Area Resorts See Holiday Crowd Influx

This article appeared in the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza on January 7, 2009
Written by: Nick Cruit, Bonanza Staff Writer

NORTH LAKE TAHOE — Ski resort repre­sentatives were all smiles at the end of last week as solid snow conditions brought skiers and riders to Tahoe for the holidays.

And after mother nature deprived Tahoe of significant snow until halfway through December, resort spokespeople reported an increase in skier numbers from year-to-year, and higher revenues.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village recorded two of their best holiday ski days in years according to revenue and lift ticket sales reports.

On Dec. 26, Diamond Peak recorded the most skier visits for that day in more than 10 years, and on Dec. 31, the resort set a New Year’s Eve revenue record.

“We really didn’t know what to expect this holiday week because so much of it depends on the weather,” said Kayla Anderson, Dia­mond Peak’s marketing coordinator. “But we were blessed with a heavy storm coming into Christmas, so it really helped Diamond Peak meet its December budget.”

Alpine Meadows and Homewood Ski Resort parking lots were filled to capacity through the week following Christmas, a very good indicator of their holiday success, said Rachael Woods, with Alpine and Homewood public relations.

“I think that we received more visitors after Christmas, which is a good thing,” said Woods. “Both Homewood and Alpine had great visitorship through the weekend.”

Northstar-at-Tahoe was up 21 percent in skier visits — Dec. 26 through Jan. 2 — com­pared with last year, according to communi­cations manager Jessica VanPernis.

“The holiday snowfall was great,” said Van­Pernis, “it allowed us to open more terrain, and the roads cleared enough to allow people to get here.”

Sugar Bowl Ski Resort reported steady skier visits that were “more or less on target” with what they anticipated, said John Monson, director of marketing for Sugar Bowl.

What’s next?

There is truly no rest for the weary as resorts gear up for the next big holiday week­ends, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, and President’s Day, Feb. 16, both expected to rival Christmas and New Year’s in terms of total visitors.

“Both holidays are close if not equal in terms of popularity for visitors coming to Tahoe,” Woods said. “A lot of families can anticipate having time off together and the fact that these holidays are right in the middle of winter will increase the chances for good, if not fresh, snow conditions.”

Thinking about Buying or Selling?
Call Alvin's Team Today! 800-666-4718
Or visit our website: www.LivingLakeTahoe.com