Kirkwood Mountain Resort
| Kirkwood Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kirkwood, California |
| Nearest major city | Gardnerville, Nevada |
| Top elevation | 9,800 feet (2,987 m) |
| Base elevation | 7,800 feet (2,377 m) |
| Skiable area | 2,300 (930 hectares) |
| Trails | 65+ |
| Longest run | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) |
| Lift system | 15 lifts (2 high speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 6 triple chairs, 1 double chair, 2 surface lifts, 2 magic carpets, 1 tubing lift) |
| Website | Official Site |
Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a yearround 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 2 miles (3.2 km) of ridgeline at the top. This makes Kirkwood popular for cliff drops and cornices. Kirkwood received an impressive 804 inches (20.4 m) of snow during the 2005 / 2006 ski season. Average seasonal snow fall is 472 inches (12.0 m) the most of any Sierra Resort.[1]. Kirkwood is approximately Template:Mi to km south of Stateline, Nevada and South Lake Tahoe 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 and Reno, Nevada. Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Heavenly are located on the southern side of the lake, approximately Template:Mi to km from Reno.
Skiing and snowboarding
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/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. 2–3 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.
Out of a fleet of 21 snowmobiles, 17 still use pollution-heavy 2 cycle engines.
Kirkwood uses its own diesel generators to supply electricity. The resort plans to bring PG&E's power grid into Kirkwood Valley by installing approximately 28 miles of power lines under the Hwy 88 roadway. This would eliminate the generators' pollution, and may reduce the current cost of electricity in the valley. On January 1, 2010, a fire destroyed the powerhouse and the three new engines installed since 2006, along with switching equipment purchased after a 2004 fire.
References
- ^ Tony Crocker http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/