The Lee Canyon ski and snowboard resort is located in Lee Canyon, 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The base lodge is situated at the base of Lee Peak with an elevation of 11,289 feet/3,441 meters to the north of Mount Charleston, the eighth highest peak in Nevada at 11,916 feet/3,632 meters. The resort can be reached via US 95 to Nevada State Route 156.
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Ski Area Information
The resort is owned and operated by Powdr Corporation in partnership with the United States Forest Service under a special use permit. The resort is typically open from November through April, with the best snow in February and March.
The area's total of 385 skiable acres offers 11 alpine skiing and snowboarding trails and four lifts, including three chairlifts and one surface lift as well as its hike-to side country areas and freestyle terrain park for skiers and snowboarders. The area also includes the Lee Canyon Ski & Snowboard School and off-slope amenities including Lee Canyon Sports, The Pro Shop, The Big Horn Cafe and the Bristlecone Bar.
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History
Since the early 1930s, Las Vegas locals and visitors alike have enjoyed the snow on wind protected, north-facing slopes. In the 1940s the Las Vegas Ski Club operated a short rope tow and a warming hut.
Lee Canyon Ski Area was created in 1964, when the Forest Service issued a Special Use Permit in order to provide winter recreation options in Southern Nevada. During the 1960s, the Las Vegas gaming industry was booming, and winter sports enthusiasts were pleased to find a high alpine environment in the middle of the desert, only one hour away from the Las Vegas Strip. A T-Bar was installed, the A-Frame Chalet was completed, and in 1968 the first chairlift, Chair One, was installed to access higher elevations along with a rope tow on the beginner hill. The main lodge building was completed in February, 1970.
In 1980, Chair Two replaced the T-Bar and the runs were improved for better skiing conditions. In 1982, the beginner slope received Chair Three, replacing the rope tow. In 1987 snowmaking came to Lee Canyon, providing 60% coverage on the main trails. Snowboarding was not allowed until the late 80's. 1988 saw outdoor lighting to brighten the slopes for the first time, bringing night skiing to the area.
Lee Canyon Ski Area officially became Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort in 1995.
During the 1990s snowboarding forever changed the LVSSR with a freestyle terrain park, half pipe and local competitions.
Big changes occurred in November 2003 when Powdr Corporation, based in Park City, Utah acquired LVSSR. LVSSR joined Park City Mountain Resort, Oregon's Mt. Bachelor, as well as California's Alpine Meadows, Soda Springs and Boreal Mountain Resort as a Powdr Corporation owned-and-operated ski resort (Alpine Meadows later merged with adjacent Squaw Valley Ski Resort). Among the improvements Powdr implemented at LVSSR were improved snowmaking, rental equipment, a Magic Carpet surface lift, expanded terrain park, and improved terrain on the beginner slope.
In 2005 a triple chairlift was installed to replace the yellow double chairlift, Chair One. Further improvements were made to the snowmaking system. The future of LVSSR was submitted to the Forest Service in a new Master Plan proposal. Powdr purchased Killington Ski Resort in Vermont. In 2009, Powdr acquired Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado.
In 2009, Lee Canyon had its earliest opening ever on October 7. This was the second resort in the United States to open for the 2009-2010 season, the longest season on record at Lee Canyon with over 180 days of skiing and snowboarding.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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