Abandoned California Ski Resort His Market for Nearly $6 Million

Have a cool $5.8 million lying around? You could be the proud owner of a defunct California ski area: Iron Mountain Ski Resort. 

Located southwest of Lake Tahoe, California, near Kirkwood Ski Resort, the property spans 65 acres and includes existing ski lift towers, according to its listing on Colliers.

Iron Mountain also includes pre-approved building permits for 22 to 46 townhome units, which, the listing says, offers “immense potential for residential development.” The listing adds that the property is zoned for campgrounds, RV spaces, and ski resort use.

This video from Skier 72 breaks down what happened to Iron Mountain. Tap or click to watch. Keep reading for more about Iron Mountain.

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Previously known as Silver Basin Ski Resort and Ski Sundown, Iron Mountain operated intermittently since the early 1970s and 1995. For one year, it was also named Carson Ski Area.  During one of the ski resort’s iterations, the then-owner began logging for a new chairlift without Forest Service permission, leading to their arrest. 

When it was open, Iron Mountain had a unique inverted layout—the base lodge was above most of the skiable terrain, with visitors heading downhill after parking. 

While a group did attempt to revive Iron Mountain in 2000, the ski resort remained closed and is now peppered with bits of decaying lift infrastructure.

With a bevy of nearby established ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area, it seems unlikely that Iron Mountain will make a comeback. Competition from the likes of Palisades Tahoe, Kirkwood, and Heavenly would be stiff.

In a 2001 decision notice, the Forest Service wrote, “The analysis of the physical attributes of Iron Mountain, of the actions and costs necessary to achieve competitive standards, of the potential market, visitation and revenue levels, and of the area’s past history, make it clear that the area is not, and will not be suitable as a downhill skiing winter sports area.”

But with touring equipment and backcountry skiing know-how, you could still check out what remains of Iron Mountain. The area, according to the California State Parks website, is now a sno-park where visitors can also snowmobile, cross-country ski, and go dog sledding. 

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