Hi! I've never been to Lake Tahoe, but am planning a trip for mid-January. I've been to places like Whistler and I love the "village" atmosphere. I know Heavenly and Squaw Valley have villages, but I have no idea where the best place to stay is for teens (16 and 17 year olds). Neither of them are really skiers, but love the snow and activities like tubing, etc.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated!!

Thanks!

I just came back from spending a few days at Northstar. Their village has grown substantially as there is a ton of development going on there. It was quiet now, but come season, I suspect it will be bustling. I'm not a skier, but I do think there is a lot of snowboarding, and there is a big ice rink in the center of the village. The new Ritz up on the mountain is going to be a fantastic property -- opening soon I think, but not part of the village which is more condos.

Northstar would be a pretty good choice... the skiing is a bit less intimidating than Squaw or Heavenly. It's a bit more of an intermediate mountain.

Staying there would also put you at the north end of the lake and allow you to easily visit Squaw, wander around Truckee, or ski at a more 'local' mountain like Diamond Peak.

I like Northstar alot. It's where we get our season passes. But if you don't ski or snowboard you may want to go soemhwere you have a variety of things to do.

Here's what Northstar has to offer the non skier/rider:

http://www.northstarattahoe.com/info/ski/tubing.asp

Squaw Valley is a bit busier for the non skier/rider:

http://www.squaw.com/winter/winteractivities.html


And Heavenly is the busiest for the non skier/rider:

http://www.skiheavenly.com/mountain/adventure_peak/

Plus they have an outdoor ice skating, lots of shopping and dining, you can take a boat cruise out of the marina or Zephyr Cove, there is a movie theater near the gondola.

There is GameWorld Arcade inside the Horizon Casino Resort including virtual down hill skiing, race at Daytona, or jet pilot. Harrah’s, Harveys, and Mont Bleu also offer arcades There is also an arcade in the Heavenly Village which features air hockey, foos-ball, ping-pong, pinball, etc.

Thanks for the responses...

So, for teens you think Heavenly or Squaw Valley are the best choices? The more non-skiing activities available within walking distance, the better!