Granlibakken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Granlibakken
Address	725 Granlibakken Road Tahoe City, California 96145
Location	One-half mile inland of northwestern shore of Lake Tahoe
Coordinates	39°09′20″N 120°09′18″W / 39.1556°N 120.1551°W / 39.1556; -120.1551
Owner	Parson family
Opened	1928
Renovated	Most Recent - October 2007
Enclosed space
• Breakout/meeting	16,000 square feet (1,500 m2)
Website
www.granlibakken.com

Granlibakken is a special place in Tahoe City, California. It's a conference center and a lodge that welcomes guests all year round. This resort has 190 rooms and a large meeting area. It sits in a historic spot near the beautiful Lake Tahoe. Granlibakken is also home to Lake Tahoe's oldest ski resort, even if it's a small one!

Welcome to Granlibakken!

Granlibakken is a unique resort that offers a mix of history and fun. It's located about one mile (1.6 kilometers) southwest of Tahoe City. People come here for meetings, vacations, and to enjoy the outdoors. The resort is known for its beautiful setting and its long history in winter sports.

A Look Back: Granlibakken's History

The story of Granlibakken began nearly 100 years ago. It started as a place for winter fun and grew into the resort it is today. Many people helped shape Granlibakken into the special spot it is now.

The First Winter Fun

Around 1928, a man named D.L. Bliss built a cool double toboggan slide. This was in a place locals called 'Snow Canyon,' which is now Granlibakken Valley. He wanted to give guests at the Tahoe Tavern Resort fun winter activities. Horse-drawn sleighs would take people to and from this spot, which became known as "Olympic Hill." Families from Tahoe City also loved to visit this valley. People had been skiing and jumping there since 1922 because of the deep snow.

Olympic Dreams and Ski Jumps

At the same time, a group of skiers from Norway visited the area. One of them was Lars Haugen, a seven-time national champion. After seeing a ski jump built by locals, Haugen said the hill was perfect for a 60-meter ski jump.

The Tahoe Tavern directors wanted to host events for the 1932 Winter Olympics. So, they hired Haugen to design a big ski jump at Olympic Hill. It took two years and $10,000 to build! However, the U.S. Olympic Committee chose Lake Placid, New York, for the Olympics instead. Even so, the U.S. National ski championships were held at Olympic Hill that year.

The Lake Tahoe Ski Club, started in 1929, helped organize many events there. These included the United States Ski Championships in February 1932. But it wasn't until after World War II that the area became a downhill ski resort.

Rusty Rustad's Vision

After the war, a retired sea captain and former ski jumper named Kjell “Rusty” Rustad moved to Lake Tahoe. He loved it because it reminded him of his home in Norway. Rusty wanted to create a local ski area for people in Tahoe City.

He got permission from the U.S. Forest Service and bought 74 acres (30 hectares) in the Olympic Hill valley. Rusty cleared a ski slope and put in a 450-foot (137-meter) rope tow. This was the very first ski lift in the Tahoe Basin! He also built three buildings for guests and a day lodge.

Rusty named the ski area Granlibakken. This is a Norwegian word that means “hillside sheltered by fir trees.” It was named after a ski jump in Norway where he used to jump as a boy. In 1946, he even used a leftover World War II landing craft to bring skiers from the road to his resort! Granlibakken kept attracting ski jumpers and downhill skiers. A smaller jump was built next to the wider slope in 1952.

Growing and Changing Over Time

Granlibakken's location was special. It was protected from strong winds and too much sun. This meant it had a longer ski season, and its fame grew beyond the local area. In 1953, Rusty gave part of his land lease to the University of California, Berkeley's International House. Volunteers from the group built a lodge there.

In 1958, the UC Berkeley Alumni Association bought the lodge. They turned it into a year-round center for education and fun. They added more facilities, like a conference room, dining room, swimming pool, and beds for 150 people.

Later, in 1969, a publisher named Hughes Miller bought the property. He changed the name to the Four Seasons at Lake Tahoe. He also built the first of what would become 84 condos in the valley. But soon after, the name was changed back to Granlibakken. Everyone felt it was a better name that showed the property's history and place.

Granlibakken Today: Family Owned Fun

In 1978, Bill and Norma Parson bought the resort. They helped it recover from financial troubles. Since 2019, their children, Ron and Lauren Parson, have owned the resort. The Parson family still runs Granlibakken today. It offers lodging, a restaurant, and conference facilities.

The ski area has been updated for sledding and for beginners learning to ski, snowboard, and cross-country ski. The 10-acre (4-hectare) ski area is still open. As Bill Parson once said, "I suppose for historic reasons." It's a place where history and fun continue to meet!

See also

• List of convention centers in the United States