Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in Kirkwood, California south of Lake Tahoe that focuses on skiing and snowboarding in winter and hiking and mountain-biking in summer. Kirkwood is one of the region's larger resorts, and is well known for having one of the highest average snowfalls and a broad selection of advanced skiing terrain. The mountain is unique in that it has 2Â mi (3.2Â km) ridgeline at the top. This makes Kirkwood popular for cliff drops and cornices. Kirkwood received 804Â in (2,040Â cm) of snow during the 2005-2006 ski season. Average seasonal snow fall is 472Â in (1,200Â cm) second only to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada. Kirkwood is approximately 33Â mi (53Â km) south of South Lake Tahoe, California on State Route 88 and is contained within the Eldorado National Forest. Most of the region's resorts are at the northern end of the lake, near Truckee, California. Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Heavenly are located on the southern side of the lake.
Skiing and snowboarding
This is Kirkwood! - Evening my friends, This is Kirkwood, simple, remote, big snow, legendary terrain a 2300 acre park! Enjoy the footage and we hope to see you here this winter! #wintercountdown #staynthirsty, Coop.
Two new surface tows opened in the 2008-2009 season to provide access to formerly "hike-to" terrain along Vista Ridge and Fawn Ridge. The best time to catch them running is the second or later days after a storm cycle.
The Kirkwood Ski Education Foundation (KSEF) ski team trains before the lifts are open to the public. KSEF offers numerous training programs for any age or ability. The development team free-skis on weekends and also works on fundamental skills, while the race team focuses on racing skills.
In 2009 and 2010, Kirkwood hosted a leg of the North American Freeskiing Championships in the permanently closed "Cirque" area.
Summer activities
In the summer months, Kirkwood is a destination for mountain biking and hiking. Well-known mountain biking trails such as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are nearby. From approximately the first weekend in July to the first weekend in September chairs #1 and #2 are open for mountain biking along most front-side trails. A trials course sits near the base of chair #1. Bike rentals are available. 2 to 3 day advance reservations before renting are recommended, as a large group can rent all available bikes before the lifts open. They offer lighter weight downhill and a heavy duty downhill bikes, currently supplied by Kona. As of the end of 2008 summer season there were plans to expand the summer lift program to include lift #7. Hikers frequent downhill trails during the morning hours. Lift tickets can be purchased, but there is no fee for riding a bike up.
Other summer activities include a well-equipped gym with a pool and spa with membership or room rental, climbing wall and ropes course and a free disk golf course.
Facilities
In the 21st century, condominium and time-share projects have been completed which provide substantial accommodations right at the resort. Rooms are typically over $150/night (2007). Cheaper accommodations ($29/night and up) can be found in South Lake Tahoe, about 45 minutes away. A Guest Shuttle offers $5 trips to and from South Lake Tahoe.
Reliable electrical service was a serious concern for the resort and surrounding community from before the resort opened in 1972 until the area connected to the electrical grid in 2014. The resort relied on its own power plant for decades despite original plans to connect it to the electric grid. The local community was also dependent on the resort's plant. A New Year's Day fire in 2010 destroyed the resort's 1970s diesel plant. Temporary generators served the resort until construction was completed on a replacement plant. On November 1, 2014, the area was connected to the power grid, significantly improving the safety and reliability of electrical service.
Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District (KMPUD) is a California public agency that provides utility services to the Kirkwood resort and community including electricity, propane, water, and wastewater. On November 1, 2014, KMPUD completed construction and commenced operation of a 10 megawatt, 28 mile electricity transmission line connecting the Kirkwood area to the western electric grid thus retiring diesel generation to standby only for backup purposes. KMPUD began construction of this project during the summer of 2013, after acquiring the predecessor electric utility in 2011, and studying, permitting and designing this project starting in 2006.
Ownership
Vail Resorts, Inc. acquired Kirkwood Mountain Resort in April, 2012 as announced on February 22, 2012. Vail Resorts acquired two other Tahoe region resorts in the prior decade, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California, both of which subsequently experienced significant facility upgrades. As of the announcement, no immediate improvements to the Kirkwood Mountain Resort had been planned by Vail Resorts.
References
External links
- Kirkwood Mountain Resort
- Kirkwood Meadows Public Utility District
- Kirkwood Ski Team
- Eldorado National Forest
- 3dSkiMap of Kirkwood Mountain Resort
