Northstar-at-Tahoe is underway with one of the largest capital investments in the U.S. for the 2011-2012 winter season. This Good Day Report provides an up-close look at the new mountain top lodge under construction and more details.

From news release on August 25th, 2011...

With the 2011-2012 winter season on the horizon, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort near Lake Tahoe, California is making steady progress on the $30 million in capital improvement projects currently underway at the resort – one of the largest capital investments at any resort in the U.S. this year. On-mountain projects in progress will enhance the guest experience on the mountain for the 2011-2012 winter season, currently scheduled to begin November 18, 2011.
 
New projects to be completed for this season include the installation of a new high-speed chairlift and two new intermediate ski trails on The Backside of the mountain, construction of a new 500-seat on-mountain restaurant, and the construction of a new 22’ halfpipe that will be designed by Shaun White, who now calls Northstar® Resort his home mountain and primary training resort. Northstar Resort guests will also experience EpicMix, Vail Resorts’ award-winning app that provides skiers and riders with a new way to capture and share their ski experience with friends and family.
 
“With all of our capital projects underway, we’re getting even more excited for the start of the 2011-2012 season and providing a vastly improved on-mountain experience for our guests,” said Bill Rock, chief operating officer at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort. “Skiers and riders are going to love the views and the menu options available at the new lodge, and the new lift and trails are going to open up even more terrain on The Backside.”
 
Promised Land Express
With a vertical rise of 1,440’, the new detachable express quad chairlift, dubbed “Promised Land Express,” will be installed this summer on “The Backside” of the mountain, providing access to expanded gladed terrain and new ski trails. The new lift will double the resort’s lift capacity on The Backside, a very popular area of the mountain known for its long, uninterrupted advanced trails and gladed tree skiing.
 
Two new intermediate trails will be served by the lift, and new snowmaking is being installed on both Drifter, an existing ski trail that also provides access to The Backside, and one of the new trails, allowing the resort to continue to offer some of the best early season skiing and riding conditions around the lake.
 
Zephyr Lodge
In addition to the lift, a new on-mountain restaurant is under construction that will offer 500 indoor seats as well as 200 outdoor deck seats. Centrally located on the mountain near the top of the Tahoe Zephyr Express lift, the new restaurant, the “Zephyr Lodge,” is being built in Tahoe great lodge style with an open floor plan, large timbers and a huge window wall offering spectacular views of the Pacific Crest. Guests will be able to enjoy a variety of menu options including a Napa salad bar, gourmet pizza and specialty soups and sandwiches. The restaurant can be accessed by skiing or riding off of the Tahoe Zephyr Express, Backside Express, Promised Land Express or Comstock Express lifts.
 
New 22 Foot Halfpipe to be Designed by Shaun White
As a result of the recent partnership with two time Olympic gold medalist, Shaun White, Northstar Resort will work closely with White to design a new 22 foot halfpipe that will be open during the 2011-2012 winter season for skiers and riders to enjoy. Northstar Resort will also serve as White’s primary training resort.
 
EpicMix: Available at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort This Winter
With EpicMix, all activity on the slopes is automatically captured and uploaded to each skier/rider’s EpicMix dashboard. Now Northstar Resort guests will be able to follow their days skied, track their vertical feet, see where they rode, earn EpicMix pins for their achievements, and collect points. Resort guests will also have the ability to connect with their social networks like Facebook and Twitter and share their stats, pins and points.
 
Last season, nearly 100,000 Vail Resorts guests activated EpicMix accounts, generating over 35 million social impressions and racking up over 55 billion vertical feet of skiing and snowboarding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in California/Nevada.
 
Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort’s 2011-2012 winter season is scheduled to run from November 18, 2011 to April 15, 2012, weather and conditions permitting. Season passes are now on sale, starting at just $379 for the Tahoe Value Pass, which provides seven day per week access to Heavenly Mountain Resort and six day per week access to Northstar Resort. Some restrictions apply. Other pass options are available, including the Epic Pass, priced at just $649. The Epic Pass offers unrestricted access all season long to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, and both Heavenly and Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada. For more information, visit www.epicpass.com.
 
For the most up-to-date photos of the capital projects underway at Northstar Resort, visit www.northstarattahoe.com or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/northstarattahoe.