will be capped each day throughout the season and lift tickets will not be available for purchase at the resort. Guests are encouraged to use their car as their lodge.
RFID ticketing | Upgrades this season include RFID lift ticketing and scanning. Investments in new RFID technology will allow for seamless lift access, easy reloading of lift tickets online and kiosks for contactless lift ticket pick-up.
Ellis Chair refurbished | The first phase of the Ellis chairlift refurbishment project reduces ride time by nearly 4 minutes, providing access to popular intermediate and advanced terrain.
Lessons & rentals | To start the season, only private lessons will be offered by advance reservation only. Equipment rentals will also be available with advance online reservation. All rentals will be pre-teched for each guest prior to pick-up, and indoor capacity will be limited in the rental shop.
Lift access | Skiers and riders will be asked to self-group and ride lifts only with those they arrived with.
Dining | Indoor dining will be limited with hot food and grab-and-go options available through online ordering.
Parking | When purchasing a lift ticket this season, guests will also be required to reserve a parking space. This will help facilitate reduced on-mountain capacity. Season passholders won’t need to make a parking reservation to park at the resort.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Opens Dec. 4
Reservations will be required for all guests for the 2020-21 season at all Vail Resorts.
Lift tickets | Vail Resorts will not begin selling daily lift tickets until Dec. 8. There will be no in-person ticket sales. All sales will be online only.
Lift access | Vail Resorts will only be seating related parties (guests skiing or riding together). For others, there will be limitations on the number of people on all lifts.
Cashless | All transactions will be cashless including hotels, restaurants, Ski and Ride School, and all other points of sale.
Dining | Most on-mountain restaurants will be open. Quick-service restaurants will be more limited with ready-to-go hot and cold options available. Reservations are recommended at all full-service restaurants. Packaged beer and wine will be available, but full-service bars will be closed.
Locker access | There will be limited access to lockers and changing rooms.
Mount Rose
Open
Usually the first ski resort to open in the Tahoe Sierra, Mount Rose is taking a different approach this season and will be opening the top first when conditions permit and offering a number of ways to reach the bottom to spread out its visitors. As well, the resort will be opening first to passholder access only.
Improvements | The resort has installed a 5-million gallon snowmaking storage tank, added a new first-aid facility, improved snowmaking capabilities at Slide Bowl and improved the surface of Sunrise Bowl by removing tree stumps and rocks.
Lift tickets & rentals | When the resort opens for day tickets sales, advanced reservations will be required for day tickets. Rentals will be available by advance registration online only.
Dining | The lodges will initially be open for restroom access only with food and beverage operations expected to resume shortly thereafter.
Expansion | Mt. Rose has been approved for future expansion into the Atoma area on the north side of Mount Rose Highway to add a two-stage chairlift, 11 new ski trails and a skier bridge across the highway to connect the main ski area to the new terrain. The project will also include a water pipeline to provide new snowmaking coverage and a 5-million gallon water tank to support snowmaking.
Northstar California
Open
Reservations will be required for all guests for the 2020-21 season at all Vail Resorts.
Lift tickets | Vail Resorts will not begin selling daily lift tickets until Dec. 8. There will be no in-person ticket sales. All sales will be online only.
Lift access | Vail Resorts will only be seating related parties (guests skiing or riding together). For others, there will be limitations on the number of people on all lifts.
Cashless | All transactions will be cashless including hotels, restaurants, Ski and Ride School, and all other points of sale.
Dining | Most on-mountain restaurants will be open. Quick-service restaurants will be more limited with ready-to-go hot and cold options available. Reservations are recommended at all full-service restaurants. Packaged beer and wine will be available, but full-service bars will be closed.
Locker access | There will be limited access to lockers and changing rooms.
Parking | Free parking at Village View and Castle Peak lots.
Sierra-at-Tahoe
Opens Nov. 25
Sierra-at-Tahoe has announced that it doesn’t plan on using a reservation system for its season passholders. And guests will not be required to ride a chairlift with people they do not know and will be asked to self-group with members of their party.
Dining | Restaurants have been redesigned for grab and go options with limited seating available.
Kids ski free | Kids 4 & younger ski free.
Adventure Zones | On-mountain themed adventure zones feature terrain elements such as rollers, mini jumps and banked turns that keep children entertained, while signage and animated characters educate them on local history and animal species. Each adventure zone focuses on a theme, including the Wampa Cave featuring a Star Wars theme.
Mountain Tours | Learn more about the geology and history of Sierra-at-Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin on a guided, one-hour tour on select days.
Sky Tavern
Opens Jan. 9
Events
Nov. 20-21 | Ski Swap
Feb. 17-21 | Pro Ski Tour
The nonprofit is focused on teaching kids to ski and ride, including an adaptive ski program for kids, and all kids passes include lessons every weekend. Season passes are required to access the ski area.
Improvements | Sky Tavern has installed a new lift and is working to install a new carpet lift. As well, Chicken Chute has been widened.
Expansion | Sky Tavern obtained a long-term lease from the City of Reno to operate the resort and the group is working to raise $2 million in improvements to the property. Part of the improvements will include extending the hiking and mountain biking trails and linking them to trail systems in Tahoe and Reno.
Shop the Swap | Help the nonprofit that runs the ski hill continue its program at its annual Ski Swap on Dec. 4 and 5 at 4813 Kietzke Lane in Reno, Nev., to benefit the nonprofit ski area.
Soda Springs Mountain Resort
Opens Nov. 27
Resort access | Day tickets and lessons must be purchased online in advance. There will be reduced capacity to allow for distancing and the resort will use a phased arrival ticket model. Guests will choose their arrival time to access the resort, lodges, services and lifts. All tickets will be valid until the closing of the resort each day. Rentals will be available.
RFID tickets | Guests are asked to use the self-serve ticket pick-up kiosks and reload RFID tickets online for future visits.
Passholder access | Season passholders will have priority access to skiing and riding provided that parking is available.
Parking | Parking will be accessible and complimentary to guests with a valid and pre-purchased daily ticket or season pass.
Lift access | Two riders will be allowed per chair on all lifts. Parties that arrive together may ride together at full per-chair capacity.
Lodge access | Only guests with valid tickets or passes will be able to access indoor facilities. Indoor break and warming areas will be available for 20-minute blocks.
Lessons | Private lessons will be offered. Families and parties that arrive together will be accommodated. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance.
Dining | Outdoor grab-and-go dining options are available out of the Soda Café and Planet Kids Café. Outdoor seating has been expanded.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows
Opens Nov. 24
The resort will be tightly controlling all advance tickets sales and has temporarily suspended all walk-up tickets, but the resort will not require reservations for passholders.
Resort access | Guests who book a ski and ride school lesson or book lodging directly through The Village at Squaw Valley will have priority access to tickets. Reservations will be required for ski and ride school lessons, rental and demo equipment in advance online or through the Squaw Alpine App. Mountaineer transit service will also be operating this season.
Name change | Squaw Valley announced on Aug. 25 that it is making a commitment to change the name of the legendary California mountain destination. “After extensive research into the etymology and history of the term squaw, both generally and specifically with respect to Squaw Valley, outreach to Native American groups, including the local Washoe Tribe, and outreach to the local and extended community, company leadership has decided it is time to drop the derogatory and offensive term squaw from the destination’s name,” according to the resort.
The new name is expected to be announced in 2021.
Lift access | Guests will be asked to self-group on the lifts. The Funitel and the Tram will be loaded at significantly reduced capacities. Guests can ask to ride chairlifts alone.
Dining | Outdoor seatings has been expanded at the Alpine Meadows Base Lodge, Gold Coast Lodge and KT Base Bar with new tables, chairs, heaters, umbrellas and fire pits. The Mountain Roots food truck will park next to the snow in The Village at Squaw Valley. Mobile food ordering through the Squaw Valley app will be available at Auld Dubliner, Fireside Pizza Company, Coffeebar, Tremigo Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, Rocker@Squaw, Wildflour Baking Company and MOGROG Café.
Menus at lodges and on-mountain locations will be simplified, with fresh-made grab-and-go items and hot food ordered to go. Canned beer, wine, and cocktails will be available around the resort.
Safety investment | The resort is spending about $1 million to increase physical distancing and sanitizing across both mountains. New hand-sanitizing stations, touchless equipment in restrooms and partitions at indoor service locations.
A fleet of high-demand electrostatic sanitizing sprayers will disinfect areas around the resort, with the ability to sanitize up to 23,000 square feet on one tank. Electrostatically charged disinfectant clings to multidimensional hard and soft surfaces, providing consistent and lasting disinfection.
Sugar Bowl
Opens Nov. 27
Sugar Bowl has halted its season pass sales but may reopen sales if COVID restrictions are lifted in the future. No reservations will be required this season for passholders, but reservations will be required for day lift tickets at least one day in advance. No walk-up ticket sales will be offered. All lift tickets, lessons and rentals must be purchased online in advance.
Resort access | The resort has expanded its RFID gates to all of its primary chairlifts allowing for more touchless access. The scanning gates, along with new self-service pick-up stations and contactless payment options, will allow for a touchless outdoor experience.
Uphill travel | No uphill passes or day tickets will be sold this season. Passholders, however, receive uphill access with their season pass.
Indoor access | Indoor spaces will be set up only as warming zones at Judah Lodge, Mid Mountain Lodge and Village Lodge. Guests are encouraged to use the car as their base lodge. Indoor restrooms will be available with additional outdoor facilities available, as well.
Lift access | Related parties can ride lifts together, but guests will not have to ride with someone they are not comfortable riding alongside.
Lessons & rentals | Sugar Bowl will only offer private ski lessons with a maximum of 4 individuals from a related party. Lessons and rentals must be booked online at least three days in advance.
Dining | Cafes will be open to purchase hot or cold Grab ‘N Go meals only. Opening dining options include Nob Hill Café, Mid-Mountain Café and Judah Café. Sunset Grill and all outdoor barbecues will be open on weekends and holidays. All bars are closed including the Belt Room. Canned beverages including beer and wine will be available to purchase.
The Dining Room in the Sugar Bowl Lodge will be closed for food service. Guests staying in the Hotel at Sugar Bowl may place orders from a special menu for take-to-the-room meals.
Tahoe Donner
Opens Dec. 11
Tahoe Donner Cross Country opens Nov. 27
Snowplay opens Dec. 18
Celebrating 50 years of skiing this winter, Tahoe Donner Downhill Resort continues to provide families with a unique and affordable ski experience offering wide-open bowls and plenty of gentle beginner terrain.
Passholder access | No reservations will be required for season passholders. Guests are required to pre-purchase passes, rental gear and lessons online.
Resort operations | Expect facility access and anything indoors to be limited this winter. Face coverings will be required, especially in any indoor spaces. Private lessons will be offered. Capacity will be limited to ensure distancing and on busy days, including weekends and holidays, the resort anticipates selling out, so be sure to purchase tickets online in advance. Indoor changing rooms will not be available.
Dining | Food will be available for online purchase and pick up at Downhill Grill. Outdoor seating will be available with new on-mountain picnic locations. Box lunches may be ordered in advance online.
Snowplay | Tubing sessions will be available by reservation online for up to 75 minutes at a time. The number of participants per session will be limited to ensure distancing.
