Sugar Bowl Resort will mark 75 years of operation this winter with a season-long schedule of events and celebrations.

The Sugar Bowl Corporation was formed on Oct. 13, 1938 and the ski resort officially opened for skiing on Dec. 15, 1939. Led by Hannes Schroll, an Austrian yodeler and champion skier, Sugar Bowl Resort built the first chairlift in California in the summer of 1939 on Mt. Disney, a peak named after early investor Walt Disney.

Sugar Bowl quickly became a destination for Hollywood stars and avid skiers who would load onto the “Snowball Special” trains for skiing at Mt. Disney and socializing in the newly built Bavarian lodge at its base.

Sugar Bowl’s early years were interrupted by World War II as many ski instructors left to join the 87th Infantry Division and subsequently the 10th Mountain Division and the railroad was busy with military transports. During the war, Sugar Bowl Resort closed for three years before reopening in 1945.

In 1953, the resort pioneered another ski industry milestone by building the first gondola on the West Coast. Since then, Sugar Bowl Resort has continued to upgrade and update its ski resort offerings while maintaining the history of the Sugar Bowl Lodge and the original gondola. Sugar Bowl added the Summit chairlift in 2009 and opened the brand new Crow’s Peak chairlift last year, adding intermediate and advanced terrain, and extensive backcountry access to the resort.

In 2012, Sugar Bowl Resort took over management of Royal Gorge, North America’s largest cross-country ski resort, and began updating the resort’s lodge, grooming equipment and operations. The Royal Gorge deal was made possible through a conservation purchase spearheaded by the Truckee Donner Land Trust that protected the property from large-scale real estate development.

Last year Sugar Bowl Resort unveiled $20 million in improvements to the mountain, including a new ski-in, ski-out Sugar Bowl Academy campus, and a fitness, spa and ski training facility called the Sporthaus.

To celebrate Sugar Bowl Resort’s 75 years of operation, the resort will be holding a series of events, including:
 
Dec. 12: Backcountry Ball, a benefit for the Sierra Avalanche Center
5 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Judah Lodge
Music, vendors, auction items, drink specials, dinner and more.
 
Dec. 19; Jan. 23; Feb. 13; March 13: CORE Appreciation Days
Special 75th Anniversary Discount Lift Ticket pricing for Daily CORE Pass holders
 
Dec. 26-28: Special Musical Act (to be determined) at Judah Lodge
Apres Entertainment and drink specials
 
Jan. 17, 18: Special musical act (to be determined) at Judah Lodge
Apres Entertainment and drink specials
 
Feb. 14: Special 75th Anniversary Celebration at Judah Lodge
Live music (to be determined), swag giveaways and prizes, raffle items benefiting the Sugar Bowl Ski Team Foundation, drink specials and more
 
March 14, 15: Silver Belt Banzai
The Rahlves’ Banzai Tour at Sugar Bowl, down the famed Silver Belt Gully, with special 75th anniversary celebration of history of Silver Belt races
 
April 10-12: Shred the Love, a benefit for Boarding for Breast Cancer
Rail jam at Sugar Bowl’s Switching Yard Terrain Park, Yoga sessions , XC skiing outing, auction items, raffle items, prizes & giveaways, live music at Judah Lodge, drink specials benefiting B4BC.org

For more information about Sugar Bowl and the 75th Anniversary events and celebrations, visit www.sugarbowl.com