SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) approved the master plan project for Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR) in January, laying the path for big changes to the West Shore resort. Part of the approval included a guarantee to keep Homewood open for locals to ski and ride, something that many felt was going away with the privatization of the slopes and facilities.

HMR announced this week that their new gondola will not be installed in 2025, but they will open for the season after not being open for the 2024/25 season, after what they said was a financial partner backing out.

Passes will go on sale April 14.

On its website, HMR states the following passes will be offered: Unlimited Access, Value Pass, Weekly 2-Day, and a True Local Pass (for West Shore residents). In their proposal to TRPA in January, HMR stated they would also have five-year full-time resident passes, a daily lift ticket special for Lake Tahoe Basin First Responders, Teachers, and Military, and four free days for Lake Tahoe Basin honor roll students. Prices are not listed at this time.

Season pass information can be found here – https://skihomewood.com/seasonpass/.

A master plan was originally approved by TRPA in 2011, but that decision was litigated for almost five years leading to some modifications, and then the economy and pandemic pushed JMA’s work on the plan out further than planned. They teamed with Discovery Land Company (DLC) in 2022 to develop the popular small resort and the master plan needed to be changed for those new development plans to fit into what is allowed.

JMA wants to modify the plan that was originally approved: relocate the gondola barn and path, the addition of a cart barn, reduce the density of planned housing, enlarge the view from the highway to the mountain, and redefine building architecture. The 2011 plan called for a 75-room hotel and up to 237 residential units.

The gondola will not be installed before next winter. It will eventually replace the Madden Chair, providing better access to the mountain during the early and late weeks of the season. HMR will finalize preparations this summer to start the multi-year project in the summer of 2026. The resort said they do not anticipate any disruption to the ski experience this winter, and will continue to keep the public informed on all master plan and gondola updates as they come.