Lake Tahoe ski resort to get makeover thanks to new government regulations

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) -- It was a tough winter for Lake Tahoe ski resorts due to the drought, but one of them is getting a multi-million dollar summer makeover.

The Blue Streak Zip Line travels up to 50 miles an hour. Some riders scream and others calmly take in the scenery. "Pretty excited. The view is beautiful. Yeah you can see the whole lake," Li Zsu said.

The zip line runs over the Heavenly Mountain Resort. It's been a ski area for more than 50 years operating on U.S. Forest Service land with a special permit and now it's getting a new summer life as an adventure park. "I've never been here in the summer, always been here in the wintertime. We love all the activities," Helen Ferguson said.

There are already six zip lines, three ropes courses and two lanes of tubing with more activities under construction all because of new regulations approved by congress to allow ski areas on public land to branch out. "Place new activities in areas where it already has support facilities, lodges, rest rooms, parking," U.S Forest Service spokesperson Jonathan Cook-Fisher said.

The Heavenly Gondola ride was already bringing people up to an observation deck for one of the best views in the world and now they can continue higher up the mountain to the activity area. "We've got a lot of guests who perhaps, this is the first time visiting the national forest and this provides a very curated, guided opportunity to interact in a natural setting that folks might otherwise feel is either intimidating or beyond their skill set," Cook-Fisher said.

It also creates year-round income for Heavenly Mountain Resort as well as year-round work for employees. "We have about 135 folks on staff and those jobs did not exist two years ago," Heavenly Mountain Resort spokesperson Matt Eaton said.

Crews are building an alpine coaster on a hill similar to one already running at a Colorado resort. They're also working on something called a Canopy Tour. "We're going have platforms actually built up around the trees and you are going to zip from tree to tree," Eaton said.

The project took years of planning and the main objections came from the Sierra Club who is worried about more traffic and environmental damage. But the U.S. Forest Service believes there are now enough protections in place and the park is going full speed ahead.

Heavenly Mountain Resort is spending millions on the summer improvements. Other ski resorts on public land are watching to see if the investment pays off.

So far, reviews are good. "Really fun and really fast," one woman said.

"Definitely we would come back and do it again," Joseph Longoria said.

It's fun, but pricey as it costs $42 for an adult to ride up on the Gondola with extra fees of $10 to $60 for each activity.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney.