Skiing on Donner Summit
From California’s first chairlift to a legacy of deep Sierra snow, Sugar Bowl has shaped the culture of skiing in Tahoe for more than 80 years.
One of the oldest ski resorts in California, Sugar Bowl has a storied past shaped by Austrian ski culture, Hollywood, and Walt Disney. Located high on Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada, the resort helped introduce alpine skiing to a new generation of Californians when it opened in 1939.
From the state’s first chairlift to the West Coast’s first ski gondola, Sugar Bowl quickly became one of the most influential ski areas in the region. Today the mountain continues to attract adventurous skiers and riders drawn to its authentic character, challenging terrain, and deep Sierra snowfall.
Sugar Bowl began with a bold vision. In the late 1930s, Austrian ski champion Hannes Schroll stood atop Donner Summit and saw the potential for a European-style ski resort in the Sierra. With deep snowfall, steep terrain, and easy rail access from the Bay Area, the location was ideal.
Schroll partnered with a group of investors, including Walt Disney, to bring that vision to life. When Sugar Bowl opened in 1939, it quickly became one of the most innovative ski areas in North America, introducing California’s first chairlift and helping establish Tahoe as a destination for skiing.
More than eight decades later, that pioneering spirit still shapes the mountain.
From the beginning, Sugar Bowl helped lead the evolution of skiing in California. In its first season the resort installed the state’s first chairlift on Mt. Disney, dramatically expanding access to high-alpine terrain on Donner Summit.
Innovation continued in 1953 with the installation of the West Coast’s first aerial gondola, connecting the village to the mountain and transforming how skiers accessed the slopes.
Today Sugar Bowl’s four peaks — Mt. Judah, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Disney, and Crow’s Nest — offer a diverse mix of terrain ranging from welcoming beginner slopes to steep alpine bowls and legendary tree skiing, continuing the legacy of innovation that began more than 80 years ago.
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