Rusted lifts, abandoned towers and empty slopes mark the former Iron Mountain Ski Resort, a site that repeatedly tried, and failed, to bring skiers to its slopes. Decades after its last run, the property is back on the market for $4 million.

The resort, last operated in 1995, sits near the Highway 88 junction with the Mormon Emigrant Trail in El Dorado County. Over the last five decades, the resort has changed hands and names several times, creating a layered history that has become part of California’s ski lore.

A bold beginning

The resort first opened in 1971 as Silver Basin, the brainchild of founder John Allen. His concept flipped the standard mountain layout: skiers could start their day gliding downhill from the base lodge and parking lot, hopping on a lift only to return to the top.

Allen’s enthusiasm, however, could not overcome geography or marketing woes. In a 1972 advertisement in The Sacramento Bee, Allen published a plea to potential visitors.

“I have a problem, and I need your help,” Allen wrote. “My problem is that as not too many people know where to find Highway 88 … I don’t have long crowded lift lines.”

The same ad criticized restaurant management, blamed his wife’s beginner skiing skills for the resort’s easy slopes and begged for more guests. Despite his candor, the plea did not work. By 1974, Silver Basin shuttered its lifts.

Allen later accused the Bank of Stockton — whose directors allegedly had ties to nearby Kirkwood — of denying him a crucial loan and forcing foreclosure, a lawsuit that underscored the bitterness of the resort’s first closure.

Second and third lives

Four years later, in 1978, the property reopened as Ski Sundown. Crowds remained thin, with the best weekends drawing about 350 skiers and lift lines rarely topping three minutes. A day pass cost $7, a bargain that did not attract the masses. A year after reopening, the lifts closed again.

By 1983, the resort had a new name — Iron Mountain — and a new goal: compete directly with Kirkwood. Five chairlifts were installed, and optimism ran high. But the mountain’s lower elevation, about 1,000 feet below Kirkwood, often left it with bare slopes while its neighbor stayed buried in powder. In 1986, Iron Mountain closed again, citing rising insurance rates.

The lifts would spin again in 1989 under new ownership. But in 1991, the resort’s owner was arrested for illegal logging activities. The scandal forced Iron Mountain to close again.

One last run

In 1994, hopeful investors took one final shot, reopening as Carson Ski Area. For a brief winter, skiers returned to the slopes off Highway 88. By the next year, bankruptcy hit, and the lifts went silent for good.

Since then, the “upside-down mountain” has remained frozen in time. Decaying lifts, rusted towers, and a fading lodge serve as a monument to decades of dreams that melted away.

Now, three decades later, the property — originally listed for $5.8 million in July — is on the market for $4 million.

“This flexibly zoned parcel is a rare find for investors and developers looking to create a premier destination in a sought-after location,” the listing said.