Industry News
A proposed private ski area in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains has cleared another major hurdle after surviving an appeal process that threatened to derail the project once again.
Earlier this week, the Elko County Planning Commission reaffirmed its approval of businessman Peter Christodoulo’s plan to develop a private ski operation at Ruby Mountain Ranch near Elko, Nevada. The decision came after eight separate parties filed appeals challenging the project following its initial approval in March.
“We are pleased with the approval and appreciate the community’s engagement,” wrote Christodoulo in an email to SnowBrains. “We look forward to being good stewards of the land for a long time to come.”
The latest vote marks another chapter in what has become a multi-year effort to bring lift-served skiing to one of the most underrated mountain ranges in the American West.
From Public Ski Resort Concept to Private Ski Club
The story began in 2024 when Christodoulo purchased the roughly 3,000-acre Ruby Mountain Ranch with a vision of creating a public ski resort in the Ruby Mountains.
Often referred to as the “Swiss Alps of Nevada,” the Rubies have long been viewed by skiers as a sleeping giant. The range features dramatic alpine terrain, numerous peaks over 10,000 feet, and hundreds of inches of dry Great Basin snowfall annually. Despite the terrain potential, the region has never had a major lift-served ski resort.
At the time, Christodoulo’s proposal generated excitement among some locals and skiers who saw the opportunity to create a new ski destination in northeastern Nevada. The terrain reportedly includes around 1,200 to 1,500 skiable north-facing acres with vertical relief comparable to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe.
However, the original public-facing concept quickly ran into resistance. Concerns over zoning, infrastructure, environmental impacts, water usage, and increased development in the Ruby Mountains led the Elko County Planning Commission to deny the rezoning request needed for a public resort. Local opposition and environmental groups pushed back heavily against the idea, arguing that large-scale development could permanently alter the character of the range.
That rejection appeared to stall the project entirely — but instead, Christodoulo pivoted. Rather than abandoning the idea altogether, the proposal returned in a scaled-back form as a private ski area primarily intended for friends, family, and invited guests.
In March 2026, the Elko County Planning Commission voted 5-2 to approve a conditional use permit for the new version of the project.
The revised proposal included:
- A small lodge with overnight accommodations
- Up to five chairlifts
- No night skiing, with lights being turned off when not in use.
- Noise decibels were clarified that the lifts themselves could not create noise over 60 decibels at property line
- Poles must be painted a neutral color to blend in with the background
- Potential summer mountain biking operations
- A requirement that lifts be removed if unused for five consecutive years
The project would function more like a private ski club than a traditional destination resort.
Interestingly, the ski area itself still sounds fairly substantial despite the “private” label. Plans reportedly call for up to five fixed-grip chairlifts, all with a maximum of three-person carriers. The base lift would begin around 6,500 feet in elevation and go to 71,00 feet to provide access to additional terrain higher on the mountain. The higher lift would then go up to 9,000 feet. The vision has been described as intentionally old-school, reportedly inspired by the earlier days of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort before modern mega-resort expansion transformed much of the ski industry.
Appeal Filed Following Initial Approval
Following the March approval, opponents quickly challenged the decision. Eight separate parties filed appeals against the conditional use permit, sending the proposal back before the Elko County Planning Commission for additional review.
This week, the commission once again sided with Christodoulo and upheld the approval, determining that the landowner has the right to develop a ski area on private property under the approved conditions. The latest decision keeps the project alive and moves it one step closer to becoming reality after years of uncertainty.
Critics argue that development in the Ruby Mountains could harm wildlife, alter the landscape, and create long-term impacts in one of Nevada’s most scenic mountain ranges. The Sierra Club has publicly criticized the proposal and warned that development could affect the area for generations. Supporters, however, argue that the project is relatively modest in scale compared to large destination ski resorts elsewhere in the West, especially given that it would exist entirely on private land rather than public terrain.
While this latest version of the Ruby Mountain Ranch project falls short of the public ski destination many originally envisioned, it still marks a significant step forward for lift-served skiing in the Ruby Mountains. After years of stalled proposals, opposition, and uncertainty, the project has now survived multiple rounds of review and appeals. For the first time in decades, the possibility of chairlifts turning in the Rubies feels genuinely realistic. Whether the ski area eventually remains private or evolves into something more accessible to the public, the long-discussed dream of skiing the Ruby Mountains may finally be moving closer to becoming a reality.
@jakehenrikbogdon Nevada’s New Ski Resort: Elko County Commissioners Unanimously Pass the Conditional Use Permit, and Protected Private Property Rights! 💪 #skiing #epic #skiresort #5thamendment #rubymountains ♬ original sound – Jake B
