When in Lake Tahoe, ski California or ski Nevada? Six and one-half of the eight major Lake Tahoe ski resorts are on the California side of the border, so no gambling, but lots of great skiing!
What do we mean by six and one-half? Well, like the lake itself, one of the eight Lake Tahoe area ski resorts straddles the California/Nevada border. Heavenly Mountain Resort has one ski in California and the other in Nevada. Lucky for them, Nevada doesn't have any state income tax or they'd be paying double duty!
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If you're looking for good Winter sports opportunities without all the hoopla, then Alpine Meadows is the place for you! Located on Lake Tahoe's North Shore, Alpine Meadows consists of 2400 acres, provides challenging terrain with over 100 runs and 13 lifts, and offers an unpretentious big-mountain experience for Winter sports enthusiasts. If you're looking for good Winter sports opportunities without all the hoopla, then Alpine Meadows is the place for you! Located on Lake Tahoe's North Shore, Alpine Meadows consists of 2400 acres, provides challenging terrain with over 100 runs and 13 lifts, and offers an unpretentious big-mountain experience for Winter sports enthusiasts. |
At Alpine Meadows, you'll certainly enjoy some of Lake Tahoe's best skiing, but also excellent snowboarding, terrain park features, freestyle terrain, and an open boundary that allows access to the backcountryl
It's also where you'll find Olympic Athlete, Errol Kerr, of the Jamaica Ski Team!
What you won't find at Alpine Meadows is much in the way of lodging and other amenities, so no nightlife, no entertainment, no gambling, no Broadway-style shows - like I said, no hoopla.
But there's a rental and repair shop, a day lodge with sundeck, bar, and food, and a sports shop.
What more do you need when you're focused on having fun in the snow?
Check here for the latest weather at Alpine Meadows: Snow Report
It's not far from Alpine to lots of very nice lodging possibilities
Located in South Lake Tahoe at Carson Pass, Kirkwood offers some truly unique experiences! With 2300 acres, 12 lifts, and 65 runs, Kirkwood provides plenty of skiing pleasure, as you would expect from a ski resort.
And you'll find terrain parks, snowboarding, backcountry terrain, cross-country skiing, and most of the other usual Winter activities. What sets Kirkwood apart is their Evening Snow Cat Tours and the dog sled rides offered nearby!
If you're looking to combine something different with your snow sports, Kirkwood is a good place to be!
Reserve a spot aboard a snow cat, meet the other riders at Off the Wall Bar and Grill for pre-ride cocktails and appetizers, then take off in your snow cat to the top of Red Cliffs for a spectacular view of the high Sierras!
Or book a date with Running Creek Dog Sled Rides! You've several choices: the scenic Meadow Loop Ride (a 30 minute tour), The Adventure Ride (ride on the back of the sled), or a Moonlight Tour (barking dogs, shushing sled rails, Mr. Moon, and you).
For more about the Kirkwood area: Alpine County
Check here for the latest weather at Kirkwood: Snow Report
With 2900 acres, 17 lifts, 89 runs, and a village of their own, Northstar-at-Tahoe provides the complete family resort experience within Lake Tahoe ski California, with something for everyone from tiny tots to Grammy and Gramps!
Take for granted the usual skiing, boarding, etc. Now add a 9000 square foot ice skating rink, making s'mores, tubing down the hill, bungee trampolining, adventure parks for the kids to jib, whoop, bump, and slide...
Plus village crafts and activities, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, telemarketing, geocaching for prizes, Meet the Mountain Tours, and the Pool + Spa + Fitness Recreation Center...
Northstar-at-Tahoe offers the complete Lake Tahoe ski resort experience!
Check here for the latest weather at Northstar: Snow Report
One of Lake Tahoe's smaller ski resorts, Sierra at Tahoe is, nevertheless, worthy of recommendation here - especially if you're bringing the kidlettes along!
They have the greatest themed and educational Adventure Zones for kids and their parents - The Bear Cave, Gold Rush, Pony Express, Teepee Town.
Plus skiing, boarding, tubing, snowshoeing, dining, lodging, and
Après Ski entertainment!
But the real draw for me is the Adventure Parks! I'm a sucker for neat kid-stuff!! Your kidlettes follow the trails through each adventure, experiencing animated encounters with lifelike sights and sounds (for instance, the hibernating bear roars fiercely if they wake him).
They'll find gold in them thar hills, but they'll need to look sharp as Black Bart's on the loose. Galloping along the Pony Express Trail never seemed so real, or they'll wind through the trees and past a Native American village in Teepee Town.
I would have loved that when I was a kid! It's like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, Narnia, and Mickey Mouse Club all rolled into one and brought to life!
Check here for the latest weather at Sierra: Snow Report
California And now we come to one of the most famous Lake Tahoe ski resorts in the world - Squaw Valley USA; home to the 1960 Winter Olympic Games! (Squaw Valley is the popular name, but the U.S. Postal Service refers to the area as Olympic Valley, CA 96146 to avoid confusion with the Squaw Valley community of Fresno County.)
Having recently celebrated their big "50/60" Anniversary Season - That's 50 years since the 1960 Games were hosted, and 60 years since Squaw Valley first became a ski resort - it's a little slice of history as well!
With 34 lifts, over 170 runs, and 4000 acres, they have good reason to celebrate, and they have lots to offer the winter sports enthusiast!
In addition to traditional skiing and boarding, you'll find several terrain parks, snowshoe tours, cross-country skiing, ice skating, snow tubing, cable car rides, a climbing wall, a swimming lagoon and spa, restaurants and bars, shopping, lodging - everything, in short, that you could possibly want from a Lake Tahoe ski resort.
But you can do something else here that's a real treat! Night Skiing and Riding! Every evening through the season, Squaw Valley USA lights up their 3.2 mile mountain run with a specially-made floodlight system, allowing you to ski a truly unique experience!
Check here for the latest weather at Squaw Valley: Snow Report
To book your rooms at the best prices:
Squaw Valley Lodge.
Sugar Bowl Resort, located along Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains just West of Truckee, is famous for its long history (it first opened in December of 1939), advanced terrain (about 38% of its terrain is considered advanced), and high annual snowfall (over 500 inches).
It's
also one of the Lake Tahoe area ski California resorts closest to the San Francisco
Bay Area, making it a favorite destination.
Reportedly the first
ski area in California to install a chairlift and a gondola lift, Sugar
Bowl offers full lodge accommodations, and has played host over the
years to such celebrities as Robert Stack, Claudette Colbert, Errol
Flynn, Marilyn Monroe, and Walt Disney.
More recently, the older
double chair lifts have been replaced with new quad lifts - opening up
new trails; and the resort has undergone a ten-year expansion, adding a
new parking lot, a lodge at Mt. Judah, a pedestrian village, and more
off-slope facilities; and the Sugar Bowl Academy, a college preparatory
high school for competitive skiers was founded in 1999.
With
four distinct mountain peaks, 13 lifts, over 100 trails, 1500 skiable
acres, and a base elevation of 6883 feet, Sugar Bowl is a
skier/boarder's paradise - offering "an escape from the masses,
providing an unhindered opportunity to connect with the outdoors."
In
addition to traditional skiing and boarding, the Terrain Park sponsors
competitions and Freestyle Friday Lessons; the Backcountry Adventure
Center conducts a series of professionally-guided tours; and the Silver
Belt Banzai race provides excitement as four to six skiers or
snowboarders race down the hill at the same time in the skier
cross-style format.
Check here for the latest weather at Sugar Bowl: Snow Report
And for lodging options near Sugar Bowl:
click here.
You can see why I brag about Lake Tahoe ski California resorts! And there's one more to go, after we've taken a look at the Nevada side of the lake. For more about Lake Tahoe ski resorts, see the following:
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