This will be our first trip to Lake Tahoe, with 4 days for fun. We're staying in Incline Village. I'd appreciate advice on areas to ski, eat, and good places to rent equipment for my son. We're pretty solid single black skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and glades that are not too tight. Not looking for extreme stuff. Thinking about Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and either Heavenly or Sierra at Tahoe. But maybe we should drive to Kirkwood for one day? Our one weekend day is Sunday, should we avoid certain areas that day? We are crowd and liftline adverse, and we don't care how fancy a place is. Not afraid to drive to find a good ski experience. Lift prices look high, and most discounts I see are offered in CA, which doesn't help us. Any sources for lift discounts in Tahoe?
This will be our first trip to Lake Tahoe, with 4 days for fun. We're
staying in Incline Village. I'd appreciate advice on areas to ski, eat, and
good places to rent equipment for my son. We're pretty solid single black
skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and
glades that are not too tight. Not looking for extreme stuff. Thinking
about Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and either Heavenly or Sierra at
Tahoe. But maybe we should drive to Kirkwood for one day? Our one weekend
day is Sunday, should we avoid certain areas that day? We are crowd and
liftline adverse, and we don't care how fancy a place is. Not afraid to
drive to find a good ski experience. Lift prices look high, and most
discounts I see are offered in CA, which doesn't help us. Any sources for
lift discounts in Tahoe?
You are staying north shore (of lake Tahoe) I'd highly recommend staying at north shore area and avoid the drive. I'm sure Emerald Bay road (state highway 89) is closed along Emerald bay, blocking your short access to areas on the south side of Lake Tahoe including Heavenly and Sierra at Tahoe. The drive around and down the Nevada side is long and not a lot of fun. If you are staying at Incline, leave Heavenly and the other south shore areas for another trip. There is lots of diversity on the north side.
Are you eastern skiers? I'm asking because you said you avoided double black trails. If you are eastern skiers, you might consider some of the trails marked double black in the west if conditions are good.
Squaw will give you the feeling for a mega-area that Heavenly will. Lots of diversity, lots of flash. Alpine is neat and satisfies the urge for a wide-open more or less treeless (but not completely) area that Kirkwood does. I haven't skied Northstar, but IMO Sierra at Tahoe is just like home, Killington. Trails cut through woods and little in the way of open slopes. It was so much like home that the day I was there it was even icy.
Homewood on the north side (actually west side) of the lake is a really neat little ski area that looks minuscule from the road but opens up nicely after you figure out the lift/trail system, which is two lifts going up two separate ridges with shots down off the ridges, both sides and always getting you back to the lifts. Fun and neat with lots of surprises.
Well, who isn't crowd and liftline averse? Maybe LAL can weigh in on this question since he lives in the area. Ticket prices? Where do you ski? Heavenly has broken the $70 barrier but as I recall, Alpine was $42 for as good or better and experience. Squaw, I'm sure is high, but I haven't been there for several years. Maybe the week end wants one of the little areas close to Incline. There are several that I've seen driving down the highway and maybe they don't have local mobs on a Sunday. That would be my inclination, anyway.
On Jan 14, 7:56 am, Bob <nos...@nospam.net> wrote:
This will be our first trip to Lake Tahoe, with 4 days for fun. We're
staying in Incline Village. I'd appreciate advice on areas to ski, eat, and
good places to rent equipment for my son. We're pretty solid single black
skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and
glades that are not too tight. Not looking for extreme stuff. Thinking
about Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and either Heavenly or Sierra at
Tahoe. But maybe we should drive to Kirkwood for one day? Our one weekend
day is Sunday, should we avoid certain areas that day? We are crowd and
liftline adverse, and we don't care how fancy a place is. Not afraid to
drive to find a good ski experience. Lift prices look high, and most
discounts I see are offered in CA, which doesn't help us. Any sources for
lift discounts in Tahoe?
You didn't say where you usually ski. Single- or double-black diamond
difficulty varies considerably from one area to another. The Tahoe
areas offer some of the most extreme single-blacks in the country.
Make sure to get in at least one day at Alpine Meadows. For that
matter, the Tahoe area offers enough choices that you can ski a
different area every day, especially if you include Kirkwood and the
Donner Pass areas in your menu. One word of caution: Kirkwood is on
the west side of the passes from Tahoe. If the snow is really good
there (as in deep powder), transportation may be difficult.
Richard, you didn't mention that Kirkwood is not only on the west side of the pass, but it's also south of South Lake Tahoe. In all likelihood, Emerald Bay Road (89) will be closed, so the drive from Incline to K'wood will probably take in the area of 3 or more hours on a good day.
Certainly the Donner Pass areas would be good from Incline. These might satisfy the need for shorter lift lines on a Sunday.
This will be our first trip to Lake Tahoe, with 4 days for fun. We're
staying in Incline Village. I'd appreciate advice on areas to ski, eat, and
good places to rent equipment for my son. We're pretty solid single black
skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and
glades that are not too tight. Not looking for extreme stuff. Thinking
about Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and either Heavenly or Sierra at
Tahoe. But maybe we should drive to Kirkwood for one day? Our one weekend
day is Sunday, should we avoid certain areas that day? We are crowd and
liftline adverse, and we don't care how fancy a place is. Not afraid to
drive to find a good ski experience. Lift prices look high, and most
discounts I see are offered in CA, which doesn't help us. Any sources for
lift discounts in Tahoe?
Heavenly is around the lake a fair distance, Kirkwood farther. Substitute Sugar Bowl or Homewood.
Don't forget Incline has its own skiing, Diamond Peak, in case you feel lazy one day. Not up to the big areas, but pleasant enough. And just up the hill from Incline is Mount Rose - many people like it, and its base is highest at Tahoe = better snow.
Northstar will be the most crowded, weekdays and weekends. Also the least interesting for accomplished skiers. (AKA Flatstar.)
Traffic will be your problem - leave by 7am and relax at the resort and you won't have problems. Leave at 8:30 and you may not get on skis until noon.
Discounts are sparse. Even Alpine juiced their prices ($58 I think.)
Priorities: Squaw - Hey, it had the Olympics, you should see it. Alpine - has that "terrain variety, bowls, and glades" you requested. Sugar Bowl - Walt Disney used to own it, has a peak and lift named after Pluto (the dog, not the planet.) How can you go wrong? Homewood or Rose - genuine old fashioned skiing experience and Homewood has the best lake view (better even than Heavenly IMO.)
If you're from the Flat Coast don't forget Tahoe ski hills break 10,000 feet - watch out for altitude sickness.
Bob <nospam@nospam.net> wrote in news:Xns9A256F4123F59nospamnospamnet@ 216.196.97.136:
We're pretty solid single black
skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and
glades that are not too tight.
Wow, thanks for all the great replies. On the questions about where we've skiied, and skills: We are indeed from the flat coast, but ski in the West almost always. When I described our preference for terrain in the single black, or maybe double blue, it is relative to places like Telluride, Vail, Aspen Highlands, Wolf Creek, ...we get around; try our best to make it to a new destination each year or so. So some challenge is nice, along with a few good blue cruisers I suppose. But we're what I would call low-end advanced skiers, meaning we're definitely not going after cliffs, narrow chutes, Volkswagen size moguls, tight glades, and super steeps. We like the resorts like Telluride, but really like discovering great lesser knowns like Ski Cooper, Wolf Creek, Powder Mountain, Targhee, Ski Sunshine, and Sandia.
I had not anticipated that we might have travel difficulty commuting to the South Lake Tahoe areas, and I appreciate the cautions on that. Our condo overlooks Diamond Peak, but I would hate to give it one of our four days if there are better choices within reach.
Harry Weiner 15 January 2008 04:24:31 [ permanent link ]
On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:56:32 -0600, Bob <nospam@nospam.net> wrote this crap:
This will be our first trip to Lake Tahoe, with 4 days for fun. We're
staying in Incline Village. I'd appreciate advice on areas to ski, eat, and
good places to rent equipment for my son. We're pretty solid single black
skiiers but never touch double blacks, like terrain variety, bowls, and
glades that are not too tight. Not looking for extreme stuff. Thinking
about Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and either Heavenly or Sierra at
Tahoe. But maybe we should drive to Kirkwood for one day? Our one weekend
day is Sunday, should we avoid certain areas that day? We are crowd and
liftline adverse, and we don't care how fancy a place is. Not afraid to
drive to find a good ski experience. Lift prices look high, and most
discounts I see are offered in CA, which doesn't help us. Any sources for
lift discounts in Tahoe?
Heavenly. Definitely Heavenly. It's big enough to ski there for all four days, and still not see the whole area. Isn't that where Sonny Bono, and that Kennedy guy were killed?
Also check out Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Kirkwood, if you get the chance. Start out early in the morning. Take lots of pictures, it's a beatiful area.
Horvath@Horvath.net
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