Hello, everyone – 

We are now well into summer, and it is beginning to feel like it too with this heat wave! It has been so great to welcome everyone back to the mountain and see the excitement again at the top of the Gondola. For those who haven’t been up there recently, we still have a small amount of snow that we have been using for some snow tubing and snow play. We do expect the rest of the snow to melt quickly now, so we’ll be transitioning from snow tubing to summer tubing soon. Also open is Gem Panning, the Climbing Wall, and our kids Red Tail Zip Line – and we expect the Hot Shot Zip Line (for adults) to open by the end of the month. Our summer LIFEWTR Yoga series is underway every Sunday on the Blue Sky Terrace Mid Station at 10am, and live music has entered the mix at Tamarack on Fridays and Saturdays. In other words, we’ve got a full agenda of fun for our summer guests! 

We also had another amazing 4th of July celebration here in South Lake Tahoe, but after everything’s over, our beaches needed a very real clean-up. In response, we, along with our colleagues at Northstar California and Kirkwood Mountain Resort, proudly partnered with the League to Save Lake Tahoe for their “Keep Tahoe Red, White and Blue” beach cleanup event. This year, volunteers collected a whopping 8,859 pounds of trash – a reminder that we must do better when it comes to respecting our environment. We look forward to this event every year and are grateful to the League to Save Lake Tahoe for organizing it. 

I also want to touch on our new reservations-based paid parking plan at California Base Area that we announced back in March. At that time, we shared some high-level details about what to expect, and just over a month ago, we posted an FAQ on our website that has a ton of great information and details about what to expect heading into the 23/24 ski and ride season – we've also updated it a few times since then, too (and will continue doing so as needed). As a reminder, the reservation system will be enforced at the California Base Area until noon on Saturdays and Sundays and peak holiday periods from the beginning of the season. However, as we begin this program, we will be doing some test-and-learn work and do not plan to charge for parking on weekends and holidays until mid-December. We are also encouraging and incentivizing carpooling and if you have 4+ passengers in your vehicle, you park for free (but still need a reservation at designated times).  It’s important to note that revenue received from paid parking will go back to the resort to support operations and the transit program. You can find the link to the FAQ here, and I want to share a few of our FAQs directly related to what we aim to accomplish.  

Importantly, we will be hosting an open house event to discuss our reservations-based paid parking plan on Wednesday, August 2, from 5pm – 7pm at California Main Lodge. This is a great opportunity for you to stop by, learn more about the program, and ask questions about it. We are excited to see this plan in action and genuinely believe it will make a difference when it comes to road congestion in our community on peak days. 

Until next time, 

-Tom

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Q: Why are you making this change and why now?

A: Traffic/road congestion and parking challenges have been a serious topic of conversation within our community for a while, and this past winter has perhaps been the most challenging yet. After taking a deep dive into our current parking practices and traffic patterns, learning from other resorts across our network, and much consideration and conversation here in-resort, we believe that a reservations-based parking program on weekends and peak periods at the California Base Area can, and will, make a difference.

Importantly, we have many choices for guests related to parking, including plenty of free parking options.

Q: What hours of the day will reservation/paid parking be enforced during peak periods at the California Base Area lot?

A: At our California Base Area lot, reservations will be required and there will be a fee for vehicles with 3 or fewer occupants before 12pm on weekends and peak periods. If you have 4+ people in a vehicle, you still need a reservation but there will be no fee to park during these times at the California Base Area. After 12pm on peak period days, parking will be free, and no reservations are required.

Q: If reservations-based parking is so effective, why not transition all lots to this model?

A: We know that locating free lots outside of the main base area will reduce congestion by keeping cars from the busiest areas. To that end, we don’t see an immediate need to put this system in place universally, and we do want to continue to provide free parking options on weekends and peak periods. We are always watching traffic patterns and evaluating our approach and will make changes to our parking plan as needed in the future.

Q: What is the cost of paid parking during peak periods?

A: At the California Base Area, parking during peak periods will cost $20 for 3 or fewer people. For 4+, it will be free. Revenue received from paid reservations will go back to the resort to support operations and our transit program. 

Boulder Base Area and Stagecoach Base Area parking will remain free every day, including on weekdays, weekends, and peak periods.

Q: Where will revenue from paid parking go?

A: Our objective is to create a routine amongst our guests that encourages carpooling. We continually assess needs for reinvestment in parking and transportation efficiency and experience and revenue from paid parking will be prioritized accordingly.