Desert Skiing: Las Vegas

 Generally, when people think of Las Vegas they think of casinos, gambling, shows, women, money, “sin city”, the hot and dry desert, etc., but no one ever really thinks of a quality ski resort.  However, the LVSSR (Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort) at Lee Canyon is located just 35 minutes outside of Las Vegas and is nestled in the forests of Mt. Charleston.
Originally designed for skiers, the resort is undergoing a massive renovation that is focused more closely on the growing snowboarding culture in Las Vegas.  The sudden flood of interest amongst college kids in this extreme sport has mandated a more attentive and proactive approach to supporting this new demographic. Therefore, the resort is expanding its current 3 chair lifts and 3 trails to an astounding 10 lifts and 50 trails. These trails will include snowboarder focused park and backcountry runs sure to impress even the most experience snowboarders.
LVSSR’s youth and beginner’s programs and classes are also being expanded to include more classes and more teachers for different levels of amateurs.  Two yurts have already been constructed specifically for the youth programs for an indoor learning facility and a repair shop.
In addition, despite the fact that LVSSR is located in one of the hottest deserts, it receives more snow than most resorts.  In fact, just this past year for the 2011/2012 season, LVSSR was the first resort to open its lifts on Oct. 8th 2011 because of their more than adequate snow fall.  
To boot, LVSSR is also going to expand their parking, restaurants, bars, equipment upgrades, employment opportunities, tourism attraction, guest facilities, and do it all while complying with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards.
All that being considered, what in the world are you waiting for? Go check out the new and improving LVSSR this season! Passes for the 2012-2013 are on sale now at skilasvegas.com!

Works Cited
       "Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort Will Expand." Transworld Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://business.transworld.net/68626/news/las-vegas-ski-snowboard-resort-will-expand/>.
       "Winter Is Coming." Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.skilasvegas.com/>.