TRAVEL

Let It Snow| travel || SKI RESORT ROUNDUP

by SUZIE DUNDAS

Tahoe is home to ski resorts for all—from glitzy and glamorous to budget-friendly options that won’t break the bank. As a local who specializes in writing about the outdoors and adventure sports, I’m often asked: “What’s the difference between them, and how do I pick one?” So, here’s a quick and dirty guide, from my humble perspective, starting clockwise at the top of the lake.

Northstar California Resort

5001 Northstar Drive, Truckee, 530-562-2267, northstarcalifornia.com

Northstar has a reputation for being the fanciest resort at the lake and tends to attract an equally posh clientele. It’s the most like East Coast skiing, with very defined runs and truly excellent grooming. Most skiers here are out-of-towners, not locals, which makes it busy on the weekends but one of the least busy “major” resorts on the weekdays. • Base area has an expansive (and expensive) village with an ice-skating rink and happy hour s’mores. • Some of the most defined terrain around the lake. • Has a few well-built parks. • Close parking lot is very small; expect to shuttle to reach the village most days.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort

1210 Ski Way, Incline Village, 775-8321177, diamondpeak.com

Diamond Peak, aka DP, is one of the most affordable mountains and, along with Homewood, offers probably the best views of Lake Tahoe. It has one particularly nice trail that looks like you’re going to ski directly into the lake, but—bonus(!)— leads directly to a mid-mountain bar. • Fewer trails but great progression (if you’re a beginner, it’s a good place to start on blues; if

you’re skiing blues, it’s a good place to work up to black, etc.). • Very short lines; one of the least-crowded mountains. • Ideal for kids and lessons; if you’re skiing the steeps, you’ll have a lot of space to yourself. • Has great midweek deals.

Northstar California Resort

Diamond Peak Ski Resort

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe

22222 Mt. Rose Highway, Reno, 775849-0704, skirose.com

As the highest resort along the lake, Mt. Rose gets brag-worthy amounts of snow. It’s also the closest resort to Reno, so it tends to get crowded with tourists. The front side is good for families, and expert skiers will love the steep chutes on the backside.

• Has the highest elevation so gets a truly ridiculous amount of snow. • Downside: It’s off Mt. Rose Highway, the highest year-round pass in the

Sierra Nevada, so you’ll need snow tires or chains and a brave soul to make the drive during storms.

Heavenly Mountain Resort

3860 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe, 775-586-7000, skiheavenly.com

Probably the most well-known Tahoe resort, Heavenly offers expansive terrain and the ability to ski from Nevada into California, and vice versa. Pretty cool! This place gets packed and is in South Lake Tahoe, which means it has more of a spring break/party vibe than the more relaxed resorts of North Lake Tahoe. • There are a handful of traverses and passes here, so snowboarders will want to be waxed, unless you want to unstrap all day. • Has the most variety of lodging around the lake; many home rentals and hotels are within walking distance of the village and gondola. • Walking distance to casinos and bars, so a great option for people looking for both skiing/riding and nightlife without having to drive.

Kirkwood Ski Resort

1501 Kirkwood Meadows Drive, Kirkwood, 209-258-6000, kirkwood.com

The furthest from the Tahoe basin and most remote, Kirkwood still has an old-school vibe and is best known for being steep and deep. Experts and pow-hounds will love the resort's prime powder and fantastic trails and bowls deep in the mountains. • Remote. Here’s a story: A friend skied here during a storm in 2017 and got trapped there for five days until the roads were cleared/opened. Be

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe prepared. • Not much in the way of nearby bars/ hotels/anything. • Least crowded of the Vail resorts and retains the most authentic feel of any of them.

*Sierra-at-Tahoe

1111 Sierra-at-Tahoe Road, Twin Bridges, 530-659-7453, sierraattahoe.com

With a little bit of an old-timey feel and a good amount of intermediate and progressive terrain, this is a good choice for skiers and riders who want to be close to South Lake but away from the huge crowds of Heavenly. It’s also one of the closest to Sacramento. • Less crowded than Heavenly but still close enough to stay in South Lake

Tahoe. • Fun, laid-back, not-too-corporate vibe. • Only 46 trails but a good amount of steeps.

*As of press time, the resort was closed for the season due to damage from the Caldor Fire. Please check their website for updates.

Heavenly Mountain Resort Kirkwood Ski Resort

Sierra-at-Tahoe

Homewood Mountain Resort

5145 West Lake Boulevard, Homewood, 530-525-2992, skihomewood.com

Ahh, Homewood. The mountain that’s never crowded and offers views for days. In my opinion, the downsides of Homewood are minimal: There are fewer food and drink outlets, and it doesn’t have a village, which is no big deal, as the amazing views more than make up for it. • This is a beginner and family mountain, so if you stick to the upper chairs you’ll probably have the place to yourself. • The parking lots are small, so arrive early. But the flip side is the mountain is never crowded, since there’s nowhere to park! • It has a decent amount of terrain vis-

Homewood Mountain Resort à-vis the ticket price—it’s probably the best-kept secret in Tahoe. • Traffic on Highway 89 can be bad on

Sundays when everyone is trying to reach 80 West.

Palisades Tahoe at Alpine Meadows

2600 Alpine Meadows Road, Alpine Meadows, 800-403-0206, palisadestahoe.com/explore/ alpine-meadows-ski-resort

Alpine Meadows is a massive resort, with one high-speed lift that goes top-to-bottom in under 10 minutes and about nine other lifts leading out to its expansive bowls. Despite not having a village and only a few places to grab food or drinks, it has amazing terrain and is a little more insulated from high winds than sister resort Palisades. • Even when the Summit Six chair is closed for winds, other lifts can operate and access most of the same terrain. • Gets way less crowded than Palisades

Tahoe, but that said, it’s still one of the most crowded resorts in Tahoe. • New two-stop lift offers quick access to Sherwood Bowl (fantastic on a pow day!).

Palisades Tahoe

1960 Squaw Valley Road, Olympic Valley, 800-403-0206, palisadestahoe.com

Ahh, Palisades. The resort that put Lake Tahoe on the map by hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics. The world-class terrain boasts over 20 lifts that spreads skiers and snowboarders out well, even on busy days—though it’s still best to avoid holiday weekends if you can. With the epic terrain comes high prices and a lot of corporate influence, but, man, it’s hard to beat fresh lines down Granite Chief on a storm day. • Huge. Thousands of acres of terrain and 20-plus lifts. • Bad traffic. A drive from Truckee that should take 15 minutes can take more than two hours during busy days. • Objectively, they probably have the best and most fun terrain (bowls, cliffs, chutes) and a very fun, social village at the base.

Sugar Bowl Resort

629 Sugar Bowl Road, Norden, 530-426-9000, sugarbowl.com

This is one of my favorite mountains, and for good reason: It gets a ton of snow, has a vintage wooden gondola you can take to get to the resort, and there’s a variety of terrain for all ability levels. • Because it’s generally less crowded, pow days last longer here. • It’s off Old 40—a windy, steep road that often closes during the winter/ icy days. • Great learn-to-ski and ride deals and close enough to Truckee to stay in town and enjoy the social scene.

Sugar Bowl Resort

Boreal Mountain

Palisades Tahoe at Alpine Meadows

Boreal Mountain

19749 Boreal Ridge Road, Soda Springs, 530-426-3666, rideboreal.com

Truthfully, I’m a little hesitant to even put Boreal on here as a recommended ski resort, as it’s basically just a park mountain—but it’s good at being that. It’s also off Highway 80, meaning you don’t have to drive all the way into Truckee and beyond. If you like park skiing and riding and semi-affordable lift tickets, Boreal is probably worth a visit. • Small and not very steep with very young clientele (college students, teens, etc.). • Excellent for people who want to improve their park skills and beginners who don’t want to spend much on a pass. • Being on Highway 80 has a downside, too: 80 often closes or requires snow chains during busy storms, so getting trapped there for a few hours isn’t totally out of the question.