travelgirl3

It is my 1st trip to Tahoe, and I am not sure which resort would be fun for a group? I have heard that the S. Lake is overwhelming with Casinos, but never been. Looking for a variety of things to do for the non skiiers and good skiing of course! Any suggestions - looking to rent a house too...

TripleSecDelay

Should we assume that the "non skiiers" are not going to ski during your stay?

How long will you be in Tahoe? When?

Can you provide ages and the number of people in your group so we can all make inaccurate generalities and mis-apply stereotypes? (kidding)

Seriously, a group of twenty-somethings might like something that a mixed group of family members might not like.

The first storm is arriving NOW. Check the weather websites. There are live snow-cams online also, at Heavenly, SugarBowl and at Squaw. These Squaw cameras are being re-worked, but were fully functional last season.

http://www.skiheavenly.com/audio_visual/webcams/tram/

http://www.skiheavenly.com/audio_vis...ams/east_peak/

http://www.sugarbowl.com/tahoe/SITE/...5/0/direct?c=1

http://www.squaw.com/winter/squawcambig2.html

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

There are similar Tahoe threads underway...feel free to check there also.

Normally, the North side of the lake (SugarBowl, Northstar, Squaw, Incline Village, Mt.Rose) receives drier snow and receives snow first. The snow picks up moisture as it travels over the lake and dumps on the south side of the lake (Heavenly, Kirkwood, Sierra-at-Tahoe).

Here's a map that should load quickly onto your computer :

http://www.laketahoecam.com/tahoeinfo/tahoemap.html

Suzie

South shore is not like Vegas or anything casino-wise. Harveys and Harrahs are the tallest and they are right at stateline. Other casinos are Caesers, Horizon and then a few I can't recall. They are all pretty much bunched together but I would not call south shore overwhelming with casinos.

On either side of the new gondola are Marriott's Timber Lodge and the Grand Residence. On the California side of stateline is the Embassy Suites. There have been lots of improvements to the area and it looks very nice with lots of shops and restaurants on the ground floor of the hotels.

travelgirl3

I would like to rent a condo/house with a group of friends: with a mix of couples and singles - no children. We are primarly intersted in good skiing - and other activities for those wanting to take a break for a day and those that do not ski (only 1-2). We are thinking of a group of +/-10 people at the end of January. Idealy we'd like to stay on the slope - but not sure which one has good options for ski-in-ski-out. Probably will need to rent a car? and what airport options are available for the locations? I see there are 3-4 large mountains and this is what we're mainly interested not the smaller ones - out of thinking that there would not be many options (accomodations and other alt. activies). Also would like an good group of restaurants to go to for 1/2 the nights but not >20 mins drive from where we are staying. Does one of the areas have a nice town/village to walk around with shops, food etc? Any suggestions would help. Thanks.

TripleSecDelay

Good idea is to fly into Reno, NV and drive your rented car(s) to Lake Tahoe. (stay away from the XXX at Carson City.) Keep an eye on the speed limits - I know this from my personal collection of citations. I have read that Nevada is also really strict on recreational drugs.

For a group of 10 or so people, I like the idea of renting a house. We've done this before and it worked great. Depending on the sleeping arrangements, a condo might fit all 10 of you, if some were willing to sleep on a davenport or two. If the list of friends shortens, your lodging options will likely point toward a condo.

Some of the reasons people rent homes near Heavenly Ski Resort are those you have mentioned here.

The area around the base of the Heavenly gondola has better shops and a few cafes/juice bars/restaurants in a village setting.
There are "outlet stores" a few miles away - at the junction of Hwy 89 and 50. Some say "at the Y", which looks like an "X" to some.
The casino/hotels are nearby - which provide comedy, theatre, nightclub, fine dining, buffet dining, and oh yeah - a few slot machines and felt tables for the daring.
If some of the singles are impulsive, there are chapels nearby for knot-tying as well.

Squaw Valley - which hosted the 1960(?) olympics - also has houses, condos, nice shops, restaurants/cafes and ski-in / ski-out. There are casinos at CalNeva, but you might not be as impressed as at southshore on Stateline Blvd.

Kirkwood is another great resort, Northstar is great for families and for the first time of the season.

VirtualTahoe.com is a decent resource for info.

There's another Tahoe thread going, have you checked in there, as well?

Regarding restaurants : There are some great hole-in-the wall places that locals rave about. There are some great 3star places.

Breakfast at Red Hut is a fave.
There's an IHOP.
If you have a kitchen, why not eat at "home"?

There's a great Thai restaurant on the right hand side of Hwy 50, driving (north) from 89 to Stateline.

For the slopes, you might consider saving a few $$ and bringing lunch in a smaller backpack or Camelbak. We end up paying $25 for lunch for two for what would be $13 off the slopes. Although, I have to say, nothing beats the hot soup and hot cocoa served at the patio cafeterias mid-mountain.

Hot tub and ice rink at Squaw are great for the days off skiing. Requires a gondola ticket purchase to get mid-mountain.

Smoking indoors is legal in Nevada and completely illegal in California. in CA, there's also a certain distance from a doorway that smokers must keep away.

- - - more later

Jayne11159

We flew in to Reno and skied/stayed at North Star a few years ago and were very happy with everything. It's definitely more sedate than the south side. It was a last minute trip so we weren't able to get ski-in, ski-out accomodations, but they ran a great bus service that practically picked us up at the front door of our condo. They have a lot of homes and condos to choose from. We also enjoyed its proximity to Truckee which had nice restaurants and shopping.

TripleSecDelay

There's a great point made by Jane11159 we all should have made earlier : Nearly every major ski resort operates shuttles. Same for the casinos. Contact them directly to learn their service routes. This will help in locating a suitable house/condo rental. Driving a car is entirely fine, too, between the ski resort and "home". Taxis are also available to avoid a DWI/DUI after dinner.

crefloors

The number of places you cannot smoke in Nevada has increased a lot in the last couple of years so, if you are a smoker, you need to check the signs etc. The only place that you can still smoke for sure is the casinos. Where you would want to stay would depend greatly on the kind of activities you want available besides skiing. The south shore is the most active day and night. The west side and north shore are a litte quieter and a bit more layed back. I believe North Star is going through some renovations and don't know if they are all completed..I haven't been up there for awhile but during the summer I heard that they were planning to re-do the lodge..and maybe more can't remember. If you go to that side, Truckee is a fun town, lots of shops, restaurants, and fun bars.