Help us build a ski slope in the desert!

We're building a ski slope in the desert!

Welcome to Lake Lahontan Ski Resort, a portable ski slope we're bringing to Burning Man this year as a proof-of-concept for something even bigger!

What is BRC Snow Club?

When we launched BRCSC in 2021 as a social club, the goal was to bring together fellow snow sport-loving Burners and build a community that would embody the 10 Principles of Burning Man both on-and-off the mountain.

When the club grew to 700+ members within months and ski season had ended, we decided to shift our focus to bringing the joy of snow sports to the Playa. With only a few months to build it from scratch, we brought BRCSC to Burning Man 2022 as an official theme camp at 9:45 & B.

On-Playa, BRCSC hosts daily Après Ski parties, serves drinks in a shady space to escape the sun, hosts snowball fights, and is a place to connect and make new friends, all while surrounded by snow-themed decor and interactivity. Off-Playa, we are a community of over 1,200 burners and like-minded humans across the globe!

Through the process of building out the camp, we discovered dry ski mats and began working on our [initially long-term] project: the ski slope installation we’re bringing to the Playa this year.

What are we building?

Lake Lahontan Ski Resort - so named after the ancient lakebed upon which it sits - is a 14-foot tall, 62-foot-long dry ski slope. Construction consists of a ring lock scaffold superstructure topped with reinforced plywood panels covered in an innovative dry ski material.

Radical Inclusion and Participation are essential Principles, and we ensure that everyone can enjoy the slope as we'll be offering Skiing, Snowboarding, and Sledding times throughout the week of Burning Man!

The slope consists of four key segments:

In 2022, we took several samples of different dry ski mats to the burn, left them in the sun and dust, and encouraged visitors to play with them so we could better understand how they would hold up under the harsh conditions of the Playa. After carefully inspecting the samples, we decided on this particular surface: a plastic polymer with a typical lifespan of 7 years.

Skiers can achieve about 80% of the speed of real snow while using standard equipment. The mats also produce a sound similar to that of icy snow, giving you auditory feedback to match! Most importantly, these dry ski mats DO NOT REQUIRE LUBRICATION, making them the perfect choice for our hill in the desert!

What is our timeline?

The dry ski mats have been ordered, storage has been secured, we're in the process of purchasing materials for the ramp structure, and we have a skilled team ready to start building in early July!

What's our budget?

Original budget: $35,000

Current fundraising goal: $15,000

Our founders have already invested nearly $20,000 of their own money into the build, so our goal is substantially reduced now!

Why do we care about this?

After landing on a design that’s both scalable and portable, we realized that if we can build a ski slope in the middle of the desert - we can build it ANYWHERE!

With a commitment to Radical Inclusion, our ultimate goal is to bring the joy of snow sports to people outside the Burning Man community - to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity due to prohibitive costs related to equipment, lessons, ski resorts, etc. And of course, as our community grows, we’d love to eventually support them in getting to the mountains too - via sponsorships, discounted passes, and more.

That plan all starts with executing this project as a proof-of-concept - and we could really use your help!

Thank you for your support - hope to see you on the slope soon!