Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is the closest resort to the city of Reno, Nevada. Providing easy access from the “The Biggest Little City in the World,” Mt. Rose not only reports solid snow totals consistently, but has been been hard at work improving the functionality of the resort. They’ve relocated the old Ponderosa lift and added more beginner terrain. Most impressively, they’ve shown their dedication to their employees—upgrading the minimum wage of their staff to $11 an hour. Should you ever find yourself in Reno, it’ll be worth the drive to see what Mt. Rose has to offer.
For more information, please see the press release below.
Press Release:
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe will relocate and rename the Ponderosa chairlift and add four new beginner trails to the mountain this summer. The new positioning of the “Wizard” lift will expand and enhance the beginner skiing and snowboarding experience for the 2015-16 winter season. In total, the resort will spend approximately $1.2 million in on-mountain improvements that also includes expansion of its snowmaking system and renovation of the Kids Lesson registration area (Rosebuds) in an effort to reduce wait time and re-imagine the guest experience. Plans include an overall enlargement of the indoor staging area and a complete redesign of the registration desk and process.
“Our goal is to continue to enhance the guest experience – both for first time skiers and snowboarders, and those who have been visiting Mt. Rose for years,” said Mike Pierce, director of marketing at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. “The relocation of the Ponderosa lift will expand our popular learning area, while simultaneously improving and changing the way skiers of all ability levels navigate the mountain.”
With a base elevation of 8,260 feet, the resort is known for receiving top-to-bottom snow when winter storms pass through the region. To further its commitment to providing resort guests with the highest quality early season snow conditions in the region and some of the best snow surfaces all season long, nine new Polecat tower mounted snow machines will be installed in locations around the mountain, with four specifically positioned at the base of Slide Bowl. The resort’s ability to efficiently make snow over even more of the mountain will allow terrain to be opened quickly, and prepare the resort for its earliest scheduled opening on record. Mt. Rose’s projected opening date for the 2015-16 winter season is October 29, 2015, weather and conditions permitting.
In addition to these improvements, the resort will also invest in the latest snow grooming equipment, rental skis and snowboards, renovation of the Timbers Bar, and has plans to relocate and improve the Main Lodge basket/ski check in.
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has announced it will also increase its minimum wage for all positions that were previously below, to a new minimum of $11.00 per hour. The increase represents a 33 percent increase over the state mandated $8.25 per hour minimum wage in Nevada.
“We are confident this wage increase will help us to both remain competitive as an employer, and attract and retain top talent across a variety of positions both on snow and in other departments that regularly engage with our guests,” Pierce continued.
Effective September 1, 2015, the wage increase will affect employees in nearly all departments at the resort, including staff in base operations, ski school, food and beverage, terrain parks, lift operations, rental and retail operations, ski patrol and tickets. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe will begin hiring for a variety of seasonal positions for the 2015-16 winter season on October 1, 2015.
For those who haven’t yet purchased their 2015-16 season pass, current rates will apply through September 30, 2015. The Premier Pass, valid seven days per week with no blackouts, is available for $429 for adults, $329 for young adults (ages 16-23), and $199 for children (ages 6-15). The Mid-Week Pass is valid Monday through Friday, including holidays for $329, and the My Pass (single mid-week day season pass) is the most value saving option at $229.
Related: Revelstoke Mountain Resort to add a whopping new terrain park
