Brothers Ray and Floyd Barrett opened Sierra Ski Ranch in 1946. Vern Sprock purchased it in 1956. In 1993, Fibreboard bought it and renamed it Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort. It has been owned by Booth Creek Ski Holdings since 1996. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
This ski season was supposed to be all about celebrating 75 years of schussing down the slopes at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Unfortunately, the resort doesn’t know what lifts will spin this winter even though opening day should be a few weeks away.
The Caldor Fire that ripped through the Eldorado National Forest in late summer/early fall caused significant damage to some of the lifts and many of the trees.
Sierra threw a big party for Jamie Anderson, Maddie Bowman and Hannah Teeter after they competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
“We do know that the trails + area accessed by West Bowl Express will be inaccessible this season, as we restore that section of the mountain for seasons to come,” Sierra-at-Tahoe said on Instagram Oct. 24.
Even though the ski resort’s insurance company brought in private firefighters before the flames reached that section of Highway 50, fire has a way of doing what it wants. Most of the buildings were saved, but the cables on some of the 14 lifts that are scattered across 2,000 acres are the problem. So are all the damaged trees.
Sierra’s restaurants serve more than traditional cafeteria food. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
On the resort’s website is a Q&A about what to expect this season. It gets updated as more information is available.
In part as of Oct. 25 it said, “We are still conducting a thorough evaluation of Sierra’s lifts and trails to understand the full impact of the fire. That evaluation will determine what operations look like for opening the resort for the 2021/22 winter season. Repairs, routine yearly maintenance + annual inspections continue on Nob Hill, Short Stuff, El Dorado + Easy Rider Express, as well as mitigation for fire-damaged trees along ski trails accessed by these lifts. The operating status for individual trails accessed by each of these lifts is still unknown as they undergo inspection. In addition, many of the in-bound tree skiing areas, such as Jack’s + Avalanche Bowl, will likely be closed for the season. Grandview Express’ haul rope, which suspends the ski lift’s chairs, was damaged during the fire and a replacement cable is currently in production in Switzerland. Due to these challenges, Grandview Express will be delayed and we currently do not have an estimated date for allowing access to this lift.”
This video from KCRA-TV shows the damage:
The fire changed a lot of things for a lot of people. And while it might be trite to mourn the damage to my favorite South Shore ski resort when whole towns (Grizzly Flats and Greenville) were leveled this year, the loss is wrapped up in so many wonderful memories of skiing at Sierra.
I’ve never been a huge tree skier, but I loved the trees at Sierra. I loved that I could find stashes of powder a day or two after a storm. The special events were fun. The food was good.
Kae Reed, left, as a special guest judge during the annual salsa competition.
Sierra has always had a friendly, non-corporate vibe. It was welcoming.
And all those Olympians it has produced.
There is a reason the lift that accesses this vista is called Grandview. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
I skied there with friends and family. I skied for work, I skied just to have fun.
None of those things will change as the resort repairs the fire damage. It’s possible Sierra will be even more magical for having endured this significant setback.
Good thing the keys were not left in the snowcat. (Image: Sue Wood)
Sierra has weathered many storms—ownership changes, drought, rain on snow, a pandemic, short seasons, lack of personnel, road closures, and so much more. Resilient is what this resort is. It takes some pretty special people—from the GM to the lifties—to create this sense of belonging.
The fact that the resort seems to be so honest via social media about what is going on makes me like it even more. Transparency with guests is going to get some converts to the slopes even with limited terrain this season.
This isn’t just a ski resort; it is a community. It’s a place that will always be special to me.
I loved this follow up, answering questions I have had regarding the status of Sierra-at-Tahoe. Thank you for the thoroughness and the reminder of that amazing day with the Olympians. WOW. I have high hopes for this historic Tahoe resort.
I have been skiing at Sierra Ski Ranch since it was down on Hywy 50, the reason being that I have been close to the Barrett family since 1956 when Stan Barrett, son of Ray Barrett, and I began our lifelong friendship; we were ‘blood-brothers’ and ‘best friends’ till he passed away in Sept, 2020 after battling cancer for 13 years. But that is not the reason I not only have continued to ski there, but it has remained my mountain of choice. I moved to South Lake Tahoe in early summer 1971, & I have been asked a million times why I don’t ski at the other local ski area right in South Tahoe city. I respond by asking them why they ski there (the local area in the city). Every single person says, “because it’s so convenient, it’s right there!” I then tell them I don’t choose my ski area because “it’s convenient”. I choose my ski area for the skiing it provides, eg: the mountain itself, the amount of natural snow that falls annually, the wind protection it gets from the thickly forested mountains, the lack of sun exposure on the runs and lastly, all the reasons given by the author, Kae Reed – it’s a family atmosphere, not a corporate run area. It’s big enough to enjoy it immensely, and small enough that passholders, & employees know each other by name. I knew Vern, Bobbie, Kathy, & Peter Sprock for years, even skiing with them (except Bobbie) many times over the years – these were THE OWNERS for crying out loud! But they didn’t put on airs or act like they were the OWNERS & you better know it. Even today, seems like everyone knows John Rice the GM at Sierra-at-Tahoe because he doesn’t come across like some corporate mogul, far from it! Sierra’s friendly, easy going atmosphere just draws you in & makes you feel like you’re part of that family. And THAT’S a big part of why there are so many faithful long-time skiers at Sierra & why it has survived for decades, while other places on that side of Echo Summitt have fizzled out.
So well said Mario! And thank you Kathryn.
I’ve been fortunate to have a similar experience these past 50 years at Sierra, my home away from home on Echo Summit. Some of the best days of my life were spent charging the trees on our mono skis, Benston, Stephan, and myself. I think I know the answer, but I just have to ask- are you the Mario we used to see sailing off Big Mac and taking middle dynamite in another turn or two? My contact info is at winninglandscape.com. I’ll be staying near the lake at Stateline for a month this Jan/Feb, and certainly hope we can make a few turns together. Long live Sierra!
Thanks for the update ! Appreciate your detailed article and love the photo of you in the Snowcat.
Great article. cjr
I’m concerned that since the business is on USFS property, the federal government may with hold permission to operate due to technical issues. If they require every dead or damaged tree removed before the resort is open, for example.
Also, that Sierra is first a business. One we all would like to see succeed. But somewhere along the line, someone is going to decide that it just isn’t profitable or, worse, has lost so much money as to file bankruptcy. I wonder if passholders would then be able to recover their payment for season pass once they file.
There are other activities the resort could host while waiting for lifts to operate. What a great tubing hill this could make for example. It’s got a great outdoor venue for social gatherings such as BBQ’s, concerts, etc. Hoping they choose to host an occasional day here or there that allows folks to enjoy just being in the mountains even if they can’t be on the mountain.
I skied at ‘Sierra Ski Ranch’ when Vern Sprock was owner and was in the parade (as a Sheriff’s STAR membe) that took Jamie, Maddie and Hannah up to Sierra at Tahoe when they came back from the Olympics. The Ranch was my family’s favorite ski area, near our summer (winterized) cabin.