IVGID Quarterly Winter 2022-23 Winter 2022-23 edition

What's inside...

  • Welcome Message from Mike Bandelin
  • Diamond Peak Ski Resort
  • Catching up with Lila Lapanja
  • Diamond Peak Signature Events
  • Aquatics Updates
  • Trail of Treats & Terror Event Recap
  • Beaches
  • Senior Programs
  • Incline Village Recreation Center
  • Sports Updates
  • Incline Village Golf Update
  • Public Works Update
  • Weddings & Events
  • Find a Fun Winter Job
  • Staff Spotlights
  • Incline Village/Crystal Bay Neighborhood Map
  • Heart of Incline Village/Crystal Bay
  • Washoe County Library Update
  • IVGID Venues & Facilities
  • IVGID's Board of Trustees

Download/view: IVGID Quarterly Winter 2022-23 (PDF) or read past issues on the IVGID Quarterly Page.

Welcome message from Mike Bandelin

As I write this update in early November, we’ve just had our first significant snowfall of the 2022-23 season here at Diamond Peak, and the mountain is covered by six to 10 inches of beautiful white fluff.

The new snow has all of us at the resort dreaming of the perfect corduroy and pillowy powder days to come, and we can’t wait to welcome all of our Diamond Peak family back to the slopes for another fun winter.

It’s always great when Mother Nature gives us a helping hand getting open for the season, whether in the form of snowfall or simply cold temperatures that make snowmaking conditions ideal. Here at Diamond Peak, we’re proud to continually reinvest in the snowmaking system that allows us to cover 75% of all our developed runs with man-made snow, as well as, the incredible team of snowmakers and groomers who are up all night making sure the conditions are as good as possible for the next day.

Whether you’ve been a part of the Diamond Peak family for 39 years (like I have this season), or just moved to the area and will be skiing or riding with us for the first time this winter, we hope you’ll continue to feel like family when you’re on the slopes or at the resort. We have an incredible crew of returning managers, supervisors and front-line staff - many of whom have been here almost as long as I have - so you’re sure to see some familiar faces this season.

And I would be remiss if I failed to mention that we’re also hiring! So if you’ve ever wondered what working at a ski resort is like, I’d encourage you to come speak with one of the managers in the department(s) you’re interested in. They are always happy to chat about the fun perks and the challenging parts of working in this industry, whether you’re here for a season or a career.

By the time you read this, we’ll hopefully be a week or more into the 2022-23 ski season, and you’ll have a chance to come see the big news we’ve got this season - the new RFID access gates you’ll find at the bottom of the School House, Lakeview, Lodgepole and Crystal Express lifts. The new gates will utilize Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, which opens the gate for access when a season pass or lift ticket card comes in close proximity to the sensors on the gates.

As I type, we are still waiting on a few components of the gates to arrive, which means we're aiming for a midseason launch of the new RFID system, presuming all goes smoothly with the supply chain logistics (which is never a given these days).

Another big change you’ll see at the resort this winter is the relocation of our medium- and large-sized terrain park features to the skier’s right hand side of the Spillway run, which will open the runs known as Penguin and Dusty’s up for traditional groomed skiing and riding. We’ve received quite a bit of customer feedback from folks who missed having Penguin and Dusty’s as groomer options, so we’re going to give it a go this season and see how everything works out.

But that doesn’t mean that we’re not investing the same time and energy into our Village Terrain Park program as we have in years past! I’m happy to say we’ve hired a new Slope Maintenance Manager, John Tarmey, who comes to us with a ton of experience in all aspects of snowmaking, grooming and terrain park management. John was most recently at Heavenly, but is excited to make the move north to Diamond Peak and join our experienced team of snowmakers, groomers and park crew. Joining John in leading the department will be Billy Biggers, our recently-promoted Assistant Slope Maintenance Manager, who has worked his way up the ranks in the Slope Maintenance department over the past seven years. Given my own history with this ski resort, I’m always happy when we can promote folks from within to leadership positions.

I sincerely hope to get out on the slopes and make some turns with as many of you as possible this winter! Or perhaps our paths will cross one of the signature events we host every winter like Ullr Fest (Feb. 3), the Luggi Foeger Uphill/Downhill Festival (March 25), Dummy Downhill (April 1), or our Last Tracks Wine/Beer Tasting events (scheduled throughout the late winter and spring).

Thanks for keeping Diamond Peak community-owned and community focused!

See you on the mountain,

Mike Bandelin,
Diamond Peak General Manager