In 1938 Walt Disney was among the visionaries who helped pick this picture-perfect location, and placed upon it the first chair lift in California. Because we were up here first, we naturally selected the best spot.
What Mr. Disney and his fellow adventurers found was a prime location near Donner Summit; a place of precipitous peaks, steep narrow chutes and wide open bowls. But more than that, they picked a spot that receives more snow than almost anywhere in North America. On average, receiving over 500 inches of feather-light snow per year. It also happened to be easier to get to than other locations in the Tahoe area.
Once you discover Sugar Bowl, you'll see how the same man who brought the Matterhorn to Southern California, outdid himself with a grander, truer alpine experience in the Sierras. One with lots more fun and tons more snow.
Sugar Bowl became a popular mountain hide-away for the Hollywood jet set of the 1940's and 50's. Stars and starlets like Claudette Colbert arrived in style by train spending beautiful timeless days on the slopes of Sugar Bowl. The original action hero, Errol Flynn, could be found dashing down the steep chutes of Hari-Kari Gully. In fact, the skiing sequence in the movie, The Two-Faced Woman starring Greta Garbo was filmed here.
The Lodge itself was a place to see, and be seen. Modeled after the classic Hotel Solaise in the French Alps, Sugar Bowl conveyed an authentic alpine ambiance. When the Tyrolean music played from the deck, skiers swore they had been plunked down in the middle of Kitzbuhel.
Today, Sugar Bowl is still the best kept secret in the Sierras, and the grande dame of Tahoe resorts.
In terms of racing lore, Sugar Bowl is perhaps best known for the Silver Belt Classic; a world class race attracting Olympic caliber skiers. Silver Belt itself may be the resort's defining run. Picture a long, nearly halfpipe-shaped trail that demands lots of short-radius turns and a few hundred vertical feet of courage. Now imagine your quadricep muscles on fire, and your heart about to explode with adrenaline, and you're close to understanding what it took to climb the victory stand.
Over the years, racers who captured the "Silver Belt" acquired much more than a prestigious winning buckle. It was also accompanied by the head-shaking awe of hundreds of spectators.
There's a pride of ownership you can sense about this resort. That's because Sugar Bowl is still family owned. These fifty or so families read like a Who's Who of San Francisco success. Ken Castle of SKI Magazine wrote, "Many of them own chalets at Sugar Bowl and cherish this place as a kind of family heirloom."
What that means to you and your family is simple: At Sugar Bowl you're treated as guests, not a commodity. You'll see we don't just welcome your business, we welcome you.
Sugar Bowl is still the grande dame of Tahoe ski resorts. The snow-mantled peaks, the inspired terrain and challenging runs are as impressive as ever. The cherished Magic Carpet Gondola can still transport you from your car to an authentic alpine hide-away. Of course, in the age of wireless phones and instant gratification, people want easy access, modern facilities, faster lifts, and the highest-performing equipment at their feet. Sugar Bowl has all of that too.
We're just wrapping up a huge, multi-million dollar improvement plan. We've added a major expansion to the Mount Judah day lodge, tons of slopeside parking, a dedicated Mountain Sports Learning Center with its own dedicated beginner area and acres of additional snow making. Sugar Bowl now boasts five high-speed quads and a vastly improved lift network so you spend more time carving lines and less time waiting in them.
So if you haven't been to Sugar Bowl in a while, we're a whole lot sweeter than ever before!
Naturally, we kept our famous Bloody Marys in the Belt Room Bar as tasty as ever. Because, let's face it, some things can't be improved.
