One of Lake Tahoe’s most scenic mountain lodges could eventually be replaced by a much larger facility built for skiing, dining and events.
Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village, Nevada, is moving forward with planning for a replacement of its Snowflake Lodge, a mid-mountain building constructed in 1966 overlooking Lake Tahoe. The concept currently being evaluated calls for an approximately 11,600-square-foot lodge accompanied by 3,500 square feet of outdoor deck space. The existing Snowflake Lodge is only about 1,100 square feet.
The preliminary program would provide about 160 indoor seats and 175 outdoor seats, along with enough space to accommodate events of approximately 120 people.
It would be a major change for a building that has remained largely intact for six decades.
Diamond Peak Has Wanted to Replace the Lodge for Nearly 40 Years
Diamond Peak says the need to renovate or replace Snowflake Lodge was first formally identified in its 1987 Ski Incline Master Plan. At the time, planners concluded the entire ski area needed 740 food-service seats to meet industry standards. Diamond Peak had 300 seats at its base and just 56 indoor seats at Snowflake Lodge.
Nearly four decades later, Snowflake remains one of the resort’s biggest facility constraints.
The existing lodge does not have a full kitchen. Food has to be prepared at the base and transported up the mountain, limiting what can be served while adding operational costs. Diamond Peak also says the building lacks dedicated food and trash storage, has inadequate bathrooms, recurring roof leaks and no fire-suppression system.
Its outdoor bar and barbecue are dependent on weather, while portions of the deck require structural work.
Despite those shortcomings, the location itself is difficult to beat.
Snowflake Lodge sits above Lake Tahoe with expansive views across the water and surrounding Sierra Nevada. A 2015 planning effort identified that setting as one of Diamond Peak’s biggest advantages and envisioned a replacement lodge capable of supporting both ski-season dining and warm-weather events.
The New Lodge Could Become a Multi-Season Venue
Diamond Peak and its owner, the Incline Village General Improvement District, began a new needs assessment for Snowflake Lodge in 2025.
Consultants initially examined four possibilities ranging from a roughly 9,600-square-foot winter-only lodge to a 16,500-square-foot facility designed for much more extensive year-round operations. Preliminary construction estimates for those concepts ranged from about $28.4 million to $49.6 million.
The district ultimately directed staff toward something between the middle options.
The current preliminary program calls for the 11,600-square-foot building, 3,500-square-foot deck and limited multi-season event capabilities. CCY Architects was selected through a competitive process to work on the project’s 30% architectural design.
The final cost has not been determined.
The current dimensions are also not a final design. According to Diamond Peak’s Snowflake Lodge project page, the project still requires additional design work, public input, environmental review and agency approvals. No final building design, construction contract or construction authorization had been approved in the resort’s latest published project update.
Snowflake Is Part of a Much Bigger Diamond Peak Plan
The lodge is not the only aging piece of Diamond Peak infrastructure under consideration.
The resort is separately studying a replacement for the Lakeview chairlift, a fixed-grip quad that is more than 30 years old. Diamond Peak says the existing lift cannot adequately download passengers, preventing it from serving pedestrians during winter or summer operations.
Plans are also being developed to regrade portions of Ridge Run and Freeway to create a more suitable beginner route from the upper mountain toward the base.
Another major project is already on the horizon. Diamond Peak’s snowmaking system, installed in stages between 1988 and 2002, is slated for a multi-year modernization. The project has an engineer’s estimate of $8 million, with the first phase of construction expected to begin in May 2027.
The resort is also considering eventually replacing the Schoolhouse double chair with surface carpets to improve its beginner area.
The planning comes as Diamond Peak prepares to celebrate 60 years of skiing during the 2026-27 season. The community-owned resort opened as Ski Incline in 1966 and today operates 655 skiable acres above Lake Tahoe. It has recently leaned into its independent identity, including special $60 lift ticket days during its 60th anniversary season.
If the Snowflake Lodge replacement eventually reaches construction, it would replace one of the few pieces of Diamond Peak infrastructure that dates all the way back to the ski area’s first season.
