Las Vegas, Nevada — Nevada’s newest ski resort terrain expansion is in Las Vegas.
Over the past several months, Lee Canyon has been working on a lift-served expansion into the West Bowl.
With five new trails, this 40-acre expansion will give more options for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders, with more potential trails/glades in the future. The terrain pod will be serviced by a SkyTrac fixed-grip quad chairlift, with a vertical rise of 800 feet and a length of 1,370 feet. It will grow Lee Canyon’s lift-served vertical drop by 140 feet, giving the ski resort approximately a 1,000-foot vertical drop.
Last week, Lee Canyon shared its latest construction update. Late in October, Lee Canyon installed the motor room and bullwheel. This means we’re inching closer to the pivotal haul rope install.
Future Plans
For now, the terrain for expert skiers at Lee Canyon exists, but you can only access it by hiking. However, that could change.
Lee Canyon is working with the U.S. Forest Service to enact parts of its new master plan, which was created in 2025. This would expand the ski resort’s Special-use Permit and increase its vertical drop by 2,000 feet. Some lift types being considered include a six-pack and trams. This would likely be similar to the type of gnarly terrain accessible from Big Sky, Palisades Tahoe, and Snowbird. However, they’re also considering a cat track/work road down from the top.
Last month, GM Josh Bean discussed the project on The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast. As he explains in the podcast, there could be multiple lifts in the upper mountain. We could find out more soon, as a page of the expansion proposal has been added to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Lee Canyon plans to open for the season on November 20th. For the West Bowl expansion, Lee Canyon aims to open it in December.
Image/Video Credits: Lee Canyon, The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast
