# Alpine Meadows/ Kirkwood / Homewood



## turbospartan (Oct 27, 2010)

I'll throw my opinion out there... but let me preface that by saying I have only been to Tahoe one time, and it was at least 10 years ago. 

With that said... on our trip we went to Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Alpine Meadows. Alpine Meadows was the favorite of everyone in our group, for a couple of reasons. 

Now I don't know if this is always the case, but when we were there - there was basically no one there. Not nearly as crowded as the other 2 resorts were. 

Looking at the trail map online, we stayed on the backside nearly the entire day as it had snowed like 2 feet overnight and we were basically the only people out there, taking the one single lift multiple times in a row just ripping fresh tracks. 

I think Alpine is also significantly cheaper compared to the other resorts too?

Kirkwood was also a really cool place that we all liked a lot, and everyone hate Heavenly. 

Just my opinion... and again, it was from when I was like 15 years old.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

I don't think I've been to AM, but have heard a lot of good things. When I lived in the bay area I was a frequent Kirkwood rider just because of the great terrain and not-so stuck up attitudes. I got really bad vibes from Squaw, it was like 90% skiers, 80% of which had sticks up their asses and you could tell did not like snowboarders on their mountain. Heavenly was a cat-track mogul nightmare, no fluidity of runs on that mountain...


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Homewood is fun. Cut my teeth there. It's fine for powder riding when it's on. 

Alpine didn't allow snowboarding when I was there. The terrain is supposed to be pretty decent. A big plus is that they have an open boundary policy for accessing the backcountry. I am not sure if you need to use an access (probably) gate or can just duck out anywhere. Killer terrain located outside of the area though. 

Don't overlook look Squawllywood. Amazing terrain there, and some of the best cliff hucks that any resort anywhere has. It's a pretty great place to hit.


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## trevk#07 (Nov 3, 2008)

The only really good thing I can say about Homewood was that even with only one teller window, I didn't have to stand in a line to get my lift ticket. That being said, the mountain wasn't terribly challenging and, although it was snowing, the jumps didn't look like they'd been maintained for a few days. I'm not a park kid but I do like to hit some features so that was annoying to say the least. Not worth the $400 price tag for a season pass IMO.

Haven't been to Alpine but I just assume it's about equal to Homewood.

Kirkwood sounds like the best choice of those three to me, but if you're looking for a change of scenery and close-to-nonexistent lines, either one of the other two will probably do nicely.


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## Kahanquest (Aug 24, 2011)

Nice, well I won't be going to homewood exclusively. The pass I am looking at covers all three. Alpine, kirkwood, and homewood. I love the idea that I can keep getting tracks. I def. won't forget about sqaw, but it's not going to be the place for me. They are twice the size of alpine though, but their lift tickets are too. 92$ didn't match the facilities they have. Best cliffs around for sure. 

The reason I ask about steepness at homewood on pow days is because when I have gone to Sierra at Tahoe it sucked. There are some things to hit, but overall not. And there is only one direct lift to the top that is time consuming.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Alpine is definitely a whole lot steeper than Homewood. It has more often been considered an alternative to Squaw in North Lake than anything. Homewood can definitely not say that.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Tried all resorts in Tahoe. 4th year season pass at Kirkwood. CAn't find the same terrain and lack of lines/traffic combination ...along with a killer deal on the Pass if you get it early.

After a mid week dump you will enjoy powder with maybe 40 other people . Unbeatable.




Kahanquest said:


> So I have been at kirkwood for a few seasons now. Love it. Stayed in the valley, so it was ideal. Right now I am trying to get a feel for the northshore and the backcountry. Hyped for rubicon. Anyways, I am looking for opinions about alpine meadows and homewood. They seem to feel like the community I want to be apart of. Homewood doesn't seem to be on the advanced side of things, but I am curious about their pitch. Steep enough for those heavy dump days? How does the mountain handle storm days? What lifts are usually on stand by? Same with alpine! Alpine is where I would most likely be unless I switch up for homewood on off days.
> 
> What do you think about alpine as a whole? Seems chill and comfortable like kirkwood. Also looks like there is great terrain. Do you hike a lot with your board to traverse the bowls?
> 
> ...


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## Kahanquest (Aug 24, 2011)

Yeah, Kirkwood is amazing. I've caught the best snow there time after time. Though, the backside has hardly been open when it does snow, but last year was insane... I kept showing up to the 4'-8' storms, so it's not like everything can be open. The Wall is so unique too, I love being up there. It has a heavy feeling.

I never meant to put a comparison between Homewood/Alpine... I know that it's a mellower mountain and doesn't offer any serious challenges, but if the treelines are steep enough to dive into and the lines are fun, I'll go. I just figured if I get a pass it will be easy to jump over to Homewood on a random day. 

I will always probably call Kirkwood home. It's really got solid deals and serious snow. I like community vibe too. far enough out that only serious tourists show up.

Just looking for someone that has frequented Alpine. Interesting though... alpine comes with homewood when you get any of their passes... adds kirkwood, red lodge, and durango if you go all out... 800 right now...


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## Kahanquest (Aug 24, 2011)

All about it.. look at all the hikes. gates all on the left side.. this doesn't even include the backside....

all about it

http://www.thesnowjunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/AlpineMeadowsTrailMap.jpg


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Nice trails. Yes. One if not the major problem of Kirkwood is reliability. of the road to get there ( the spur) or the lifts (Backside) often on hold for wind. But when it opens....you realize it's worth the drive 






















From inside the restrooms:










Last mega dump.... Slide inbound on 99 steps...it damaged one of the pylons of chair 4


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## cocolulu (Jan 21, 2011)

I'm getting the Alpine/Homewood/Kirkwood pass this year. I'm not an advanced rider, but here's what I've thought so far:

Kirkwood is massive. It just has all this space. I've only gone there on a powder day, and the snow is awesome. What kills me is that the drive and the nearby facilities (or lack thereof). Once, we set out at 4am, and we didn't get our feet on the snow until 11am, because of traffic, road blockages, etc. Driving there was kind of a gamble during the storm: we were never sure if there would be a road shutdown. When we got to the mountain the whole backside was on wind hold until late afternoon. It's a 40 minute drive from South Lake Tahoe also, so it's a bit of a drive from the restaurants, rooms and stuff. All these issues aside, it was an amazingly fun mountain.

Alpine Meadows is awesome. There's a lot of different terrain for different levels... I don't think you'll run out of challenges if that's what you seek. What I personally find great is that the snow there is somehow always good to great there. I went there when there was a 1 month stretch without new snow, and it was really soft on most of the mountain even when other resorts had very icy conditions. With Alpine Meadows there's a lot of exploring, map checking, discovery. Kirkwood was more like sheer fun, since it's like being in a giant bowl where all the runs lead to the bottom (except for the backside of course). I think Alpine and Kirkwood are my two favorite resorts, but Alpine is *waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay* easier to get to, so that's where I'll probably be going often.

Homewood really isn't on the same level, but it's a nice alternative. The views are great (kind of like Heavenly). A lot of the mountain is shaded by trees, so if there isn't fresh snow, conditions can get very, very bad. Homewood is a funny mountain: a lot of narrow S lanes carved against the mountain, which string together short runs. That's how I felt when I was there.


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## Kahanquest (Aug 24, 2011)

+++ insightful. Same feelings about kirkwood, but we stayed in Meyers. A lot closer. Epic snow but def. a mountain that funnels to the bottom. Back side was always closed after a storm, even days after. But alpine sounds like my new choice. Can't wait.


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