Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort is celebrating 50 years in business with celebrations planned on Dec. 30. Touted as the largest cross-country ski area in North America, it is located at the crest of Donner Summit, which often competes for the most snow in the country.
While the management and facilities have gone through lots of changes in the past 50 years, the terrain and network of trails are much the same. There are always an amazing variety of skiing opportunities from gentle glides through thick lodgepole forests to spectacular open views of the crest of the Sierra Nevada.
7 trails for $1
Established in 1972 by John Slouber, the ski area began with just seven trails and a $1 pass fee. They gave lessons on the Van Norden trails and took people by sleigh out to the remote Wilderness Lodge, but they didn’t have a real lodge until Summit Station was built in 1984.That was when the ski area really took off with more huts along the trails and a dramatic expansion into eight distinct trail systems with several hundred kilometers of trails. They even had four Poma lifts operating for steep, practice areas.
Starting in the 1980s, Royal Gorge was home to some of the best ski races in the region, including the Gold Rush Festival, which attracts racers from around the country.
Established in 1972 by John Slouber, [Royal Gorge] began with just seven trails and a $1 pass fee. They gave lessons on the Van Norden trails and took people by sleigh out to the remote Wilderness Lodge.
Maureen Brandon, who is called Wink by her friends, began skiing at Royal Gorge in the late 1970s. She worked at what was then Sq**w Valley Ski Resort but wanted to avoid downhill skiing on the crowded weekends. A friend suggested she try Royal Gorge. She quickly started racing, fell in love with the sport and ended up buying a home that backs up to the trail system in Serene Lakes.
She remembers Slouber as the heart and soul of the area and always seemed to be there when she went to ski: “He was often in the parking lot showing people how to park.”
Sleigh ride to Wilderness Lodge
Brandon remembers the centerpiece of the ski area was Wilderness Lodge. You would be transported in by sleigh under thick blankets and spend a few nights at the remote lodge in the middle of the trail system. The food was excellent, the lodge was rustic but comfy and relaxing and the skiing was literally out the front door. It was a hub of activity that would keep the ski area busy during slow times. It was a sad day when the Wilderness Lodge burned down in 2004.
Trail to Rainbow Lodge
Slouber, who was a true innovator in the cross-country ski world, also purchased Rainbow Lodge on Highway 40 near Big Bend. In addition to running the lodge and restaurant, he sold truck loads full of water to bottling companies from the delicious spring on the property. For several years, the ski area would groom a trail from Summit Station to Rainbow Lodge a few weekends a year.
The challenging route began in the Royal Gorge trail system, but then required the ski area to groom an additional 12km of trail to get to Rainbow Lodge. You had to take your skis off at one point to cross the railroad tracks. After enjoying a well-deserved lunch, you could catch a shuttle back to Summit Station.
Finding employees for a resort on top of snowy Donner Summit was always a challenge, but Slouber would get Australians to come over during the Southern Hemisphere summer. He also bought several houses in the neighborhood to provide housing for his employees.
Preserving the ski area
Foster and Symes Development Company purchased Royal Gorge and Rainbow Lodge from Slouber in 2005, the year after the Wilderness Lodge burned down. They proposed a major development of 950 housing units tied into the ski area, which would be a dramatic change to the quiet community of Serene Lakes.
There was a great deal of community opposition to the development plan and it failed to come to fruition. Instead, supported by more than 1,000 donors, mostly folks on Donner Summit, the Truckee Donner Land Trust was able to purchase the 3,000-acre property in 2012. They arranged for Sugar Bowl to lease the land and provide for operations.
“Typically, we write in a contract that we have a two-year fundraising period, but this time we had just five months to come up with the money,” said Greyson Howard, the Land Trust’s communications director.
In the 10 years since the purchase, Sugar Bowl has been operating the still largest cross-country ski area in the U.S. This includes the Interconnect Trail, which connects Royal Gorge trails with the base of Sugar Bowl Resort.
Personal reflections on Royal Gorge
Because I live close to Tahoe XC, I’ve done most of my skiing there in the past 40 years, but I always made a few special trips each year to Royal Gorge. A sunny spring day was always my favorite, whether I was checking out the view of Devil’s Peak from the Stage Coach Trail or making the long jaunt out to Point Moriah where I could ponder the 4,000-foot deep Royal Gorge of the American River.
My fondest memories of Royal Gorge were the times in the 1990s when I got to experience the Wilderness Lodge. It was such a relaxing and invigorating escape. You arrived by sleigh, spent the night in a cozy lodge with great food surrounded by like-minded skiers. Then you got up and stepped out the door to ski for a few hours, took a quick break for more food and a comfy couch before heading out for more skiing. You then slept like a log and the next day, got up and did it again, without ever having to get into a car. | royalgorge.com
