Sierra-at-Tahoe, CA, Looks to Reopen Next Winter After Devastating Caldor Fire

The 2021/22 ski season would have been the 75th season for Sierra-at-Tahoe resort. Instead, the resort stayed closed due to the Caldor Fire that devastated the resort late last summer. 

Over 70% of the resort’s 2,000 acres suffered burn damage. Along with the vegetation devastation, the fire damaged the maintenance facility, five of the nine lifts, and the magic carpet. 

Restoration of the resort has been ongoing, and work is expected to continue with the goal of getting skiers and snowboarders back to the resort this coming winter. 

The rebuilding has been a collaborative process with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Work continues to remove burned and hazardous trees, widen trails, and build new lifts. It is estimated that the effort will cost in the tens of millions of dollars range.

If the resort achieves its ambitious goal, visitors to the resort next season can expect a completely different experience than they have in the past. The landscape is forever changed, but the goal is to build a ski product that is world-class for the future. 

Sierra-at-Tahoe has received an outpouring of support and looks forward to the next phase in its history. Pass holders this season were offered either a refund or to roll their pass to next winter. More than half of the local community kept their passes. It goes to show that a fire cannot take away what people know and love. 

Season passes are on sale now and you can also donate to the Caldor Fire restoration fund.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, while still looking to the future, the resort did open for the weekend of April 9-10 to reflect and reconnect its community. See the video below of the annual WinterFest celebration.