Kirkwood Mountain Resort, part of the Epic Pass, is a ski resort in Kirkwood, California, south of Lake Tahoe. The resort focuses on skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain-biking in the summer.
| Kirkwood Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Kirkwood Mountain Resort Location in California  Kirkwood Mountain Resort Kirkwood Mountain Resort (the United States) | |
| Location | Thimble Peak Covered Wagon Peak Alpine County, CA Amador County, CA |
| Nearest major city | Kirkwood, California |
| Coordinates | 38°41′02″N 120°04′05″W / 38.684°N 120.068°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Vail Resorts |
| Vertical | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
| Top elevation | 9,800 ft (3,000 m) |
| Base elevation | 7,800 ft (2,400 m) |
| Skiable area | 2,300 acres (930 ha) |
| Trails | 65+ total  12% beginner  30% intermediate  58% advanced/expert |
| Longest run | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Lift system | 15 lifts (2 high speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 6 triple chairs, 1 double chair, 1 surface lifts, 2 magic carpets) |
| Lift capacity | passengers/hr |
| Terrain parks | Bandit Park Outlaw Park |
| Snowfall | ~500 in (1,300 cm) |
| Snowmaking | limited acreage |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | www.kirkwood.com |
Located approximately 33 mi (53 km) south of South Lake Tahoe, California, Kirkwood is accessible via State Route 88 and is nestled within the Eldorado National Forest. While most of the region's resorts are situated at the northern end of the lake, near Truckee, California, Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Heavenly Mountain Resort are found on the southern side of the lake.
Skiing and snowboarding
editKirkwood is a resort with an average of high snowfalls and a selection of advanced skiing terrain. The resort receives seasonal snowfall is 472 in (1,200 cm), ranking behind only Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada in terms of snow accumulation.[1] Two new surface tows were introduced at Kirkwood during the 2008–2009 season to provide skiers and snowboarders with greater access to terrain along Vista Ridge and Fawn Ridge.
Kirkwood hosted a leg of the North American Freeskiing Championships in 2009 and 2010. This is an event that showcases top freeskiers competing in challenging terrain.[2]
History
editKirkwood opened in 1972 after year-round Caltrans snow plowing service began operations for Highway 88 (CA 88) in 1971.[3] This all-weather highway connects the resort to the populated western regions of California. Kirkwood Mountain Resort is one of the more recent ski resorts to open in the Lake Tahoe region.
Ownership
editVail Resorts, Inc. acquired Kirkwood Mountain Resort in April 2012.[4] Prior to 2012, Vail Resorts acquired two other resorts in the Tahoe region: Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California.
References
edit- ^ Tony Crocker "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Steve Yingling / Tahoe Daily Tribune. "North American Freeskiing Championships returns to Kirkwood". Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Kirkwood: A story of raw adventure and perseverance". Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ "Vail Resorts To Acquire Kirkwood Mountain Resort" (Press release). February 22, 2012.