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Kristin
Location, Location, Location
Just 30 minutes south of the Sacramento Airport in California, Ski Sunset Ranch is centrally located, making for easy day trips to San Francisco, Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. At $1,200 per week per skier, guests stay in the newly remodeled lakeside cottage, two to three 15-minute ski sets per day, boat rental with a rated driver, gas and private coaching. “Short Stay” packages are also available.
Owner Involvement
Ski Sunset Ranch owners, husband and wife team Doug and Robby Trimble, developed the lake 13 years ago after spending time skiing on the Sacramento Delta with the Berkeley Ski Club. Since the lake is focused on slalom, they don't have jumps. They do run a small pro shop on the property that carries Eagle wetsuits, Masterline ropes and handles and D3 skis for demo. On the water, guests slay behind a 2009 Ski Nautique 196 while Doug leads the technical instruction.
Niche Audience
The laid-back ski locale caters to the 35- to 55-year-old recreational slalom skier who, while is experienced, wants to continue to learn and improve in an atmosphere unlike that of traditional ski schools, without a strict day-by-day schedule. “That group can really appreciate our gig,” says Robby. “They choose when they want to ski, how often and they do their own thing in their free time since we're so close to great California attractions.”
Picture Perfect
Designed by Dave Buchli, who's known for Crystal Point Estates in Arizona and his own Buchli Ski Lake in California, Ski Sunset Ranch's lake boasts warm, slow waters protected by 60-foot-tall eucalyptus trees on the western edge. The site was chosen for its heavy clay soil, which the developers knew would hold water. Before it was created, there was only one other lake in town and it was 10 miles away. Ski Sunset Ranch even has its own vineyards. Guests enjoy complimentary Syrah wine, and non-skiing significant others stay for free.
Pro Power
From Will Bush to D3's Paul Crawford, Ski Sunset Ranch attracts quite a following from the pros. In fact, Nick Parsons has been skiing here since he was 15! The lake has three Class C slalom tournaments currently scheduled for the summer, and record tournaments are sometimes held there as well. Plus, Ski Sunset Ranch attracts guests from all over the world, including Chile, England, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and, of course, the United States.
For more information, visit skisunsetranch.com.
