Kirkwood Mountain Resort

Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round 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 is located in California
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Location in California
Kirkwood Mountain Resort is located in the United States
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort (the United States)
LocationThimble Peak
Covered Wagon Peak
Alpine County, CA
Amador County, CA
Nearest major cityKirkwood, California
Coordinates38.684°N 120.068°W / 38.684; -120.068
StatusOperating
OwnerVail Resorts
Vertical2,000 ft (610 m)
Top elevation9,800 ft (3,000 m)
Base elevation7,800 ft (2,400 m)
Skiable area2,300 acres (930 ha)
Runs65+ total
12% beginner
30% intermediate
58% advanced/expert
Longest run2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Lift system15 lifts (2 high speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 6 triple chairs, 1 double chair, 1 surface lifts, 2 magic carpets)
Lift capacitypassengers/hr
Terrain parksBandit Park
Outlaw Park
Snowfall~500 in (1,300 cm)
Snowmakinglimited acreage
Night skiingNo
Websitewww.kirkwood.com

Kirkwood is one of the more well known resorts for having one of the highest average snowfalls and a broad selection of advanced skiing terrain. The mountain is unique in that it has a 2 mi (3.2 km) ridgeline at the top. This makes Kirkwood popular for cliff drops and cornices. Average seasonal snowfall is 472 in (1,200 cm) behind Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada.[1] Kirkwood is approximately 33 mi (53 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

Two new surface tows opened in the 2008-2009 season to provide access to formerly "hike-to" terrain along Vista Ridge and Fawn Ridge.

In 2009 and 2010, Kirkwood hosted a leg of the North American Freeskiing Championships.

Summer activities

In the summer months, Kirkwood is a destination for mountain biking and hiking. Other activities include rope courses and a disc golf course.

History

Kirkwood is one of the more recent ski resorts to open in the Lake Tahoe region primarily because of accessibility through mountain passes, distance from South Lake Tahoe which is over 30 miles, and an all-weather highway to the resort from the populated western regions of California. Highway 88 (CA 88) was opened with all year round Caltrans snow plowing service in 1971. Kirkwood opened for business 1972.[2]

Ownership

Vail Resorts, Inc. acquired Kirkwood Mountain Resort in April 2012.[3] 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.

References
  1. 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)
  2. "Kirkwood: A story of raw adventure and perseverance". Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  3. "Vail Resorts To Acquire Kirkwood Mountain Resort" (Press release). February 22, 2012.
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