chayes

We are going to Lake Tahoe is Jan or Feb for a week ski vacation and have no idea where to start. There are so many mountains to ski on and we have no idea where to start. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We also want to go to the casino. If we wanted to ski 2 mountains, which 2 would be the most traveller friendly to find, park...etc. We don't even know if we want to stay in Nevada or California. My husband went about 10 years ago to Heavenly, but he was very young. Thanks....

sf7307

Is this adults only, or kids, too? Does everyone know how to ski? What level skiers are you all? Where else do you ski? Sorry for all the questions, but it will help us figure out where you should go. For example, if you generally ski in Vermont, well, Squaw Valley will be a quite a bit more challenging that anything you've ever skied on before. On the other hand, if you typically ski Aspen Mountain, Squaw will be right up your alley!

Suzie

THere are 12 resorts on teh north side of the lake and 3 on the south side. Persaonlly I woudl stay on the north side. You'd get to choose from Squaw, Northstar, Sugar Bowl, Alpine, Diamond Peak, Mt Rose, Homewood (which has great views of the lake)among others.

The casinos on the north side are not that great though.

On the south shore Heavenly is right in town, Sierra at Tahoe is west of SLT and Kirkwood is about 35 minutes away.

sf7307

Oh, sorry, do you want to stay in a hotel, motel or in a house/condo (my choice with a family)? There are more hotels in South Lake Tahoe, plenty of motels in both SLT and North Lake Tahoe, and lots of condos/houses to rent in both, although only a few of the ski areas have housing options withinthe resort.

Suzie

I just typed an answer & poof it disappeared. ugh!

There are 12 ski resorts on the north shore. Squaw, Northstar , Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak, Mt Rose, Alpine, Homewood among others. There are not really good casinos on the north shore though.

ON the south shore you have Heavenly right in town and then Sierra which is west of SLT and then kirkwood which is about 35 miles away. Better casinos.


If you stay in Incline you can easily ski Mt Rose, Diamond Peak and Northstar and use the casino at the Hyatt.

Suzie

Oh of course now it shows up. sheesh

crefloors

If you're at Incline you can also head up the mountain and ski Mt.Rose. South Shore will give you the most hotels, entertainment, people, and a large ski resort, all lumped together. Incline is quieter, but you have access to a lot of places to ski without driving too far. If you want to gamble, then South Shore or Incline would be the places to be.

elnap29

My favorite has always been Heavenly Valley for skiing. I just love that view of the lake as I head down the slopes. It is at South Shore and close to many lodging choices.

sf7307

Heavenly does have the best views of the lake, and excellent skiing besides. I don't choose to go there often because I don't like South Lake Tahoe (see Crefloors description) as much as I like North Lake Tahoe. That said, we also never went to Incline. When our kids were little, we always skiied at Northstar, which is a very different resort today than it was when my kids were little, but it's still terrific. It was always very family-friendly, which is why I asked if you'd have children with you. At Northstar, you're close to Truckee (good little town to poke around, and eat) and Tahoe City, and Incline if you want to gamble. Have you looked at a map of Lake Tahoe that shows where the ski areas are?

http://www.tahoebest.com/skiing/map_to_ski_areas.htm

EternalTourist

I'm so excited that someone asked this question!
My husband and I (late 20s) are planning a February getaway to Tahoe, and we're overwhelmed.

We're both from Miami, FL and novice skiers to say the least. We were looking at staying in a B&B on the south side.

I will definitely research the above places for skiing.

Would you recommend a split stay between the north and south sides?

Michael

Novice skiers would probably be most comfortable at Northstar which has a lot of terrain for them.

crefloors

I second Michael for Northstar for beginners or novice. I was never a good skier, but loved to ski, and Northstar was perfect after I got off the "bunny slope". Long runs, not too steep...I hated steep. LOL I don't ski anymore and haven't been to Northstar since all the changes, but it sounds terrific.

sf7307

I third Northstar for novice skiiers! There are many choices of lodging types within Northstar Resort, too. On the way up the road to the ski mountain, there are condo developments (in the pine trees) and private homes (some in the pine trees, others backing on the golf course). They range from 2 BDR condos to enormous homes. Once at the top of the road (which is the bottom of the ski mountain), there are new condo developments, new townhouse developments and a Hyatt timeshare, on the mountain there is a Ritz-Carlton hotel and fractional ownership development. There's even an older building with hotel rooms in the village (they wouldn't sell out - dumb - when the place was being redeveloped, so they sit there like a sore thumb). There's also a skating rink and shopping/dining area, a couple of health clubs (depending on which development you're in --- not all the residents have rights to use all the clubs). It's definitely not one-size-fits-all. If you want more information (who to rent from, where to stay in the resort, where not to stay), just ask!

EternalTourist

I just looked at the Northstar website. It look beautiful!

http://www.northstarattahoe.com/

I know a car is a must. Will the Northstar area give us enough to fill 7 nights, or would you recommend a 3-night/4-night split between North/South Tahoe.

This is the B&B we were originally looking at. Have you all heard of the Black Bear Inn?

http://www.tahoeblackbear.com/index.htm

sf7307

eternaltourist, are you going to ski, or to hang out, or to gamble, or eat, or what? I'm hope others will jump in, because I've never been to Lake Tahoe in the winter for anything OTHER than skiing, and also, I'm not a huge fan of South Lake Tahoe. So it would be good to know the "purpose" of your trip.

EternalTourist

Skiing and just seeing snow. lol.

We're not big gamblers. We just want to go see the sights, ski for a bit...enjoy an atmosphere that's not Miami.

I know that's not a great answer, but it's all I have.

sf7307

I hope someone else will chime in, because I don't go to Tahoe to see any sights (other than the views, which can be spectacular) LOL! In winter, we go to hang out and ski, in summer, we go to hang out and hike. (We've been doing this for 36 years -- if there are actual "sights" to see, I don't think I've seen them, other than the now-closed Ponderosa Ranch). Sorry I can't be of further help.

Michael

There's Vikingsholm and the mansion on the lakeshore of Sugar Pine State Park.

Concord95

If I were to pick two.... wow. That is tough.

I'll pick four, and then let you pick two of them. Northstar has become a great resort with alot more to do than ski. Diamond Peak, while smaller, is a very "authentic" resort with wonderful skiing. It is a great place for kids, too (as it Northstar). The other two that are excellent are Squaw Valley and Heavenly. Squaw is huge. You'll enjoy all the terrain.

There is a write-up on the Tahoe Scene and reviews on some of these resorts over at http://www.familyskihub.com. They say good things about Diamond Peak and Northstar.

vacaciones

It is great I found this forum. I have the same question? I am from Puerto Rico planning a ski/las vegas trip in January. Adults only. We have sky in Canada, Poconos, Lake Placid and Vail but I consider myself begginer as I don't like speed just scenery. It Northstar a good option? How far is this from Las Vegas and how should we plan to get there? Thanks for your advice.