David Wise, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who grew up in Reno, remembers waking up before 5 a.m. as a teenager to carpool with friends to Mammoth Mountain, ski all day, and drive back in time for school the next day, all for the chance to train on freestyle terrain. Wise won’t have to do that drive anymore, thanks to new terrain parks with elite-size jumps at Sugar Bowl. In February, CEO Bridget Legnavsky and Sugar Bowl Village homeowner Jim Harleen cut the purple ribbon, celebrating the accomplishment and unveiling Sugar Bowl Parks to a crowd of athletes and ambassadors, including Wise and freeride skier Xander Guldman.
Sugar Bowl Resorts launched the 2024/25 ski season with its new terrain parks, complete with pro-level Olympic size jumps. Legnavsky addressed the youth during the ceremony, saying they built the parks for all the young people to get to the top of their sport.
“Right next to a speed course we’ve got these parks,” said Legnavsky. “Then in the background, as you’re looking at it, you’ve got this incredible freeride terrain.”
The parks — The Falconry, Peregrine Ridge, Golden Eagle, and the Condor — feature various terrain such as rail yards, jibs, and three big jump lines with 70-foot-plus jumps in the Condor underway. The medium, large, and extra-large jump lines ranging from 25 to 65 feet are built for full-fledged Olympic training.
Legnavsky said there weren’t any facilities in Tahoe that could help the talented skiers in the region make it to world level competition. The size and fast lap access from the Christmas Tree Express differentiate Sugar Bowl Parks from others in the region. According to Christina Schwartz, Sugar Bowl executive director of marketing and revenue, in order to train on Olympic level jumps, in the past freestyle athletes would travel to Mammoth or Utah.
Wise said he’s excited that Sugar Bowl provides that opportunity for young, up-and-coming athletes in Tahoe.
Sugar Bowl partnered with industry experts, such as Charles Beckinsale and Steve Petrie, who are experienced in designing and building parks for Red Bull, Snowboarder Magazine, Monster, and Blackcomb Mountain. Before next season, Sugar Bowl will undertake earth work so they can build bigger and more consistent jumps without relying only on snow.
“As they started sort of floating this idea of building a world class level terrain park again, it was just an easy thing for me to get behind,” said Wise.
Under Legnavsky’s leadership, Sugar Bowl has been returning to its founding premise of celebrating skiing and snowboarding with competitive racing and training, while honoring its heritage of competitions like the Silver Belt, which was last held in 2018 and brought back last year. Sugar Bowl Academy and Sugar Bowl ski teams provide accredited instructors and coaching.
Guldman attended the Sugar Bowl Academy for high school, which allowed him to take classes, travel for skiing, and compete. As a freeride skier, he said it’s important to practice in parks to be able to hit natural features while freeriding in unforgivable environments.
“I settled into the niche of skiing that I did because of what was available, and for me, that was natural features,” Guldman said. “If I wanted to learn a trick, I would have to try it off of a cliff or go find a natural jump and give it my best go, and now I think that a lot more paths will be open to the next generation.”
Guldman said Sugar Bowl gives skiers more tools to make it as professionals. According to Schwartz, Sugar Bowl Parks highlight the resort’s original objectives and its prioritization of athletes.
Sugar Bowl Academy Senior Euwan Jeddlic said the progression for athletes is unprecedented right now, and that management is deliberate about the runs and terrain at the resort, which has become interdisciplinary, including alpine skiing, freeriding, and freestyle skiing.
“That’s what I’m excited about, just building a new generation of park skiers here in Tahoe,” said Wise.
