jym626

Hello all cc purveyors of knowledge and experience. DH and I are planning a vacation to the west coast to see DS and hit the slopes for a few days. Hopefully they'll get some snow by then! We have never skiied at Lake Tahoe. What are your favorite slopes there? Where do you like to stay? We typoically stay at a condo but are open to convenience this time, so are happy to consider resorts/hotels/etc as well. We are flying into/out of SFO (flights already booked). Do you suggest the North or South shorre? Why? Which is easier to get to?

All suggestions/tips/recommendations are greatly appreciated.

crizello

North Shore is easiest to get to, as it has a major highway to it. South Shore is a one lane highway for much of the drive, but it is much more scenic. South Shore is where all the casinos are. North Shore is much quieter.

There are some nice major hotels in both areas. On the South Shore there are all the big casino hotels. There is also a very nice Marriott right on the main street.

As far as skiing, probably Squaw Valley on the North Shore as that is where the Olympics were held. Heavenly is good on South Shore. (I'm a cross country skiier, not downhill, so others will have better advice on the actual skiing.)

Here is a summary of the ski areas from my local paper: Unlocking Sierra's Ski Resorts - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee.

jym626

Thank you!! Great site to start my hunt!

We are downhill skiiers. Not into gambling, so thats not a big concern, but having some things to do would be nice.

Any particular favorites for any particular reason?

LVKris

I was at Lake Tahoe with my family for the winter break. We always stay on the north shore and DH and the boys ski at Northstar. Northstar has a wide range of lodging options and they're running some nice specials right now. Ski Vacation Packages | Lake Tahoe Lodging Packages & Ski Package Deals | NorthstarAtTahoe.com

If your trip is coming up soon, your decision on where to ski will probably be based on which resort has the best snow making equipment! There has been no natural snow, so check resort websites for information about how many lifts and runs are available.

If you will be renting ski equipment, I recommend Tahoe Dave's in King's Beach. Really friendly staff, equipment in good condition, and a much better bargain than renting from the resorts. Ski & Snowboard Rentals in North Lake Tahoe

I hope you have a great trip!

artloversplus

I am a 20 year vet skiing at Lake Tahoe. Holders of permanent season tickets. I will answer anything you want and I have been to all 13 resorts. Last few years I practically lived in Squaw Valley.

Having said that, here are my questions:

1. Do you want to splurge or to save money?
2. Do you want to tour SF in the same trip?
3. Will you rent a car/van/suv?
4. What level of skiing are you at?
5. How long of a trip is it?
6. What is your ground tour budget (other than air fare)?
7. How big is the party and each person's preference on skiing or snowboarding?

gosmom

On South Shore, stay at the Marriott. You can arrive, park car and never use until you leave. Step out the door and the Gondola takes you right up to Heavenly. You can ski both CA and Nevada. After skiing, use the outdoor pools and hottubs--the sidewalks are heated. Walk to may restaurants and casinos (entertainment in addition to gambling).

Squaw Valley: Resort at Squaw Creek is wonderful. Awesome ski village. Take gondola up and go ice skating on the Olympic rink for a change of pace.

showmom858

I spent my whole childhood skiing at Heavenly since my grandparents lived on the South Shore. The last time I was there we stayed in a condo near the slopes. I love the views from the top where you look out at the lake on the California side or the desert on the Nevada side.

menloparkmom

jym, there has been NO NEW SNOW in the mountains for many weeks. many of my clients who normally ski at tahoe during the Holiday break went to hawaii instead. The weather forecast is not good. I would not count on being able to ski there in the next month or so.

jym626

Wow!! Thank you artlovers and gosmom and everyone!!!!

We are going in mid/late February. Will meet up with our s in the SF area on our arrival date (a Saturday) and head to the slopes that afternoon, with plans to ski maybe Sun-Thurs. (he will stay a day, then head back) We will probably come back to SF Friday so will have a day to play there and head back to the E coast on Sat.

We dont need to break the bank, but don't need to be tightwads either. Another thought is using hotel points (my DH has points with Hilton, Marriot and Sheraton), which we did when we stayed at the Marriott at Steamboat. We have commonly stayed at condos in the past, and we will have our s and his gf with us Sat and Sun night, but Mon-Th night it will just be the 2 of us. We will be renting a car.

Pray for snow in Tahoe over the next month

We are expert skiiers, but I take it slower and easier these days as my knees dont appreciate the abuse of a lot of moguls. Tree skiing is nice if available. We will be skiing, not riding (snowboarding)

Thanks for all-- I knew my cc'ers would come through!

DS and his gf and their friends were up there over new years. Sent a photo-- of the trees, grass and rocks That said they did ski and had fun

menloparkmom

here are the current snow depth figures- they are in INCHES not feet.
State Snow Depth : Weather Underground

GladGradDad

The views of Lake Tahoe surrounded by the mountains from Heavenly are fantastic. It can also be novel to ski from California to Nevada and back. Heavenly is also right at South Shore where the casinos and town are as opposed to off by itself so there are things to do right there including various restaurants, etc. There are lots of hotels, motels, and condos in this area available.

But, check on the snow conditions since they can vary at the different resorts and depending on snowfall range from fantastic to not so great if there hasn't been much snow.

http://blog.skiheavenly.com/2012/01/...w-report-1612/

jym626

menlo-
Please give me some good news!! I have enough stressful stuff on my plate!!!

Which would any of you advise to select if the snowfall remains poor? Who has the best snowmaking equipment and coverage?

gosmom

jym, have your H check out his Marriott points at Timberlodge....they are condos--and very nice.

menloparkmom

sorry, I just dont want you to get your hopes up. we have had no rain here in a month, and the situation at Tahoe is serious- its where our H2O comes from. You may want to make alternate plans too , thats all. Its kinda hard to ski on a few inches of snow and it hasnt been cold enough for the manmade stuff to stick. Tahoe is gorgeous, but the skiing up this year, unless a miracle happens, will suck.

jym626

Thanks, gos. Any hilton properties to check? He has a gazillion Hilton points. Probably has a decent # if Marriott (but we used some) and less of the Sheraton