South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The Forest Service is seeking public input on a proposal submitted by Homewood Mountain Resort to offer guided snowcat skiing and snowboarding tours in the Ellis Peak are during winter 2014-2015.
The proposed area of operation is identified in the current Lake Tahoe Basin Management Snowmobile Guide as open for motorized use. The resort hopes to provide six to eight trips per day, three days per week depending on weather and snow conditions. Each trip would transport 10-12 passengers via a snowcat with a passenger cabin from Homewood Mountain Resort through National Forest System lands to the Ellis Peak area. Passengers and guides would ski back to the resort via existing glades, bowls and treed terrain.
If the proposal is approved, the Forest Service would issue a temporary special use permit and evaluate the operation to determine the viability and appropriateness of the use for future seasons. A map of the proposed area of operations is available with the scoping letter at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/HomewoodSnowCat. Written comments or concerns are due to Jonathan Cook-Fisher at [email protected] by Friday, October 31, 2014. For more information, contact Cook-Fisher at (530) 543-2741.