The Rubies could finally get a chairlift: Private ski area clears major hurdle in Nevada’s backcountry range

A map of the proposed ski area at the privately owned Ruby Mountain Ranch in Elko County, Nevada. Photo: Elko County

ELKO, Nevada – Long known for backcountry skiing and a private heli-skiing operation, Nevada’s Ruby Mountains could soon become home to a more traditional ski area — and developers say the door may still be open to eventual public access.

The Elko County Planning Commission recently approved a conditional use permit allowing California businessman Peter Christodoulo to move forward with plans for a private ski operation at Ruby Mountain Ranch.

The approval allows businessman Christodoulo to develop a private recreational lodge and as many as five chairlifts on the roughly 3,000-acre Ruby Mountain Ranch, located near the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

The decision marks a scaled-down version of an earlier proposal that was rejected in 2024. Last November, county officials voted against rezoning thousands of acres tied to plans for a larger commercial ski resort, citing concerns about infrastructure, water supply and broader development impacts.

The newly approved conditional use permit focuses only on private recreational use on privately owned land, avoiding the federal-land and large-scale resort issues that complicated the earlier application.

According to application materials, the resort is intended primarily for use by Christodoulo’s family and guests. Visitors would not be allowed to stay longer than 28 consecutive days.

“Our family loves this generational property as well as the surrounding area, and this conditional use permit would give us better access to our very rugged and beautiful mountain terrain,” Christodoulo wrote in the application.

Christodoulo, a partner at a Bay Area technology investment firm, reportedly envisions the project with an “old-school Jackson Hole vibe.”

Plans call for a lodge with five rentable guest rooms, dining facilities and up to five chairlifts. The lifts would be limited to triple chairs or smaller, with no gondolas proposed. Developers say the terrain includes roughly 1,200 to 1,500 skiable acres on primarily north-facing slopes.

The proposed base lift would begin near 7,100 feet in elevation and connect to additional terrain higher on the mountain. The vertical drop is expected to be comparable to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe.

The permit also includes conditions aimed at limiting the project’s footprint. Night-skiing lights would not be allowed, and lifts would have to be removed if the ski area stopped operating for five consecutive years.

The proposal drew opposition from some local residents, and eight parties reportedly filed appeals following the project’s initial approval. County officials ultimately upheld the permit, concluding the landowner had the right to pursue a private ski operation on the property.

There are currently no operating ski resorts in the Ruby Mountains. Elko Snobowl, the closest ski hill to the range, has not operated consistently in recent years.

Nevada’s other operating ski areas are concentrated near Lake Tahoe and Reno, including Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, Diamond Peak Ski Resort, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Lee Canyon outside Las Vegas.