Donner Ski Ranch Explained

Donner Ski Ranch
Location:Donner Summit
Tahoe National Forest
Nearest City:Norden, California
Pushpin Map:California#United States
Pushpin Relief:1
Coordinates:39.3183°N -120.33°W
Vertical:750feet
Top Elevation:7781feet
Base Elevation:7031feet
Skiable Area:435acres
Number Trails:52 total
25% beginner
50% intermediate
25% advanced
Liftsystem:8: 5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 moving carpets
Snowfall:412inches
Snowmaking:Yes
Nightskiing:None
External Link:www.donnerskiranch.com

Donner Ski Ranch is a budget-oriented, family owned ski area located on Donner Summit in the Tahoe National Forest of Nevada County, California.[1] [2] It is owned by Janet and Marshall Tuttle, who purchased it after it went into bankruptcy.[3] The area it is on has been used for skiing since 1937.[4] It has ski lifts on both sides of Donner Summit, and is located close to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. 25% of its terrain is beginner, 50% intermediate, and 25% advanced, but of the 52 runs 16 are of beginning difficulty, 20 are intermediate, and 16 are advanced.

The rustic lodge, built-in 1947, is mostly made of wood, and has open pipes. The adjacent structure was built in 1951 by John Sloan Woodard, who owned and operated the resort from 1950-1956. Norm Sayler worked for Woodard at the Donner Ski Ranch starting in 1953, helping to build the ski area’s first chairlift in 1955. Sayler took over the management of the resort in 1958, and ran it for the next 46 years, while slowly acquiring most of the ownership.[5] The rustic lodge was renovated after its acquisition by its current owners. At the time of the acquisition, all of the ski lifts were painted as well.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Keith Romig . The Latest DSP News . 2010 . Donner Ski Patrol . January 18, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100513071821/http://www.donnerskipatrol.org/ . May 13, 2010 . dead .
  2. Web site: Donner Ski Ranch . Ski Tahoe. January 18, 2010.
  3. News: Maggie O'Neill . Resort Report: Donner Ski Ranch . Reno Gazette-Journal . March 15, 2008 . 6 December 2010.
  4. McLaughlin, Mark (2012) Skiing at Lake Tahoe Arcadia Publishing pg 46-48
  5. Sierra Sun, History and Legacy of Donner Ranch Dec. 9th, 2016
  6. News: Hugo Martin . Old school skiing Donner Ski Ranch in Truckee offers a retro slope experience . Los Angeles Times . September 16, 2007 . 9 January 2015.