Nevada — Do you remember a 2024 plan to create a ski resort in the Ruby Mountains? Pepperidge Farm does.
A proposal by California businessman Peter Christodoulo aimed to create a public ski resort comparable to Jackson Hole’s early days. The Ruby Mountains, which are currently without lift-served skiing, would finally have a ski resort. However, the Elko County Commission wasn’t convinced by the proposal due to the lack of conceptual plans, concerns about whether it receives enough snow, and opposition from environmental activists. It seemed like the last we would hear about this potential ski resort.
Well, it turns out that Christodoulo came up with a new ski resort plan, and this one will be without public access.
The Nevada Independent reports that the Elko County Planning Commission gave conditional approval to Christodoulo to develop Ruby Mountain Ranch into a private skiing operation. Some of the conditions include no lights for night skiing operations and the requirement to remove the lifts if the ski resort doesn’t operate for 5 consecutive years.
Learning some lessons from the last time around, Christodoulo was represented by Modern Land and Development Construction LLC, a local company. He also didn’t promote it through an inaccurate article from a certain ski news website, since that was a point of contention among the Commissioners last time around. While there was public pushback during last week’s meeting, mostly due to environmental concerns, the project received approval by a 5-2 vote.
Purchased in 2024, businessman Peter Christodoulo purchased the roughly 1,000-acre Ruby Mountain Ranch. The property was previously listed at $3.49 million. The two parcels feature mountain access, with a portion of the parcel being on the jagged peaks of the Ruby Mountains.
The Ski Resort
If fully developed, Ruby Mountain Ranch would definitely feel like an old-school ski resort. The approved plans call for up to five chairlifts on the property. All of these would be chairlifts with no more than three-person carriers. No gondolas are planned, as it seems that all the potential lifts would be fixed-grip. The base area chairlift is envisioned to start at an elevation of 7,100 feet. After reaching the top of that chairlift, skiers would have direct access to two other lifts. There are around 1,200-1,500 skiable acres on the property, which are north-facing, and it has a similar vertical drop to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. In the summer, it could become home to mountain biking trails.
The lodge itself will feature space for day and overnight guests. Plans detail five guest rooms for rentals and a dining area. While it will host the owner’s friends and family, guests won’t be allowed to stay longer than 28 days.
Interestingly, the book isn’t completely shut on making it public. Mike Shanks from Modern Land stated that “if the community came to him [Christodoulo], he would consider” public access.
It’ll be interesting to see how this modest ski resort develops in the years to come. We’ve seen private ski resorts pop up across the country, but this one seems different in that public access still appears possible. Will the doubters be right that this spot doesn’t get enough snow? Or will we potentially see a new public ski resort in the Ruby Mountains? Stay tuned.
Image/Video Credits: California Outdoor Properties, Ruby Mountain Ranch Holdings LLC
