It's been more than a decade since I've skied at Sugar Bowl Resort on Donner Summit. But it was a regular stop – during my hardcore days – back when I lived in Northern California and headed for the Sierra nearly every weekend.
Which is why I plan to make a return visit this winter to carve a few turns and try out the resort's many new additions.
In the 10-plus years since I put my boards to the snow at Sugar Bowl, management has spent $50 million to improve what is arguably the classiest resort in California.
“It's a real jewel,” said Darren Rahlves, a former U.S. Ski Team member who retired after last year's Winter Olympics and skis there often. “It gets lots of snow, has good technical terrain but remains a hidden little secret.
“You can knock off a lot of runs there quickly without having to wait in line,” said Rahlves, who has served as the resort's ambassador for the past six years. “It is truly a great place to ski and ride.”
Founded in 1939 by Walt Disney and Hannes Schroll, a native of Austria, the resort was built long before the freeway system was developed. Instead, people arrived by train. Many of the Who's Who of Northern California built homes at Sugar Bowl. A lot of those chalets have hand-painted Tyrolean decoration and most of them have been passed down to family members.
For decades, the only way to reach Sugar Bowl was via the Magic Carpet gondola – the nation's first.
The gondola is still around. But things changed when the resort built a new access road and base away from the original village and the lodge, which could be right at home in Kitzbuhel.
“It was quaint but hard to reach,” said Greg Murtha, a Sugar Bowl spokesman. “And adding the slopeside parking took a lot of discussion. But the drive-up parking did not take away from the flavor of the original resort.
“We've grown, but we haven't used the 'big box' approach,” he said. “People who have homes here are very proud of what we have. We didn't want it to have a fake feel and we haven't.”
Being something of a traditionalist, I always liked Sugar Bowl's retro, somewhat isolated feel. But since then it has joined the modern ski world with five new high-speed quad lifts and two new fixed-grip lifts – giving speedy access to the resort's entire 1,500 acres and 80-plus trails.
This year, Sugar Bowl added 14,000 square feet to the Mount Judah Day Lodge, increasing its size by nearly 50 percent. In addition, the resort is developing a new village at the base of Mount Judah that should be finished by Christmas 2007 and will feature luxury two-and three-bedroom condos.
Sugar Bowl has added terrain parks and has hired designer J.P. Martin of Jackson Hole to improve that aspect of the hill. It also will host two major events this winter, an X Games skiercross and boardercross qualifier, Jan. 12-14, and the Jeep Terrain Park Challenge Finals on March 10.
As much as I'm interested in checking out the new stuff, it's Sugar Bowl's slopes and four peaks – Judah, Lincoln, Disney and Crows Nest – that are drawing me back.
Though Sugar Bowl is only about half the size of Squaw Valley, Tahoe locals say the expert drops off Lincoln and Disney rival the bigger resort's chutes.
“This place can scare you if that's the kind of skiing or boarding you want,” said Murtha. For glade skiing through scattered trees, he recommends Strawberry Fields. Intermediate cruisers can find plenty of terrain out of the Mount Judah portal. And beginners have their own lift – the White Pine.
Now, all Sugar Bowl – and the rest of the Sierra resorts – needs is some big, cold storms. For more information on Sugar Bowl, go to www.sugarbowl.com
Brian L. Clark can be reached by e-mailing him at sports@uniontrib.com
