Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in

Kirkwood, California Kirkwood (formerly Kirk, Kirkwood's, and Roundtop) is an unincorporated community in Alpine and Amador counties, California, United States. Kirkwood's main attraction is the Kirkwood Mountain Resort. The town is accessible by State Route 88. ...

, south of

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...

. The resort focuses on

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

in the winter and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and

mountain-biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and per ...

in the 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 a ridgeline at the top. This makes Kirkwood popular for cliff drops and cornices. Kirkwood received of snow during the 2005-2006 ski season. Average seasonal snowfall is second only to

Sugar Bowl Ski Resort Sugar Bowl is a ski and snowboard area in northern Placer County near Norden, California along the Donner Pass of the Sierra Nevada, approximately west of Reno, Nevada on Interstate 80, that opened on December 15, 1939. Sugar Bowl is a medium-si ...

in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primar ...

. Kirkwood is approximately south of

South Lake Tahoe, California South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada. The city's population was 21,330 at the 2020 census, down from 21,403 at the 2010 census. The city, along the southern edge of Lake ...

on State Route 88 and is contained within the

Eldorado National Forest Eldorado National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California. Geography Most of the forest (72.8%) lies in El Dorado County. In descending order of land area the others countie ...

. Most of the region's resorts are at the northern end of the lake, near

Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

. Kirkwood,

Sierra-at-Tahoe Sierra-at-Tahoe is a ski and snowboard resort in Twin Bridges, California south of Lake Tahoe. Sierra-at-Tahoe is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of Stateline, Nevada and 12 miles south of South Lake Tahoe on U.S. Route 50 and is conta ...

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 in the permanently closed "Cirque" area.

Summer activities

In the summer months, Kirkwood is a destination for

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

and

. Mountain biking trails such as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride are nearby. Other activities include a

ropes course A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in tr ...

and a

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

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 The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacrame ...

snow plowing service in 1971. Kirkwood opened for business 1972.

Ownership

Vail Resorts, Inc. acquired Kirkwood Mountain Resort in April 2012. Vail Resorts acquired two other Tahoe region resorts in the prior decade,

Heavenly Mountain Resort Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California–Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It opened for business on December 15, 1955 and has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between Califor ...

and Northstar California, both of which subsequently experienced significant facility upgrades.

References

External links

Kirkwood Mountain Resort
{{Authority control Mountain biking venues in the United States Ski areas and resorts in California Companies based in Alpine County, California Tourist attractions in Alpine County, California Buildings and structures in Alpine County, California Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Vail Resorts