It’s worth remembering that Epic and Ikon aren’t the only pass options out there. Beyond the big two mega-passes, there are smaller alliances and regional passes quietly connecting very good ski areas without the crowds, pricing, or attitude.
One of the best examples I have found for me is the Cali Pass. Now granted, I am presently finishing out my military career living in California, so this regional pass makes sense for me. But there are others with similar values: Indy, Freedom, etc.
The Cali Pass is a partnership of four mid-sized California ski areas:
All four are medium-sized resorts. They get crowds — but not Epic crowds. I bought my pass early, so I paid just under $400. For that I have a pass that gives me unlimited skiing and boarding to four very drive-able areas near me, as well as passholder discounts on food, rentals, etc. The Cali Pass is also part of the Powder Alliance, which provides benefits across a network of independently owned ski areas out west.
I’ve already reviewed Mountain High and China Peak here on dcski.com, so let’s focus on the two northern partners — starting with Dodge Ridge.
Dodge Ridge sits about 30 miles from the town of Sonora, tucked into California’s historic Gold Country. The summit sits at 8,200’ above sea level, which is high enough to capture some of the Tahoe-bound snowstorms. An average snowfall of 300-350 inches is enough to capture some of those Tahoe-bound skiers as well.
However, it should be noted that Dodge Ridge has very limited snowmaking. Thus, like in the Mid-Atlantic, mid-season rain can cause real havoc with the coverage. More on that later…
The area was established in 1950 by Earl Purdy as a family-focused ski resort. The Purdy family owned and operated it for 26 years. In 1976, ownership changed and the Helm family took over and began to modernize the property, adding more lifts and opening additional terrain on connecting ridges. In 2021, after over 70 years of family ownership, Invision Capital and Karl Kapuscinski (backers of the Cali Pass) acquired Dodge Ridge.
The resort leans hard into a Western theme. Lifts and trails are named after stagecoaches, frontier towns, and gold rush lore — a perfect fit for the surrounding region, where towns like Sonora wear their history proudly.
The mountain spreads across three ridgelines served by multiple lift pods. The mountain is dominated by strong intermediates, with a solid mix of cruisers, plenty of tree skiing, and just enough steeper lines and small cliffs to keep advanced skiers entertained.
Beginners are well-contained near the base, while intermediates and experts can spread out across the ridges without everything funneling into one choke point. The layout skis larger than it looks on a trail map.
The base area has evolved over time into something like a modern Bonanza set. The main lodge is large, warm, and family-friendly, with thoughtful touches — like free hot chocolate on cold mornings — that make the place feel welcome rather than corporate. There’s no slopeside lodging, and no real town (or fake village) at the base. It is solely a day use area.
My first trip to Dodge Ridge was in 2025, and it was short. I came up to snowboard and made exactly three runs before breaking my wrist on an icy pitch! As noted, Dodge Ridge gets classic Sierra snow (AKA Sierra cement): dense and moisture-rich, it can freeze hard overnight. Thus, mornings can be very icy, but by midday the surface softens into excellent skiing.
As an East Coast raised skier, ice in the morning is very manageable, even enjoyable. I learned to ski on the East Coast, but I learned to snowboard out West. So, I am most comfortable on the snowboard when it is soft and comfortable on skis when it is hard. That morning, it was hard, and that mismatch did not end well for my wrist. When I returned in 2026, I brought skis — and everything made sense again.
The glaring drawback to Dodge Ridge, in my opinion, is the lift fleet. The area has a newer fixed quad, three fixed triples, and a couple of fixed Ribet (naked) doubles. But all lifts are fixed. There is not a high speed in sight. This is great for spreading folks over the mountain, but not great if you like to move fast and lap lifts. My hope would be for Invision Capital to move the underused high-speed quad at Mountain High (there are two and one is vastly underused) to Dodge Ridge. If that happened it would greatly improve the on-snow experience.
Robbie Allen is an avid small hill skier. He has written several articles on the many small hills he has sought out.
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