It's Finally Time to Go All-In in Vegas

The skiers and snowboarders began piling into the plane that was set to fly from Denver to Bradley International Airport on Monday.

Some were coming back from the mountains of Colorado. Some were connecting to Windsor Locks from Utah and others from Lake Tahoe.

Almost to a person, it was the consensus that it was a rough holiday period on the hill.

Except for one person — me.  

A couple from Seymour sat down next to me. Colorado was not kind to either of them — one snowboarder and one skier.

"There was not a lot of snow," they said almost simultaneously.

"Well I had a 44-inch base in Vegas."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?"

"And a full terrain park."

"No way."

Several heads also turned when hearing the declaration. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort is one of the hot spots this season. Western storms have been running in a southerly direction and dumping snow into Lee Canyon in southern Nevada, where LVSSR sits.

LVSSR is the novelty if the snow sports industry. It is located just 45 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. The trip there up Highway 95 takes visitors through downtown, which sits at about 2,100 feet above sea level. Another 6,000 or so feet later, you are at the base of the lifts.

By western standards Vegas is small — 11 trails and three chairlifts and about 1,000 feet of vertical. But considering where it is, it's one of those must-visit places for any skier and rider. You can get the resort, get in a full day and still be back on The Strip for dinner and a show or an early session at the blackjack table.

And it snows there (the record is 220 inches set three seasons ago). LVSSR President and General manager Kevin Stickelman calls it the best environment for snow-making — and snow-collecting — in the industry. LVSSR sits in a box canyon that cuts off the wind from even notoriously breezy Vegas. So what falls, falls straight down and cold overnight temperatures create a natural refrigeration system.

After sunrise the temperatures generally reach the 40s. 

One can see all the way down to the desert floor from atop Chair 1.

And it's easy to get to with direct flights from Bradley or quick connections through major airports like Denver and Chicago.  

The runs are short, but offer good cruising, an easy way down for intermediates and an extensive terrain park (a good 70 percent of the patrons are snowboarders).

Those who know the mountain well will testify that it offers some of the best off-piste and tree runs on the continent. If you want to hike, you will find challenging and fun terrain — and some secret powder stashes — above and around the current trail system.

But the resort proper is going to get wider, higher, and a lot more sophisticated thanks to regulatory approval of an expansion plan that will create 10 lifts and 50 trails.

The Humoldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service accepted the LVSSR Master Development Plan in July. The news came after several years of examining the extensive multi-phase project, which will take up to a dozen years to complete.

Included in the plan are not only the trail and lift expansion , but increased snowmaking capability and parking, upgrades to equipment, and additional guest facilities that will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards.

“This is an important moment in history for Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, as well as the local community,” Stickelman said. “The approval of our MDP means that in addition to offering the finest outdoor winter experience, LVSSR will be poised to provide year-round outdoor recreation and to serve as a premier special event venue. We will also be creating employment opportunities, as well as attracting tourism by providing a very unique Las Vegas experience.”

Terms of the MDP’s acceptance include the ongoing evaluation of individual projects for feasibility and impact in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. According to Stephanie Phillips, Humoldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service’s deputy forest supervisor, the two parties sharing a goal of protecting the environment was a critical factor in the MDP’s acceptance.

I asked Stickelman during a visit two weeks ago if it were a stretch to call it the most significant capital improvement project in the industry. He was all over the question.

"I think it is," he said. "Because of our location in a metropolitan area with 2 million people and the fact that Las Vegas draws 40 million visitors a year, it is a very important project. And we can do it without lodging. We have that already in Vegas."

LVSSR already has a federally funded ski bus program in place to get visitors — and the young locals — to the mountain from The Strip and a location in the northern part of the city. 

It also has a remodeled — and more efficient — guest services area, ski and snowboard school and rental center. Its snowmaking reservoir, once a glorified swimming pool, is now filled with 7 million gallons.

Immediate plans call for two new trails and the existing Chair 2 to be replaced by a fixed-quad chair with a conveyor loading system.

The Snake trail — considered on or off piste depending on who you talk to — will be widened.

Phase 1 will expand a parking area that easily becomes congested and expand   the already self-contained learning area.

The new lodge will measure about 39,000 square feet, Stickelman said.

After all is said and done, the resort will have more than 2,000 feet of vertical to ski and ride off the lifts. The summit hike will be cut down to about 800 vertical feet.

It all makes the people piling into the plane salivate at the thought of skiing and riding Vegas.