Nevada — Currently, there are no ski resorts in the Ruby Mountains. The closest to the mountain range, Elko Snobowl, hasn’t operated in a few years. However, a ski resort in the Rubies could be coming.
In 2024, businessman Peter Christodoulo purchased the roughly 3,000-acre Ruby Mountain Ranch. Without a public ski resort in the Ruby Mountains, he originally offered to create one. However, angry locals led him to change it to a private concept. While the feisty locals remain, his vision is getting closer to reality.
In March, 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 the lack of lighting for night skiing operations and the requirement to remove the lifts if the ski resort doesn’t operate for 5 consecutive years. However, this approval was subject to an appeal, which is what occurred. According to the Elko County Daily Press, eight parties filed an appeal.
This week, the Elko County Planning Commission reviewed the appellant’s response and decided that the private landowner had the right to build a ski resort on his private property.
The Ski Resort
If fully developed, Ruby Mountain Ranch would definitely feel like an old-school ski resort. Peter was reportedly inspired by the old days of Jackson Hole. 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 north-facing skiable acres on the property, 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 (the developer of the plans) previously stated that “if the community came to him [Christodoulo], he would consider” public access. So you’re telling me there’s a chance…
Local Response
The environmentalists are unsurprisingly not happy with the Planning Commission’s decision. The Sierra Club released a video statement, decrying the development’s potential to damage the Ruby Mountains for generations. I’d get their reasoning if there were tons of ski resorts in the region, or if it were on public land, but that’s not the case.
Hopefully, the conservation groups start spending less time on this and more time on all the water and energy-consuming data centers popping up across Nevada.
Image/Video Credits: California Outdoor Properties, Jacob Bogdon, Ruby Mountain Ranch Holdings LLC, Sierra Club Toiyable Chapter
