Lee Canyon (Ski and Snowboard Resort)

Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort
The sign for the resort at the end of Lee Canyon.
Location	Clark County, Nevada
Top elevation	9,515 ft (2,900 m)
Base elevation	8,510 ft (2,590 m)
Skiable area	385 acres (156 ha)
Runs	11 15% easiest 45% more difficult 40% most difficult
Longest run	3,000 ft (910 m)
Lift system	3 chairlifts 1 surface lift
Terrain parks	1
Snowfall	180 in (4,600 mm) Annual
Snowmaking	70 acres (28 ha)
Night skiing	none
Website	Lee Canyon

The Lee Canyon ski and snowboard resort is located in Lee Canyon, 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. The base lodge is situated at the base of Lee Peak with an elevation of 11,289 feet/3,441 meters to the north of Mount Charleston, the eighth highest peak in Nevada at 11,916 feet/3,632 meters. The resort can be reached via US 95 to Nevada State Route 156.

The resort is owned and operated by Powdr Corporation in partnership with the United States Forest Service under a special use permit. The resort is typically open from November through April, with the best snow in February and March.

The area's total of 385 skiable acres offers 11 alpine skiing and snowboarding trails and four lifts, including three chairlifts and one surface lift as well as its hike-to side country areas and freestyle terrain park for skiers and snowboarders. The area also includes the Lee Canyon Ski & Snowboard School and off-slope amenities including Lee Canyon Sports, The Pro Shop, The Big Horn Cafe and the Bristlecone Bar.

Since the early 1930s, Las Vegas locals and visitors alike have enjoyed the snow on wind protected, north-facing slopes. In the 1940s the Las Vegas Ski Club operated a short rope tow and a warming hut.

Lee Canyon Ski Area was created in 1964, when the Forest Service issued a Special Use Permit in order to provide winter recreation options in Southern Nevada. During the 1960s, the Las Vegas gaming industry was booming, and winter sports enthusiasts were pleased to find a high alpine environment in the middle of the desert, only one hour away from the Las Vegas Strip. A T-Bar was installed, the A-Frame Chalet was completed, and in 1968 the first chairlift, Chair One, was installed to access higher elevations along with a rope tow on the beginner hill. The main lodge building was completed in February, 1970.