Kirkwood - World Snowboard Guide

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Kirkwood has the reputation of being an advanced rider's mountain, as proved by their hosting of the North American Freeride Championship. In 2005 Kirkwood boasted having "The biggest snow base in the WORLD"! With an array of double-black diamond trails, good back country access gates, and the highest base elevation in the area, this resort is a 'powder hounds' dream. Although Kirkwood has some rather long, slow chair lifts, it is far less crowded than any other resort in Tahoe, leaving fresh lines to be had all day long. In addition to its amazing 'fill-ya-pants' freeriding, Kirkwood has excellent pistes and some full-on freestyle terrain. It is located a little south of Lake Tahoe, along Highways 88 and 89, and is about a half-hour drive from the resort of Heavenly.

New for season

New for the 06/07 Season: Timber Creek Lodge will be replaced by Thunder Mountain Lodge. The new lodge will be much larger to accommodate more people, services, and lodging
New for the 05/06 Season was the replacement of the Chair 7 fixed grip chair, with a high speed quad.

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Resort Statistics

Resort Type: Alpine
Winter: Dec to April
Summer: None

Lifts

Total Lifts: 12
Chair lifts: 10
Drag lifts: 2
Max people per hour: 17,905
Board Leashes required: Yes

Mountain

Total pistes/trails: 65
Total ride area: 2300 acres
Longest run: 2.5miles (4km)

Top lift: 2987m
Vertical drop: 609m
First lift: 2377m

Piste suitability

Green runs: 15%
Red runs: 50%
Black runs: 35%

Lift Passes

Lift Passes:
$65.00 All Day
$49.00 Half Day
$469.00 Unrestricted Season Pass
Lift times:9.00am to 3.30pm

Snowfall

Average annual snowfall: 12m
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 10%

Facilities

Snowboard Schools: Beginners day package (pass, lesson, hire) $80
2hr group lesson $40. Private lesson $90 per hour. Pipe & park lesson $25
Snowboard Hire: board and boots $37, helmet $5
Night Riding: : No

Other activities

Heliboarding: : 2.5hr CAT tours available to Martin Point and Red Cliffs for $150 and $100 respectively per person. Price includes beeper. Tel: 209.258.7360
Snowmobiles: Not available

Further information

www.kirkwood.com
Email:info@kirkwood.com

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Summary

A real advanced riders heaven, but not the place to go for a lads holiday.

MONEY WISE: Pretty expensive if you stay in Kirkwood itself.

Terrain & parks

HALFPIPE: Yes - 1
TERRAIN PARK: Yes - 3
BACKCOUNTRY/OFF-PISTE:Yes
TREE RUNS:Yes