Mt. Rose moving forward with expansion plans

The U.S. Forest Service wants to know what the public thinks of Mount Rose Ski Area’s plans to expand.

The project area is located on Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and private land.

The Forest Service is proposing to authorize a special use permit boundary adjustment for 112 acres on NFS lands to create the Atoma lift and trail “pod” to the north of the Mt. Rose Highway.

An artist’s rendering of what the skier bridge over Mount Rose Highway might look like.

The proposed action includes the following components:

• Construction of a skier bridge across the Mt. Rose Highway (connecting the current ski area to the new ski terrain)

• Construction of 11 new ski trails in the Atoma pod, including snowmaking and grooming

• Installation of a new chairlift to serve the Atoma pod

• Removal of the existing Atoma building and parking lot

• Construction of a snowmaking water impoundment at the westernmost portion of the existing special use permit boundary near the “Around the World” trail

• Creation of a non-significant Forest Plan Amendment to limit any further commercial development on the lands acquired by the Forest Service through the 1994 Galena Resort Land Exchange.

The full scoping notice and map packet for this project can be downloaded here.

There will be two open houses regarding the project:

• June 18 Winters Creek Lodge, 4-6pm, 21333 Highway 878, Reno.

• June 19 Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisors Office, 4-6pm, 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks.

For more information, contact Linda Crawley at (775) 355.5377 or lcrawley@fs.fed.us. Comments will be taken until the end of June.