As I’m sure you are aware, the Caldor Fire ripped through the El Dorado National Forest late last summer, threatening the town of South Lake Tahoe.  Nearby Sierra at Tahoe was not so lucky. Despite heroic efforts from firefighters and team members of Sierra, the resort sustained too much damage to operate during the 2021/22 season.

Throughout the fall, winter & spring, Sierra took their loyal guests along for the ride, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the painstaking work to bring the resort back to life. Through a series of blog posts, podcast interviews, social updates, and photo galleries, Sierra kept the brand top of mind and honored those doing the work to make it happen.

And now, they are ready to invite their guests back for one hoorah this season, April 9th & 10th. Sierra is not holding back either; although the lift and terrain offering is limited, Sierra will make the most of the weekend by hosting Subaru Winterfest, a concert, banked slalom, and more. The effort required to gear up for one weekend of operation is substantial – even more so with big events and a 75th Anniversary planned. I sincerely applaud their selfless effort, as it would have been totally justifiable to keep closed until next fall.

The financial upside to reopening seems minimal. They will sell some food & beverages, but there won’t be any revenue from skier services. Passholder attendance may be high, but lift ticket sales probably won’t be. That doesn’t matter, it will still be worth it. They are staying true to what Sierra is all about – a resort for the people.

In one weekend of celebration, Sierra will give thanks to the passholders and guests who have stuck by their side during these past six months. But I would bet the weekend will be even more meaningful to the team at Sierra. What a lift it will be for those countless hours of work to get to this point, without the reward of seeing guests enjoy what they worked so hard to create – until now. April 9th and 10th will surely be a weekend filled with joy, but none more significant than to the team at Sierra. Congrats to Team Sierra. Cheers to 75 years and beyond!

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.