Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts

Lake Tahoe both Nevada and California is worlddiverse and accessible. Room rates and vacation
renowned for a great mixture of terrains, scenery,packages are usually less expensive in Reno than in
resorts, nightlife, and quality of snow. People from allLake Tahoe, Mt. Rose gives the budget conscious
over the world travel to Tahoe every year tovacationer a great option!
experience skiing, snowboarding, and backcountryKirkwood Resort
skiing and shoeing for themselves... Tahoe boastsKirkwood Resort offers the intermediate skier the
that not many are disappointed. With 7 resorts tomost options on the more than 65 trails, over 50%.
chose from, casino's and gambling on the NevadaThey also offer beginning, advanced and expert
side, and outlets, shopping and fine dining on thechoices on their 2,300 acres of skiable terrain. One of
California side, South Lake Tahoe, paired with thethe most distinctive things about the Kirwood Resort
beautiful scenery in absolutely every direction, it isis the many unique and interesting classes and tours.
pretty hard for any vacationer to loose.They have a backcountry guided tour, a
One of the most highly regarded resorts is Heavenlysnowboarding tour, several different skiing tours, as
Resort who claims to be "Lake Tahoe's premierwell as classes and clinics for skiers and boarders of
winter playground." Heavenly is the largest resort inall ages. They have safety clinics and take avalanche
California, but is bordering Nevada and Lake Tahoesafety and teaching skiers about it very seriously.
making the possibilities for fun threefold. HeavenlyThey also offer several different types of their
boasts the not only the largest vertical drop inKirkwood: Expeditions series with such tours as the
California (3,500 feet) but also the owner of LakePowder Cat tour or an avalanche tour. They also
Tahoe's tallest summit (10,067). The mountain, atoffer Kirkwood: Expedition tours geared to children
Heavenly, has 95 different and diverse trails thatand teens, giving them a supervised, educational
cover all levels of skiing ability and thrill seeking withactivity to participate in while their parents are
access from their 30 lifts, nine of which are highenjoying the runs. The prices for these tours and
speed. Heavenly is also the proud owner of theclasses depend on the length and complexity of the
West Coast's most powerful snowmaking systemtour, but start at $100 and go clear up to thousands
ensuring that there will always be enough snow, nofor the overnight expeditions. The daily lift tickets are
matter what Mother Nature has to say! The resort$15 for children and seniors to $69 for a full day adult.
also offers a wide array of skiing schools, clinics andLodging at Kirkwood can happen on site. They have
services to make your day perfect. You can takeseveral different options of small studio rooms, to
private or group lessons, clinics specifically gearedspacious condos with three plus bedrooms. Most of
towards women's adventure, or a host of classesthe accommodations come with TV, VCR, DVD and
specifically aimed at problem areas. They also havecable in the room. Many have fireplaces, kitchens,
an on site day care, tours, photo and shuttleJacuzzi tubs, and feature hot tubs, recreational
services, and an area to check your Skis orrooms, on property as well as options for covered
Snowboard while you enjoy other parts of theparking and covered swimming pools. There are 10
mountain. Heavenly also has great tree runs fordifferent locations to stay at while visiting Kirkwood:
snowboarders and has the reputation for being aMeadowstone Lodge, The Lodge at Kirkwood, Lost
very boarder friendly resort.Cabin, Snowcrest Lodge, The Mountain Club, The
There is not lodging on site at Heavenly, but theySentinels, Kirkwood Towers, Sun Meadows, The
have worked hard to make sure that your stay atMeadows, and Base Camp all offering different price
Lake Tahoe can be the best vacation ever. With thisand luxury accomodations. Prices at these locations
goal in mind, they have worked to developdepend on time of year and availability, viewing
relationships with Hotels, Motels, Condos and Bed andoptions at their website is probably the best option.
Breakfasts in the area and have special "Heavenly"The Sierra at Tahoe Resort is situated farther away
rates when you select a "Preferred Property." Pricesfrom the lake than most of the other Tahoe resorts,
range from $49 to $200+ a night depending onand this allows the California skier from San Francisco
number of rooms and dates of stay.or Sacramento a shorter commute. Sierra at Tahoe
Lift tickets to Heavenly vary in price depending onalso prides themselves on being a family resort and
length and time you will be skiing; however, theyhave tubing, sledding, snowshoeing, and family tours
offer a discount plans if tickets are purchased onlineand lessons to encourage parents to bring their kids
a head of time. Prices begin at $106 for the 2007-along for the fun. Even the shape of the resort is
2008 and vary from there, but not exceeding $158family friends, the oval shape allows family member
for a 2 day pass during the Christmas season. Theyof difference skill sects to go on the runs that they
also have teen and children lift ticket rates. They alsoenjoy, and meet back in the middle easily.
offer lift ticket for longer stays 7 to 10 days.There are six parks for everyone to choose from,
If looking to enjoy some of the most unique runsThe Alley, Bashful, Broadway, The Circuit, Smokey,
and chutes while visiting Lake Tahoe, skiing orand Upper Main. Smokey park is probably one of the
snowboarding Heavenly is a must on your to do list!favorites at Sierra at Tahoe, located in the rear, the
Ski HeavenlySmokey area is designating for racing and training. It
The NorthStar resort at Tahoe is a unique experiencehas diverse terrain making it fun at high or low
in ski resorts. It has a village full of restaurants,speeds and for people of all skill levels. For the
stores, ice rink, as well as the home of a great runadrenaline junkies, Bashful Park is the place to be, it
for beginners or for pros to warm up on! Along withfeatures a vertical pitch all the way down and the
the Village Run, Northstar has six other attractions toability to hit five jumps in a row, there is also a 12
chose from. Mt. Pluto is one of their most familyfoot wall ride and a line of jibs making this a great
friendly areas. It has many well groomed, moderatelyplace for the advanced to expert skiers. The
pitched runs. For those looking for something just aBroadway is a great place for the more advanced
little harder than Mt Pluto, the Northstar Northwestbeginners to moderate skiers to start and getting a
Territory is perfect. Aimed at intermediate skiers andlittle bit fancy, it has 10 to 20 feet rails, small jump,
is ideal for refining your technical skills, training fortables, and boxes to help them see what the "rush"
harder runs, or racing. The Backside is prime skiing forof skiing is all about!
moderate to advanced skiers and offers sevenLift tickets are $65 dollars for adults on a one day
different mile long runs as well as acres of tree skiing.pass and $68 for Holidays. They also offer children
Lookout Mountain is one of Northstar's local hotspots.and senior passes from $16. Sierra at Tahoe also has
Known for its steep inclines and bump runs is aa "Parent Perdicatment Tickets" which allow parents
challenge even for experienced skiers. If you areto use the same pass back and forth while one
looking for a challenge, this is the place. The Terrainparent stays with the younger kids, the other can go
Park is considered one of the "top ten best Terrainup the lift, then they can switch off. This is a great
parks in North America." It offers all sizes and skillfeature for those skiers with small children!
levels within its 45 rails, boes, 50 jumps and jibs.One of the drawback to this resort is there are not
There is also a 420 foot Super Pipe forany lodging accommodations available, but this could
snowboarders to enjoy! Another great feature atbe a great place for a day trip.
Northstar at Tahoe is their X-Country andSierra Resort
Snowshoeing area. Over 24 miles of are open forAlpine Meadows is proud of their 2,400 acres of
snowshoeing, tracking, or skate-skiing in a safe, wellpatrolled, skiable terrain. It has over 100 runs that
groomed environment, away from all the hustle andencompass all skill levels. They offer many different
bustle of the higher paced runs. If you come toskiing and snowboarding classes and not just the
Northstar as your first skiing experience, you are inbasics, but private out of bound tours and beginner
luck they offer many skiing and snowboarding classesclasses that teach using the Direct-To-Parallel
for adults, children, and women only classes.program. They also have an on mountain restaurant
Lift tickets at Northstar vary from $28 to $68 dollarsand snack bar and an indoor children's play area.
for a single day pass (children/senior to adult). ThereLift tickets to Alpine are $58 for an adult full day, or
are discounts for multi day passes and different$63 for holiday. Child, senior and teen tickets start at
pricing schedules for holidays.$10 through $49. Alpine Meadows also offers
Northstar also has a great selection of lodging fromdiscounts for multiple day lift packages.
the Northstar Village rooms, to Northstar Condos, toAlthough there are not any lodging accommodations
Northstar Mountain Homes, and the new Northstarat Alpine Meadows, they have several package deals
Village Condo's that vary in price and number ofwith Reno and Tahoe hotels, resorts, and casinos
rooms from 1 room lofts for $139 a night to deluxemaking the options of visiting Alpine more accessible.
housing packages with 6 rooms, 4 bathrooms forThey also have shuttles from certain hotels and the
$1800 a night. All in all, Northstar at Tahoe is centeredparking areas.
around having everything a family needs for a greatSquaw Valley Resort
ski vacation.Squaw Valley, USA is one of the larges Tahoe
Mt. Rose ski resort boasts Tahoe's highest elevationresorts having over 4,000 acres of terrain. Over
point at 8,260 feet and being the closest to Reno,"70% of the mountain's terrain" is for the beginner
Nevada, the nearest airport to Lake Tahoe. Mt. Roseand moderate skier and/or snowboarder. This is a
offers 1,200 acres of powder and the new Chuteshuge amount of space for someone to explore. They
has added over 200 acres of steep, 1500 feet ofhave all sorts terrain parks with half pipes, jumps, and
vertical drop at 40-55 degrees, for the experiencedrails. They also have racing services. Squaw Valley
skiers enjoyment. There are four gates, or entrancesoffers classes in skiing, snowboarding, cross-country
to the Chutes that can be accessed by the normalskiing, night skiing, and everything in between.
Zephyr lift chair, or by the express Chuter Chair. Mt.Having held the 2006 winter Olympics at Squaw
Rose also has a well rounded array of skiing options,Valley, there are also lots of historical and site seeing
with over 60 runs, beginner and intermediate runs asto be done. High Camp has an ice rink, a fine dining
well as advanced and expert runs. The longest run isrestaurant, and shops to explore, not to mention a
two and half miles long.cable car ride that gets you there! Squaw also has a
Offering day and half day lift tickets from $68 toswimming lagoon and spa, snow tubing, dog sledding
$42, Mt. Rose is an inexpensive option for those thatrides, and a climbing wall. If skiing or boarding is not
may be in Reno or Tahoe for other reasons and justyour thing, there are plenty of other options when
have a day to ski.you visit Squaw Valley.
There are not lodging accommodations located on Mt.The lift tickets at Squaw Valley, USA are $73 dollars
Rose, but the short half hour drive to Reno makefor an adult day pass, however, they offer great
the options of lodging, gambling, night clubs, andmid-week and multiple day discounts.
entertainment when you are not on the slopes very