$100M Upgrade Coming to California’s Sugar Bowl

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:21 AM ET

This summer, work will begin at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, California, on a major revitalization project that will impact everything from its lodges to its lift infrastructure.

The wide-ranging plan costs an estimated $100 million according to the San Francisco Chronicle and begins with a new two-tier deck, kitchen, and locker area at the Village Lodge, all of which are expected to be ready next winter.

The following spring, Sugar Bowl is replacing its historic 4-person Village gondola with a fresh 8-person Doppelmayr system and undergoing a renovation of the Main Lodge.

Over email, Christina Schwartz, the ski resort’s executive director of marketing and revenue, called it “the most transformative capital improvement plan in our 86-year history.”

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Schwartz added that the project was needed because much of the core infrastructure at Sugar Bowl was aging. To ensure that it remained safe and reliable, it had to be replaced.

The project aims to preserve the character of Sugar Bowl, a still independent mountain that dates back to 1939 and was home to California’s first ski lift, the Disney. Doing so, according to press materials shared by the ski resort, has involved retaining the San Francisco-based architectural firms that helped craft the look of Sugar Bowl’s original structures.

“We’re committed to restoring and rehabilitating the resort in a way that stays true to our roots—keeping the spirit alive for future generations of residents, visitors, and employees,” wrote Schwartz.

The slate of lodge and lift upgrades follow a different renewal at Sugar Bowl that focuses on freestyle. This past winter, the ski resort overhauled its terrain parks program with the goal of offering a full-size progression facility that could improve the skills of elite skiers.

More improvements to the terrain parks are on the way, like the installation of permanent earthworks in the Golden Eagle pro-level triple jump line, which will reduce the amount of snow required to maintain freestyle features in the winter.

Simultaneously, Sugar Bowl re-launched the Silver Belt, a historic competition that, in its modern version, tests competitors as they flip and trick down a natural face peppered with hand-built jumps.

So far, the event has been successful, drawing a cadre of elite skiers and delivering some impressive highlights, like Hannah Epsteyn’s winning, show-stopping run.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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