Announcing The California Sky Suites

Editor: This piece was originally scheduled for publication on April 1st. We choose to delay it, not wanting to draw attention away from the 40th anniversary of the Alpine Meadows avalanche article published on March 31.

June 1, 2022

Tahoe City, CA   Officials from Palisades Tahoe, formerly known as Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, announced a major new investment in employee housing. “We know that the greater Lake Tahoe region is facing a severe shortage of housing, much like all resort areas around the country. Making this investment in our employees will ensure that we can fully staff all areas of our mountain operations and hospitality offerings” said Bea Durns, President of Palisades Tahoe.

The new development will be known as the “California Sky Suites”, and will offer housing for as many as 400 employees. Housing will be in small cabins along a cable route connecting the Olympic Valley and Alpine Lodge portions of Palisades Tahoe. Each cabin can sleep either two or four employees. Cabins will offer exclusive views of the ski area, the proposed White Wolf resort and the neighboring Granite Chief Wilderness.

The “California Sky Suites” cabins were originally constructed as a connecting lift between the two halves of the Palisades Tahoe resort, going by the names “Base To Base Gondola” or the “California Express Gondola.” Construction began on that project in May of 2020, and shortly after the village expansion project at Olympic Valley was halted in court by local environmental groups. “It only made sense to recapture the roughly $65 million investment in the Base To Base Gondola, as we won’t be selling additional condominiums and timeshares without the village expansion” said Palisades Tahoe CFO Mo Monie.

Each cabin will be offered at $3,000 dollars per month for either double or quad occupancy. The cabins normally offer two seating benches as provided by the manufacturer. Palisades Tahoe will be working with a local company to develop a hanging bunk system, similar to a portaledge used by rock climbers, to create bunks for quad cabin occupancy. Additionally they are working with a manufacturer to produce a smaller version of a “cassette toilet” often found in Sprinter van conversions. The company hopes to offer this self-service option to employees for less than $500 per season.

Employees that sign a lease for the full season have the option to add additional furnishings and decorative touches to their cabins, as long as they are not permanently attached to the cabins. Above is a sample cabin that shows one possible idea. “Although this looks permanent, it is not. With the creative use of Command Hooks and Velcro, employees can feel free to create their own look” said Durns.

Cooking within each cabin will be prohibited due to the Placer County occupancy codes. Employees will have several food service options during their non working hours. Between the hours of 5pm and 5am, the cabins will move along the cable route at approximately 1/4 of their normal speed. Cabins will make the complete loop between the two ski areas every two hours.

At the Alpine Lodge, employees will have a chance to pick up a quick “grab and go” meal from a new food vendor. According to Food & Beverage Vice President Seymour Kash, negotiations are currently underway with both Little Ceasar’s Pizza and Wienerschnitzel to provide these meals. While cabins are passing the Olympic Valley terminal, employees may exit to quickly use nearby facilities. The former Dave’s Deli space will become an employee lounge with restroom, showering and laundry facilities. A large screen TV with major sporting events and charging stations will also be available for employees. Use of the new “Eagle Employees Club” will require a membership fee of $200 per month per employee.

Five to ten cabins will be used during operational hours for VIP transportation between Olympic Valley and the Alpine Lodge. Access to those cabins will only be provided to those that purchase the “Palisades Orange” add-on for their Ikon Pass. Pricing for the addendum is yet to be determined, but it is expected to cost more than the Ikon Pass itself.

Lastly an additional five to ten cabins are set aside as short term rentals. A press release with those details should be forthcoming from VRBO within the week. CFO Mo Monie explained “Without an approval for additional condominium units in the village, Palisades Tahoe is committed to finding solutions for the visitor housing problem. Utilizing short term rentals, we can bypass huge parts of the approval and permitting process.”

Reservations for the California Sky Suites for employees should be available by late September, once final pricing has been determined.

Editor: Sadly, Palisades Tahoe officials did announce their intentions this week to resubmit their village expansion plans to Placer County sometime next year.