21130 Mt Rose Hwy, Reno, NV 89511, USA

Sky Tavern

Park Description:

Sky Tavern is a 143-acre City of Reno-owned and nonprofit-ran-and-maintained outdoor facility with periodically-opened restrooms. The area offers a variety of year-round recrational opportunities, including winterly ski and snowboard training for children and families as well as summerly camps; school programs, and open mountain biking. Sky Tavern is managed by a nonprofit organization of the same name dedicatd to promoting children's growth & success through exposure to outdoor sports and recreation, no matter the personal challenges, and providing year-round outdoor opportunities accessible to all.

Park Amenities:

Skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, trails, and event/venue space.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

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Park History

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Sky Tavern

Before the ski resorts brought families to the mountains, lumbermen ventured up into the forests to get wood needed for Comstock mining operations. Once there was better access to the mountains, adventurous skiers climbed up Slide Mountain and raced down. The first ski area in Nevada was built in 1939 by Wayne Poulsen called Mt. Rose Upski and Ski School Tyrol. There was a rope tow at Galena Creek, followed by a rope tow at Grass Lake, later to become Sky Tavern.

Then along came Keston Ramsey and George Tett, who bought Sky Tavern in 1944. Keston Ramsey, a building contractor, owned all the land up to Mt. Rose, according to his son Al. At a base elevation of 7600’ and peak at 8250’, the area had better snow than other Tahoe areas.

Image:
Lift lines at Sky Tavern. Source: Bill Henderson, Executive Director of Sky Tavern.

Early Days

When it opened in December 1945, Sky Tavern offered steep downhill runs that were 1- to 3-miles long. The T-bar lift moved 450 skiers an hour up the hill. Lift tickets were $2.50. Later, they added a 40-meter ski jump.

Keston’s construction company built a 21-room hotel with a coffee shop, dining room and lounge. The resort was powered by a gasoline generator since they had no electricity. The lodge promised to offer “outstanding accommodations to an area hard to match for skiing pleasure.” A lake existed where today’s parking lot is now located. One excited new skier heard about Sky Tavern’s nice amenities until she learned about the T-bar, to which she asked disappointedly, “Is tea the only thing they serve at the bar?” Transportation services from Reno to Sky Tavern were operating daily.

Image:
T-bar at Sky Tavern. Source: Bill Henderson, Executive Director of Sky Tavern.

Hollywood Comes to Reno

The resort quickly became a destination. Keston’s friends Bill Harrah and Virgil Smith operated a small gaming operation with two card dealers.

Hollywood celebrities came to the resort including Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper, Robert Stack, and Andy Devine. Baseball great, Yankee’s Joe DiMaggio did not ski but rented a cabin for his ex-wife and son.

Image:
Gary Cooper skiing at Sky Tavern. Source: Bill Henderson, Executive Director of Sky Tavern.

Ski School

The ski instruction program at Sky Tavern has been a huge success in teaching so many Renoites to ski. It was started in 1948 by Marce Herz with Hal Codding as the ski school director.

Herz convinced Keston Ramsey to offer reduced lift ticket prices and instruction fees to Reno kids. She raised enough donations to hire a bus for 50 kids in 1949 and the next season she arranged for 3 busses to transport 150 kids. The junior ski program became one of the top ski schools in the nation.

Image:
Ski instructors. Source: Bill Henderson, Executive Director of Sky Tavern.

Sky Tavern Sold

In 1959, Ramsey sold the ski area. Sky Tavern became used exclusively for teaching kids to ski. And in 1968 Reno and Washoe County bought the 149-acre property and the Washoe County Fair and Recreation Board put in a new lift to help increase capacity.

The Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program achieved non-profit status in 1991. More improvements happened in the ‘90s and new millennium. The area became a PSIA Ski School in 1994. The Sky Ridge Chairlift was installed in 1994 and the America Chairlift was installed in 2001. The Sky Ridge Chair is a triple chair installed to not only increase capacity and terrain, but also allow skiers with disabilities to access the hill. With this, the Adaptive Skier Program began that same year.

Image:
Al Ramsey, son of Keston Ramsey. Source: Jill Richardson.

Sky Tavern Through Time

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Donate:

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Volunteer:

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iNaturalist:

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Sky Tavern on iNaturalist

Contact:

Have a question about our parks or the Parks Project? Email us at parksproject@tmparksfoundation.org!

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Sky Tavern: https://www.skytavern.org/
City of Reno Parks & Facilities Directory - Sky Tavern
Reno Gazette Journal
Reno Evening Gazette
Nevada State Journal
Interviews by Jill Richardson with Todd Torvinen, Al Ramsey

Contributor(s):

Jill Richardson (history)

Haley McGuire

Alex Shahbazi

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:45:29 PM

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Biodiversity

21130 Mt Rose Hwy, Reno, NV 89511, USA

Sky Tavern

Park Description:

Park Amenities:

Skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, trails, and event/venue space.

Park Contact Information:

City of Reno - Parks & Facilities (775) 334-2417

Park Highlights

Park History

Click the image to read each topic's full text!

Get Involved!

Donate:

Make a donation to support the Parks Project or your favorite Parks Foundation program, project, or wherever its needed! Click here to donate today.

Volunteer:

Support our parks by volunteering with the Parks Foundation! Attend a volunteer event or choose an ongoing role. Click here to explore opportunities.

iNaturalist:

Out in our parks or open spaces? Try cataloguing the biodiversity around you with iNaturalist! All it takes is downloading the iNaturalist app onto your phone to get started.

​

Curious what's been seen in this park? Click the link below to see what species other have spotted!

Contact:

Have a question about our parks or the Parks Project? Email us at parksproject@tmparksfoundation.org!

Want To Learn More?

References & Further Info:

Contributor(s):

Last Updated:

August 26, 2022 at 6:45:29 PM