Tahoe's Homewood Will Not Open This Season
Homewood Mountain Resort, California, has announced that it will not open for the 2024-25 winter season due to financial concerns and ongoing regulatory delays. They say:
"As the caretakers of Homewood Mountain, we have always been excited to revitalize the resort and improve the skier experience for all with updated infrastructure and responsible environmental improvements to ensure the resort’s economic and environmental sustainability, consistent with the approved Master Plan.
For many years, Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR) has been subsidizing the community’s ski experience while operating at a deficit during the approved Master Plan’s planning and permitting phases. Unlike other small ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe Basin such as Diamond Peak, Homewood is a privately owned business and is not supported by any public tax or other community assessment. For the last several years we have relied on our financial partner for the annual subsidy.
In May 2024, HMR submitted an application for minor revisions to the 2011 approved Master Plan to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The proposed revisions are site plan modifications only. The proposed site plan changes are to move the gondola terminal to a more skier-friendly position, to reduce the massing of the buildings, reduce residential density, and to open the view corridors of the mountain and lake. The revisions make no changes whatsoever to the Master Plan’s central goal of restoring Homewood as a key gathering center for Lake Tahoe’s West Shore. Anyone who wants to buy a pass and ski at Homewood will continue to be able to do so on equal footing with anyone else.
Since the applications were submitted, the Homewood Mountain Resort team has been diligently working with local and regional agencies and the West Shore community regarding the submission. To date, we are still awaiting approval of the amendments, including the Madden Chair replacement (gondola) permit submitted over a year ago, to move forward on ski infrastructure and other investments. Hypothetical fears and false rumors regarding public access to the mountain from Keep Homewood Public’s leadership have dramatically slowed the pace of the approval process.
Without a clear path forward, our financial partner has withdrawn their support for this ski season. As a result, we are now in the regrettable position of being unable to operate or sell season passes for the 2024-25 season. We understand the deep disappointment this announcement will cause. It goes without saying that this decision was not made lightly.
The team at HMR remains focused on working through the approval process at this year’s upcoming planning meetings with community members and governing agencies in the hope that we can get the gondola installed next year and someday soon resume operations at the resort. We are also working to support every employee so they have alternative employment or can stay with us while we work through the approval processes.
We remain steadfast in our belief that our proposed revised plan – which includes new state-of-the-art infrastructure, environmental improvements, community gathering spaces, public access to the ski hill, and more – meets all stated requirements, addresses all concerns, and exemplifies economic and environmental responsibility.
We are committed to the vision we share with the community for an enhanced, sustainable skier experience at Homewood Mountain Resort that will be available for locals and visitors alike for years to come. "
Homewood Mountain Resort is a ski area located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe in the state of California, a few miles south of Tahoe City in the town of Homewood. It has 1,260 acres (510 ha) of skiable terrain and eight lifts. While it currently does not offer lodging on site, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been submitted to the regional planning commission to allow for the development of a resort inclusive of a hotel, condominiums, and various other additions. Since 2006, JMA Ventures, a San Francisco Bay Area developer, has owned and operated the ski area.
In 2006, Jeff Yurosek sold Homewood to JMA Ventures, a Bay Area development company. Yurosek, who had owned the ski area since 1998, originally wanted to sell the land to the U.S. Forest Service. JMA Ventures says it "is in the planning stages for a redevelopment of the resort including both the north and south base areas." The project is in the environmental review process. JMA Ventures also acquired Alpine Meadows, which physically merged with Squaw Valley [now Palisades Tahoe] as part of a joint venture in 2011.
Homewood offers trails ranging from beginner to expert. The resort is usually open from December to April and receives about 300 sunny days. The resort is located on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, and most of the mountain faces east, shielding the snow from buffeting winds. The resort is known to have great views of the lake and excellent powder, once winning a top 10 award in the Ski Magazine.
In the summer, Homewood Mountain Resort was open to the public, boasting mountain biking and hiking trails all over the mountain. Although the lifts are not operational in the summer, the North Lodge and a cafe were open.
A residential community development is currently planned to be developed at Homewood. An objection to this development has been raised by the Keep Homewood Public organization. The amended development plan is currently under TRPA review.
