NORDEN, Calif. — Skiers and history enthusiasts will have a chance to step into the origins of California skiing during Ski History Day on Feb. 6 at Sugar Bowl Resort, an immersive event co-hosted by the Sugar Bowl Historical Society and the SNOW Sports Museum.
The event highlights Sugar Bowl’s 88-year legacy, which began in the 1930s when Bay Area skiers arrived by train aboard the famed Snowball Express. Sugar Bowl was home to California’s first chairlift in 1939 and later introduced the West’s first gondola in 1953, a “Magic Carpet” that reduced the trip from parking lot to lodge from 30 minutes by tractor-drawn sled to just seven minutes.
Ski History Day begins at 9 a.m. in the Stammtisch Dining Room at the Village Lodge with coffee and pastries, followed by a brief presentation on Sugar Bowl’s role in shaping ski culture in California and an orientation led by event facilitators. Participants will then take to the slopes for guided ski tours led by World Cup and Silver Belt champion Greg Jones and Sugar Bowl ski historian Elissa Hambrecht.
Lunch will be served in the newly renovated Sugar Bowl Lodge and will feature a multimedia presentation on the resort’s history, along with an update from SNOW Sports Museum Board President Bill Clark on plans for future SNOW (Sierra Nevada Olympic Wintersports) Museum.
Tickets are $200 per person and do not include lift tickets; discounted passes will be available. Proceeds benefit the SNOW Sports Museum, whose mission is to preserve, celebrate and share the winter sports history of the Sierra Nevada.
Registration Space is intentionally limited, and this event is expected to sell out. Buy your tickets here: https://uqr.to/SugarBowlHistoryDay