Heavenly Mountain Resort visitors can now pop in for an hour or two of work at Tahoe Mountain Lab's new coworking space.

Courtesy / Matt Gibson |

What if your commute to work was a ride up the gondola, and your commute home a ski-ride down the mountain?

Snow enthusiasts can make that dream a reality following Tahoe Mountain Lab’s recent announcement that the coworking space will be expanding to the top of the hill at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

The ski-in, ski-out coworking space, expected open in December, will be located in Lakeview Lodge at the top of the California Tram and feature 16 desks and roughly 800 square feet of space.

The Mountain Lab will provide lockers for stashing laptops and high-speed Internet.

The space is intended for people who need to hammer out a few hours of work while out enjoying a day on the slopes — a concept Tahoe Mountain Lab cofounder David Orr knows all too well.

“I was snowboarding at Heavenly last year, when you-know-what hit the proverbial fan. I was on the phone trying my best to put out fires, but it was difficult,” said Orr.

“Reception was spotty on the mountain, and finding a quiet place to talk was nearly impossible. I thought to myself, if only Heavenly had a place like Mountain Lab to get an hour or two of work done.

“Little did I know, some of the folks running Heavenly had the exact same idea. Tahoe Mountain Lab jumped at the opportunity to bring coworking spaces to the slopes and work with such a prestigious brand as Vail [Resorts].”

Users of the coworking space will be required to purchase both a lift ticket and a Mountain Lab pass.

“Heavenly is really smart in recognizing the way the world works now. Even when you’re on vacation, you’re not really leaving your work behind. There are meetings and things that you are expected to participate in even when you are on vacation,” added Orr.

“The Tahoe Mountain Lab at Heavenly’s Lakeview Lodge is at the forefront of bringing the ski and tech industries together in an unparalleled mountain experience,” said Pete Sonntag, vice president and chief operating officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort.

“Teaming up with the Tahoe Mountain Lab, we are creating a workspace for professionals who are looking to create a ‘work hard, play hard’ environment that combines skiing and riding with work obligations.”

According to Orr, benefits for current Mountain Lab members — they number around 130 on the South Shore — are still in the works.

“We have tossed around a couple of ideas, like a few hours free every month to go up there and work, and then also combine that with a Mountain Lab day where we encourage everybody to go work and play on the mountain as a community,” he said.

“We are really excited for it.”

Opening day at Heavenly Mountain Resort is slated for Nov. 18.