Sugar Bowl is not a spiffy ski resort with all the bells and whistles, but it more than covers the basics for those on a ski or snowboard vacation.

Sugar Bowl Ski Rentals & Snowboard Rental

There are Sugar Bowl ski rental shops at both the day base and the village.

The Judah Lodge rental shop has a good range of adult equipment, whilst kids ski rentals are located at The Den (the kids learning centre) near Judah Lodge. The Village Rental Shop is located near the Lodge (the hotel), whilst demos are also available in The Village at the Sugar Bowl Ski & Sports shop where you can try before you buy.

Backcountry rentals can be obtained from the Backcountry Adventure Center in The Village Hall (behind the Village Lodge).

There are also several Truckee ski shops where you can rent ski and snowboard equipment.

Sugar Bowl Shops

The Sugar Bowl Ski and Sports shop is located in the village, and offers much more than just the basics. The ski shop has a good range of skis and a good ski boot fitting service, but it’s not particularly snowboard oriented. This Sugar Bowl ski shop has a decent range of outerwear from brands to cover all bases such as Arcteryx, Helly Hansen, and Spyder, as well as a little Bogner if you want to look super pretty. The shop also has some Sugar Bowl souvenirs.

Mt Judah Ski and Sports is just a small shop on the lower level of the day lodge. It sells ski and snowboard accessories, a little bit of snowsports apparel, and lots of Sugar Bowl souvenirs and logowear.

Facilities for Children

Sugar Bowl Resort offers a child care and skiing combo program for half or full day sessions. This is only available for kids aged 3-6 (must be toilet trained) and reservations are recommended.

Sugar Bowl has a great family friendly vibe, but other than ski school and the occasional event, there aren’t too many children’s activities on offer. It’s all about the skiing at Sugar Bowl.

Sugar Bowl Ski and Snowboard School

The Sugar Bowl ski school offers a range of group and private lessons for adults and kids from ages 4 and up. For the kids’ lessons, there’s a maximum of 3 per group to enhance learning opportunities. Ski school programs are available at both the Judah Lodge (day lodge) and the Village Lodge (overnight lodge), but double check for the program you’re after as some only operate on weekends and holidays. Also reservations have to be made in advance for ski and snowboard lessons.

Eating On Mountain

The Judah Lodge (day lodge) has a large cafeteria and a big deck for the frequent sunny days. There’s also a little bar for adult drinks.

The Mid Mountain Lodge isn’t quite “mid-mountain” as it is located at the base of two of the main lifts. It is great for fine days when you can sit outside and enjoy the BBQ. There’s also a bar upstairs.

The Village has a few offerings. A good coffee can be hard to find in the US, but the Village Espresso Bar inside the Lodge does a great coffee, or there are little BBQ and snack outlets on the large deck. The Village Hall is another cafeteria that’s overly populated with ski academy kids.

If you want a lovely lunch, head to the Lodge restaurant which has upscale rustic décor and is adorned with plenty of photos that depict the rich history of Sugar Bowl. It’s a fine dining restaurant in the evenings, whilst the lunch menu is a little more casual. There’s also a lovely bar adjacent to the restaurant.