# Planning a trip to Tahoe and need some advice



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

I'll be flying out to Tahoe area from April 1-3 and looking for some insight as to where to hit. Given the travel time, I'm really only looking for one resort. Any ideas? Also, if you're familiar with any good discounts or promos they do around that area for a short term trip like this, please let me know. Thanks all. Rip it and grip it.


----------



## Kauila (Jan 7, 2011)

What kind of riding do you want to do (park, groomers, etc.)?

Do you want any nightlife after riding all day (South Lake)?


----------



## Kauila (Jan 7, 2011)

Northstar has a BOGO adult lift ticket deal if you fill 10 gallons of gas at Shell, not valid Saturdays; they also have a discount coupon for $61 lift tickets that you can pick up at local shops. (Kind of sad that a $61 lift ticket is actually considered a "discount"...)


----------



## Rufus (Nov 7, 2008)

The Shell coupons are good at more than Northstar, I believe they are also valid at Sierra at Tahoe, Mt. Rose and a few other places.


----------



## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

Rufus said:


> The Shell coupons are good at more than Northstar, I believe they are also valid at Sierra at Tahoe, Mt. Rose and a few other places.


The Shell coupons are a great deal. We had an SUV on our last trip, 20 gal tank...I ran it it until the gas tank was dry the first week, then stopped at one Shell in Truckee for 10 gals, and another Shell to force in another ten gals. So four of us rode at Northstar for the price of two. Not my first choice in Tahoe, but at that price it was well worth it. Since you only have a couple of days, why worry about ticket prices? Just go for it and experience the good stuff like Squaw and Kirkwood. You'll get such a hard-on for the place, you'll go back next season and spend a week or two...THEN you'll need to worry about discount tickets.


----------



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

Thanks all. Trying to do mostly groomers since it's such a short trip. We'll probably do a few laps through the park but mostly there just to get some good turns in on the trails. Some glades or bowls would be nice but trying to stay away from the skier-oriented resorts w/ mucho traverses. Good night life would be a bonus but not a super priority. 

And the discount thing was just seeing what's available. If it's out there, might as well use it. But like surfinsnow said, for a trip like this flying across the country we're not going to cry about spending a couple more bucks.

Appreciate the help guys.


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

I just came back two weeks ago. The discount tickets I've seen for weekends were $70. REI members and our hotel (Grand Sierra) had them. This was for northstar.

Squaw Valley has a promotion that if you land in Reno, you can get a free lift ticket that very same day for the afternoon/night session. Not sure if it's still running in April. 

Too bad when we went it was all ice. NO real snow since December.


----------



## baddmaddy (Mar 2, 2010)

With your limited time schedule, I would just stay in Reno (presuming you are flying in there) and hit up Mt. Rose for the few days you have. But that's just me.


----------



## Shocktroop531 (Aug 3, 2010)

kirkwood and squaw are the best in tahoe for real challenging terrain. those are always my recommendations.


----------



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

Looks like it's going to be Squaw. Flying into Sacramento on Thurs night (mainly to visit our buddy who moved out there) and then shuffle over to the resort and fly back out Sunday. Not the optimal situation, but its the best we could do when juggling everyone's priorities. Some people have to be back for work, others want this and that, blah blah blah. Anyway, hopefully the conditions will be decent then. About half our group are "intermediate" shredders who will be staying in the milder areas while the rest of us hit the other parts of the hill. This will be my first time in the Tahoe area so looking forward to it.


----------



## sketcheroo (Dec 29, 2010)

It should be a good weekend since the storm is just kicking in. Let us kno whow it goes


----------



## Haho (Oct 10, 2010)

Kirkwood is one of the best resort i have been so far!!!
Squaw valley is very ski oriented IMO. I would try something else and plus squaw is friggin expensive too!

have fun out there!:thumbsup:


----------



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

sketcheroo said:


> It should be a good weekend since the storm is just kicking in. Let us kno whow it goes


Actually flying out beginning of April so looks like i'll be missing that.


----------



## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

Haho said:


> Kirkwood is one of the best resort i have been so far!!!
> Squaw valley is very ski oriented IMO. I would try something else and plus squaw is friggin expensive too!
> 
> have fun out there!:thumbsup:


Kirkwood is def the best, but I wouldn't necessarily pass up Squaw. It's the spectacle of the place as much as anything, with the Olympic museum stuff and just the vastness of the mountain. Some seriously challenging terrain if you're into it. But yeah, it can be a bit touristy and spendy, but hey, you're going to Tahoe -- you want it to be memorable. Just stay away from the greens, which tend to be insanely crowded on weekends.


----------



## fayewolf (Jan 3, 2011)

I really liked squaw valley. The view is just amazing, overlooking the lake, on weekends it's open till 9pm, so you can do some night riding as well. It is really expensive, I think the most expensive resort in Tahoe, but get the lift ticket at the local REI store or something, save you about $10/day. 
Runs are really long. Lots of serious challenging stuff, but also plenty of gentler blues. 
There are only 2 or 3 greens if I remember correctly and they are like 1 minute in length... definately not a beginner resort.

one thing though, I blame this mostly on my skill level, I just started this season, there are alot of cat tracks and flat areas when connecting the runs. If I slow down or god forbid fall right before those, I'm completely doomed. Those cat tracks are really long and I seriously sat there and was about to ask some skiers to lend me a hand with their pole, but they don't look very nice... oh yes, LOTS of skiers here, I say ratio of at least 6:4

Enjoy!!


----------



## sketcheroo (Dec 29, 2010)

hwa said:


> Actually flying out beginning of April so looks like i'll be missing that.



I'll be there March 21-25, have my fingers crossed something hits during then  I'll do a storm dance before I leave, for you


----------



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

Hah thank you sir. I'll do one after and send it back via DeLorean.


----------



## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

Another thing about Tahoe, coming from a VT rider...DON'T LISTEN TO THE TAHOE LOCALS. I know this season is supposedly special, but my first trip to the lake was mid-January about five years ago. They had a very late start to the season. Every mountain was virtually empty because the conditions were so "icy." Meanwhile, us VT visitors were stoked to ride powder. Seriously, any Vermont resort would have posted packed/pckd pow, but they called it icy. 

Perspective, baby. If you've never been to Tahoe you'll cream your shorts even on the shittiest stuff they have to offer. They're spoiled.


----------



## cocolulu (Jan 21, 2011)

I just look for deals on slidingonthecheap.com

For convenience, usually REI has good deals on a single ticket basis, but you have to be a member. The Shell 2 for 1 deal is nice, but it's often like M-F or something.

Totally not an expert snowboarder here, but I think the local favorites here are Sugarbowl, Alpine Meadows, and perhaps Mt. Rose, at least according to my friends...

Squaw Valley is a great experience for out of towners, but I imagine you'll figure out quickly if you love it or hate it (with the lift tix prices in consideration). If you love it, go back! If you hate it... go to a local favorite and save some cash xD



> Perspective, baby. If you've never been to Tahoe you'll cream your shorts even on the shittiest stuff they have to offer. They're spoiled.


Haha xD My friend flew to the Rockies because he thought the recent 1 month drought made conditions too awful.

One thing though.. whenever we 'resort hopped' on bright sunny days, some resorts would be icy, but Alpine Meadows always seemed to have that inch or three of softer stuff no matter what. I'm not sure why... I guess it's a sheltered valley or something so it doesn't get so wind swept.


----------



## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

Coco is right about Squaw; for your first trip to Tahoe you should go. Also right that you'll know whether or not you want to go back next time...cuz there WILL be a next time. You can't hit Tahoe once. The other place the locals tend to like is Homewood. Small by comparison to the big boys, but some unique terrain, fun trees, steep bowl, cheap tix and insane views of the lake. But if you're only there for short time, Mt. Rose has a great half price deal on Wednesdays, and Sugarbowl is pretty sweet, too. Alpine is pretty nice, I like it a lot. Some very varied terrain, and I think the good snow has to do with all the different sun exposures. Big bowls, wide-open steep stuff, very fun place. And I think your Alpine ticket also works at Homewood, but I'm not sure about that.


----------



## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

If for some reason Squaw doesn't work out, or you guys want a different mountain... I have some smaller mountains that I hit in Tahoe that have killer lift ticket prices... I'm talking under $50.

Mt Rose - Highest elevation. Very good mountain with some good difficult runs. Also has the mellow stuff below the peak.

Diamond Peak in Incline Village - I really enjoyed this mountain. Certainly not as big as the other popular resorts, but much less crowded with good runs including trees. Very friendly staff all around. Dirt cheap lift tickets at the time I went. Under $30 on a Friday!


----------



## cocolulu (Jan 21, 2011)

Oh, and just FYI, while it may be fun to resort hop, if you want to stick to fewer resorts and cut down on travel time (the Lake it HUGE, and it takes a lot of time to drive around, especially if you want to swing from the North Side to South or Nevada side).

However, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are _right next door _to each other. I know that you want to stick to 1 resort (and really, Squaw takes several days to fully explore), but if Squaw leaves a bitter taste, it's easy to scoot just 10 minutes down the road to Alpine Meadows.


----------



## hellside (Dec 28, 2008)

There should be spring pass and cheap tickets by the time you come. I remember Mt Rose was offering $25 tickets (must purchase online) last year but I think you probably don't want to hit Mt Rose when you come all the way here because it is very small. Kirkwood probably will have good price on spring pass or ticket but Kirkwood's lifts are slow has only two express lifts (one serves advanced and one serves beginner) and you say you are intermediate. You can look for Legend 3 packs if you want to go to Squaw.


----------



## hwa (Dec 2, 2008)

We'll only be there really for two days so I doubt we can nab a great multi-day deal, but since it's late season perhaps the tickets will be a little cheaper. Will definitely look into some of the other resorts nearby if for some reason Squaw doesn't look good. From what everyone has said about the place I don't think that'll be a problem.

How do the Legend packs work?

Myself and another person coming along can hit most/all of the advanced groomers no prob. The concern was more the women-folk accompanying who may not find some of the terrain ...err...palatable. Will likely split up with them shortly after they get settled into an area with some mellow trails.


----------



## Rufus (Nov 7, 2008)

Are you making a day trip from Sacramento? If so, Sugar Bowl is the closest. If you're looking for lodging sometimes you can find deals at Squaw or Northstar at the time of year you are going.

Sierra at Tahoe is also an easy drive up Hwy 50 from Sacramento and it has a fun, chill vibe for spring riding and South Lake Tahoe is close by.


----------



## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Northstar tickets are $35 beginning april 1.

Northstar Ski Resort (Lake Tahoe, CA) - $35 lift tickets April 1 - 17th - Slickdeals.net


----------



## sunpark570 (Jan 12, 2011)

cocolulu said:


> I just look for deals on slidingonthecheap.com
> 
> For convenience, usually REI has good deals on a single ticket basis, but you have to be a member. The Shell 2 for 1 deal is nice, but it's often like M-F or something.
> 
> ...


I've noticed from just scanning snow reports - both Sugar Bowl and Meadows get like, 7 or 8 inches on a snow day when Squaw and Northstar are getting 2-3 inches. For what it's worth. Also - I'm hearing Alpine Meadows is great for boarding, but this is like, from a AAA magazine or something. Any anecdotal? Thinking that my first, maybe only, visit will be at the local favs vs. the potentially crowded Squaw... but keeping an open mind.


----------

