Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has decided to replace the Lakeview triple with a modern detachable. The lift will bolster out of base capacity currently provided mostly by the Northwest Magnum 6. “Beloved by many, the 41 year old Lakeview lift saw much greater ridership this past season, and proved the need for increased lift capacity to intermediate and even novice terrain,” read an announcement to season passholders. “Estimated to be the largest capital improvement project in the history of Mt. Rose, this express lift will be a key part in an overall Lakeview Experience involving trail additions, enhancements, and overall skier traffic benefits in the greater plan of this mountain zone.”
The new lift will be constructed in the summer of 2022 and open at the start of the 2022/23 season. The manufacturer and chair size were not announced. Mt. Rose also has approval to add a two stage chairlift in the Atoma expansion zone, which would become the mountain’s fourth detachable.
19 thoughts on “Mt. Rose Announces Lakeview Express Project”
skitheeastApril 3, 2021 / 9:56 am
I understand the desire to have Lakeview replaced, but I would have figured that they would do the Atoma lift first given all of the marketing they have put towards it. It is even on their trail map!
My manufacturer guess is Doppelmayr. By the time this lift is installed, their lift fleet will be entirely Doppelmayr and its predecessors except for Galena.
The two sections/angle station are going to be astronomically expensive. There’s a reason only the Vails, Park Citys, Squaws and Whistlers have detachable angle stations. Even Alta couldn’t afford it the second time.
Has Mt Rose ever had plans to take over Sky Tavern? I don’t know much about the two areas but it seems that with the proximity and Atoma expansion it’s only a matter of time before they combine.
So they had plans to do so, but since Reno extended Sky Tavern’s lease, they would have to wait?
I generally agree with the idea that cheap, small areas are a good way to get more people skiing though. If Rose took over the prices for people who just want to learn would skyrocket.
I believe the agreement with the city when Mt. Rose sold it to them back in 1968 was that Mt. Rose would have first shot at Sky Tavern if the ever wanted to sell the property. The City of Reno tried to sell it in the 1990s and changed their mind when a non-profit took over the operation of the Junior Ski Program. The city thought about selling it again in the 2010s to raise capital, but again changed their mind. The Junior Ski Program does a fine job with the community as far a teaching children and folks with disabilities to ski. That said, it is a shadow of the program that it was in the 1970s and 1980s due to fewer children taking part.
In other Mt. Rose news, it appears the Northwest Magnum 6 is now called the Northwest Express and the Blazing Zephyr Express is now just Zephyr Express. Two unique names gone.
As a local who learned to ski at Mt. Rose (and Sky Tavern in the Reno Junior Ski Program), I am surprised and very excited by this announcement. I remember when Lakeview was installed new as a child and would ride it to avoid the winds on the old Northwest double (and then triple). When Northwest Magnum 6 was installed, Lakeview seemed slow and no one wanted to ride it anymore. Making Lakeview a detach will help alleviate the crowds at the top and on Kit Carson Traverse. On windy days when Northwest and Zephyr are closed, having a faster ride on Lakeview will be amazing!
I also wonder what they will do with the current Lakeview triple. Will they use it to build the “Double Down Lift” on the Slide side as depicted in the master plan or will they scrap it?
I was wondering if they were going to extend Lakeview 300 feet further as listed in the master plan when then construct the new lift. I wonder if there is enough room to do so to accommodate a detach terminal?
The mountain topography doesn’t make this practical. Also, putting in midstation for Northwest would no longer make Rose’s flagship lift reach to the summit; making crossover to the Slide side impossible without a hike. Having angle stations at the summit would be unnecessary (runs can be accessed from both lifts), prone to windhold (that side of the peak faces west and would generate the strongest wind gusts), and blocked by the antennas on top of Slide Mountain. Extending Lakeview makes sense because it offers more wind protection (which is important when the wind gusts get too strong at the summit), provides access to Wild Card and Around the World, and still provides access to Kit Carson. Access to Jetta would involve a short climb up Kit Carson Traverse, but is doable (similar to accessing the Northwest runs where the top terminal to Lakeview is located now) when Northwest is on windhold.
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I understand the desire to have Lakeview replaced, but I would have figured that they would do the Atoma lift first given all of the marketing they have put towards it. It is even on their trail map!
My manufacturer guess is Doppelmayr. By the time this lift is installed, their lift fleet will be entirely Doppelmayr and its predecessors except for Galena.
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The two sections/angle station are going to be astronomically expensive. There’s a reason only the Vails, Park Citys, Squaws and Whistlers have detachable angle stations. Even Alta couldn’t afford it the second time.
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I completely agree with you and think it should be two separate lifts. However, why put it in their plans if they cannot follow through?
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Don’t forget Steamboat too with Christie Peak Express and proposed Wild Blue gondola.
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Has Mt Rose ever had plans to take over Sky Tavern? I don’t know much about the two areas but it seems that with the proximity and Atoma expansion it’s only a matter of time before they combine.
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The short answer is yes.
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/12/11/sky-tavern-30-year-lease-extension-mt-rose-ski-objection/4404670002/
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So they had plans to do so, but since Reno extended Sky Tavern’s lease, they would have to wait?
I generally agree with the idea that cheap, small areas are a good way to get more people skiing though. If Rose took over the prices for people who just want to learn would skyrocket.
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I believe the agreement with the city when Mt. Rose sold it to them back in 1968 was that Mt. Rose would have first shot at Sky Tavern if the ever wanted to sell the property. The City of Reno tried to sell it in the 1990s and changed their mind when a non-profit took over the operation of the Junior Ski Program. The city thought about selling it again in the 2010s to raise capital, but again changed their mind. The Junior Ski Program does a fine job with the community as far a teaching children and folks with disabilities to ski. That said, it is a shadow of the program that it was in the 1970s and 1980s due to fewer children taking part.
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In other Mt. Rose news, it appears the Northwest Magnum 6 is now called the Northwest Express and the Blazing Zephyr Express is now just Zephyr Express. Two unique names gone.
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I think the names have only been changed on the map, as the lift signage still refers to the old names.
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Sadly, with this new lift they repainted all the other lifts and officially changed the names. Boring.
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As a local who learned to ski at Mt. Rose (and Sky Tavern in the Reno Junior Ski Program), I am surprised and very excited by this announcement. I remember when Lakeview was installed new as a child and would ride it to avoid the winds on the old Northwest double (and then triple). When Northwest Magnum 6 was installed, Lakeview seemed slow and no one wanted to ride it anymore. Making Lakeview a detach will help alleviate the crowds at the top and on Kit Carson Traverse. On windy days when Northwest and Zephyr are closed, having a faster ride on Lakeview will be amazing!
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I also wonder what they will do with the current Lakeview triple. Will they use it to build the “Double Down Lift” on the Slide side as depicted in the master plan or will they scrap it?
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Found this on skimap.org and it shows it.
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I can’t find anything online, but remember a Mt. Rose master plan calling for extension of Lakeview to a higher elevation. Is that still on the table?
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I was wondering if they were going to extend Lakeview 300 feet further as listed in the master plan when then construct the new lift. I wonder if there is enough room to do so to accommodate a detach terminal?
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If angle station is so expensive why not angle Northwest or Zephyr toward the new Lakeview area?
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The mountain topography doesn’t make this practical. Also, putting in midstation for Northwest would no longer make Rose’s flagship lift reach to the summit; making crossover to the Slide side impossible without a hike. Having angle stations at the summit would be unnecessary (runs can be accessed from both lifts), prone to windhold (that side of the peak faces west and would generate the strongest wind gusts), and blocked by the antennas on top of Slide Mountain. Extending Lakeview makes sense because it offers more wind protection (which is important when the wind gusts get too strong at the summit), provides access to Wild Card and Around the World, and still provides access to Kit Carson. Access to Jetta would involve a short climb up Kit Carson Traverse, but is doable (similar to accessing the Northwest runs where the top terminal to Lakeview is located now) when Northwest is on windhold.
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