Squaw Valley the ex-Olympic site sold to Denver company

A Denver, Colorado-based company is buying Squaw Valley USA and has pledged to pump $50 million into renovating the ski resort. KSL Capital Partners, LLC announced Tuesday they have acquired all shares, and expect the sale to be final before the end of the year. Squaw Valley is the former site of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games near Lake Tahoe; consisting of 4,000 acres and 2,850 vertical feet of skiing and riding spanning 6 peaks.

Heliskiing in Lake Tahoe for first time in 40 years

This season Lake Tahoe in California will be offeringheli-skiingfor the first time since the 1970s. Operated by Pacific CrestHeli-Guides the operation will access over 100,000 skiable acres and offer an opportunity to ski or board in the Sierra’s hidden and remote areas.

The increasingly popular snow sport of biathlon is being opened up to more and more participants from the general public thanks to the creation of new ranges at ski resorts. In recent years centres have opened at Bansko in Bulgaria and Seefeld in Austria, the latest is at the rapidly expanding Northstar resort by Lake Tahoe in California. It is the US West Coast’s only permanent biathlon range for scheduled events and private instruction.

Tahoe in California currently has the most snow in the United States with Kirkwood Mountain Resort ringing in 200inches (5 metres) for the season total to date. One to two feet (30–60cm) of fresh powder has fallen in the last 24 hours to Lake Tahoe South Shore ski resorts – Heavenly Mountain Resort, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort.

Prognostications for a El Nino winter in Lake Tahoe South Shore now look like a sure bet as the destination received 6–8 inches of snow above 7,000 ft. and 2–4 inches at lake level this weekend, planting the seeds of anticipation for a monumental season among winter enthusiasts.

‘We’re ready for an early and strong season,’ said Carol Chaplin executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. ‘A solid start to winter is key to building visitor confidence and promising early conditions have a snowball effect ‘pun intended’ on the area’s ski resorts, lodging and dining establishments.’

Part of the reason the skiing industry fared better than other industries during the recession is because skiers and snowboarders view the sport as a definition of themselves. With almost everyone resetting their spending levels, businesses have to adapt to the new realties the economy has created, experts are saying.