Dodge ridge ski resort

My daughter has been invited to a friend's bday ski party.  I learned on their website that they just opened for the season.  Having never been there, what's it like?

Thanks,
Nate

One of the best spots i've been to for beginners!    Most hardcore guys dont like it there, since its not very steep in most spots.  It's also nice and close to the bay area, preferred drive vs 50/80 for me.  Usually find some deals on tickets at places like Mel Cottons, or Any Mountain.

Yup, what Al said, great for learning, if your seasoned, you might get bored after a bit. Fun park though... Small mountain

Savemart in Sonora should have discount lift tickets but the kids all day is only like 15 bucks anyway.   

Its not a world class resort destination like any of the spots in Tahoe but it fills that affordable and decent niche. If you rent gear get it at a bay area shop beforehand, saves a ton of time and the gear is generally better.  Get there early to get good parking (especially this weekend, probably gonna be a zoo).  The front side of the mountain is cool for the kids but gets really packed, lifts 1, 2 and 6 are the most popular.  The back side and second peak see way less traffic and the lift ride back to the top are alot quicker.  I usually let the kids warm up in the front for a couple runs then drag them up 3 and flow down to 7 for the quicksilver and stagecoach trails....they're way longer and less congested.         


When are you heading up....I may daytrip it on sunday. 

Day tripping Saturday as thats the bday party. We may crash crabfest on sunday.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/26/SP971MTU46.DTL&type=printable


Recent snowfall offers breakthrough for skiing
Tom Stienstra, Chronicle Outdoors Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Dodge Ridge in the central Sierra opened Wednesday with 45 of 67 runs, the latest opening for the ski resort since the drought of 1999-2000.

So did Donner Ski Ranch, the little family-owned park above Donner Pass, with a $25 lift ticket to spark launch day.

Badger Pass in Yosemite National Park opens today, Mount Shasta Ski Park opened last weekend, and little Granlibakken near Tahoe City announced it would open Saturday.

That means all 20 ski areas in the Sierra Nevada and north state will be open for the weekend for the first time this winter. At the same time, Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra opened 27 of 28 lifts Wednesday for access to all 150 of its runs. At Squaw Valley, KT-22 was opened Wednesday for the season.

In small towns like Pinecrest, Mount Shasta and June Lake, the openings can jump-start regional economies.

It also means new choices for skiers and boarders, and competition for their business, though deals are sparse as resorts try to make up profits from their own drought of customers this winter.

Depending on the area, most resorts report base levels of snow in the 20- to 40-inch range. This is not exactly a wintry paradise, like last year's 10-foot base, but after a drought, it can still feel like a breakthrough.

"When it started to snow, you could feel the energy rise around here," said Jeff Hauff at Dodge Ridge, one of the largest family-owned ski areas in the West. "Even places like Tahoe, they can feel like a ghost town, where we've built our systems around a winter economy."

In the north state, good weather for the weekend after a snow event can transform Mount Shasta Ski Park into the third largest city in Siskiyou County. In the Eastern Sierra, the population of Mammoth Lakes can go from 8,000 to 40,000 overnight after a big snow moves out and the roads clear for the weekend.

In Yosemite, Sean Costello at Badger Pass said they had a 24-inch base and what he called "really good coverage" for groomers.

"Yes, we actually made it, opening day," Costello said minutes after the park approved today's opening. With a shortened season, Badger Pass dropped the price of season passes to $129 for adults, $79 for children.

At Dodge, it snowed 38 inches and compressed to about 2 feet. That was enough to open five of eight lifts on Wednesday morning, plus a rope tow and a carpet ride, with another lift likely to open for the weekend. About 80 percent of skiable terrain should be open this weekend, Hauff said.

A delay in winter snow can put Dodge in a predicament because the resort does not make its own; a source for water has been a perpetual issue. In the winter of 1999-2000, Dodge was not able to open until Jan. 27. Like most resorts, it stays open until mid-April.

"We follow the weather closely on a day-to-day basis," Hauff said. "Everybody does that. We're always well aware of what's coming."

Dodge is an attractive destination for many in the Bay Area as an alternative to Tahoe. The drive up Highway 108 east of Manteca bypasses the congestion of Sacramento and the Interstate 80 corridor, lift tickets are moderately priced at $64, the mountain has a good feel to it with 67 runs and a 1,600-foot descent, and the runs are split 40-40-20 for advanced, intermediate and beginning skiers.

The nearby towns of Pinecrest and Strawberry, and farther down the hill, Mi-Wuk Village, Long Barn and Twain Harte, are dependent on out-of-town skiers for their winter economies, from cabin rentals to meals. Until last week, rental incomes have been as bleak as the snowfall, according to a real estate agent who handles vacation home rentals in the area.

It's a paradox at the big Tahoe ski resorts, with February less than a week off and a condensed season ahead. The attitude at the resorts is to make up now for lost cash - rather than offer steep discounts to compete and make up for limited terrain available.

According to an industry document, Vail Resorts, which runs Heavenly at South Lake Tahoe and Northstar in north Tahoe, reported its visits were down 15.3 percent at its six resorts. Yet income was stable because of the high price of lift tickets and infrastructure support.

For an $88 lift ticket this week, Northstar was operating 15 of 20 lifts for access to 77 of 97 trails and 504 of 3,170 acres of terrain. Heavenly is at $85 with 24 of 30 lifts, with 33 more runs opened on Wednesday to provide access to 64 of 97 runs, and reported 30 percent of its terrain available.

The cheapest deal in the industry is at the Mount Shasta Ski Park - a $29 lift ticket on weekdays ($44 on weekends), with lodging rates in town often less than half of Tahoe's rates.

Another resort that rates high for families is Kirkwood, located on Highway 88 near Carson Pass, about an hour's drive from South Lake Tahoe. Its mountain ridge often acts as a giant snow scoop. Kirkwood is reporting base depths of about 45 inches, enough to open 6 of 15 lifts this week, with three more lifts expected to open by the weekend. $79.

According to the best long-range forecasts, the next chance of snow in the Tahoe area is Feb. 3, with a remote chance Tuesday night.

Ski areas and lift reports

I-80 corridor

Boreal: 3 of 9 lifts, 5 of 41 runs; off I-80 near Donner Pass, rideboreal.com, (530) 426-3666

Sugar Bowl: 8 of 13 lifts, 62 of 95 runs; off I-80 near Donner Pass, sugarbowl.com, (530) 426-9000

Donner Ski Ranch: 3 of 6 lifts, 28 of 53 runs; off State Route 40 near Donner Summit, donnerskiranch.com, (530) 426-3635

Soda Springs: 3 of 4 lifts, 4 of 16 runs; near Norden, www.skisodasprings.com, (530) 426-3901

Tahoe Donner: 3 of 5 lifts, 7 of 14 runs; near Truckee, skitahoedonner.com, (530) 587-9444

North tahoe

Alpine Meadows: 7 of 14 lifts, 32 of 100 runs; off Highway 89, skialpine.com, (530) 583-4232

Granlibakken: Opens Saturday; on west shore of Lake Tahoe near Tahoe City, granlibakken.com, (877) 552-6301

Homewood: 6 of 8 lifts, 30 of 63 runs; on west shore of Lake Tahoe, skihomewood.com, (530) 525-2992

Northstar at Tahoe: 15 of 20 lifts, 77 of 97 runs; off Highway 267, northstarattahoe.com, (800) 466-6784

Squaw Valley: 19 of 30 lifts, 30 of 177 runs; off Highway 89, squaw.com, (530) 583-6985

South tahoe

Heavenly: 24 of 30 lifts, 64 of 97 runs; in South Lake Tahoe, skiheavenly.com, (800) 432-8365

Sierra at Tahoe: 7 of 14 lifts, 33 of 46 runs; off Highway 50 near Echo Summit, sierraattahoe.com, (530) 659-7453

Kirkwood: 6 of 12 lifts, 28 of 72 runs; off Highway 88 near Carson Pass, kirkwood.com, (209) 258-6000

Nevada-tahoe

Diamond Peak: 5 of 6 lifts, 28 of 31 runs; at Incline Village, diamondpeak.com, (775) 832-1177

Mount Rose: 3 of 8 lifts, 11 of 60 runs; south of Reno, mtrose.com, (800) 754-7673

Central sierra

Badger Pass: Opens today; off Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, yosemitepark.com/badgerpass.aspx, (209) 372-1000

Bear Valley: 5 of 9 lifts, 18 of 67 runs; off Highway 4 above Arnold, bearvalley.com, (209) 753-2301

Dodge Ridge: 8 of 12 lifts, 45 of 67 runs; off Highway 108 near Strawberry, dodgeridge.com, (209) 965-3474

North state

Mount Shasta: 4 of 4 lifts, 14 of 32 runs; off Highway 89 on Mount Shasta, skipark.com, (530) 926-8686

Eastern sierra

June Mountain: 7 of 7 lifts, 33 of 37 runs; off Highway 158/June Lake Loop, junemountain.com, (888) 586-3686

Mammoth Mountain: 27 of 28 lifts, 150 of 150 runs; off Highway 203 at Mammoth Lakes, mammothmountain.com, (800) 626-6684

Man, I'm so not enthusiastic.  Long day, big crowds, $$ all for a last minute beat party.

Do yourself a favor....the lifts close at 4, split around 3:30, the place is a zoo on the way out too