Sky Tavern to Sign 99-Year Reno Lease Thursday
The signing takes place at 2 p.m. Thursday at the ski mountain itself.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Skiing
Live Poll
Do you think local nonprofits can keep outdoor programs affordable for families?
Sky Tavern, the Reno nonprofit that has taught generations of local kids to ski, is set to sign a 99-year lease extension with the City of Reno at 2 p.m. Thursday. The City Council approved the deal in October.
Why it matters
For a mountain that has been a Reno family tradition since 1938, a 99-year lease gives the nonprofit the long-term footing to plan major projects and raise money without worrying about its tenure. The open question is what the extra certainty means for expansion, which the extraction does not detail.
The lease runs 99 years in total, and the nonprofit's records show more than 100,000 children have learned to ski and snowboard on the mountain since 1948. Sky Tavern reaches its centennial in 2038, and the extraction does not say what capital work is planned before then.
The players
Sky Tavern
A Reno nonprofit that runs a ski mountain and youth recreation programs, and is party to the lease extension.
City of Reno
The city government that owns the land and approved the 99-year lease extension in October.
Hillary Schieve
The Mayor of Reno, a public official connected to the city's side of the lease extension.
Thomas J. Powell
The newly named chairman of the Sky Tavern Board of Directors, who learned to ski on the mountain as a child.
The details
The City of Reno approved the lease extension in October, and the signing is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at Sky Tavern itself. Sky Tavern's skiing history dates to 1938, and its Reno Junior Ski Program has been teaching children since 1948. Olympians Tamara McKinney, Lane Spina and David Wise trained on the mountain, and Thomas J. Powell, who first learned to ski there in the early 1970s, now chairs the Sky Tavern Board of Directors.
Timeline
1938: Sky Tavern's skiing history begins.
1948: The Reno Junior Ski Program starts teaching children.
October 2026: The Reno City Council approves the lease extension.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 2 p.m.: The lease extension is signed at Sky Tavern.
2038: Sky Tavern marks its centennial.
The Truckee Meadows View
The Reno Junior Ski Program has been teaching local children since 1948, and the lease extension locks in that tradition for the long haul. It sits alongside a mountain that has produced Olympians and kept a youth ski pipeline running through the valley's changes.
For families in Reno, the extension means the Sky Tavern slopes, ski lessons and youth programs are set to stay in place for generations. If you have a child who wants to learn to ski, the program's long-term security is good news for planning ahead.
The takeaway
The lease gives Sky Tavern decades of stability to keep teaching kids to ski. Watch for the Thursday signing at 2 p.m. and for the centennial in 2038 as the next markers for the mountain.
What happens next
The lease extension is scheduled to be signed in person at Sky Tavern at 2 p.m. Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Further reading
For more on the slopes that shaped local winters, see Skiing coverage across the Truckee Meadows.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 2 News Nevada.
Live Poll
Do you think local nonprofits can keep outdoor programs affordable for families?
