Reno for gambling and skiing?
 

Is Reno a good choice if some of us want to gamble and some of us want ski? We are looking for a little bit of both.

Reno is an excellent place to mix gambling and skiing. The San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner sunday paper ran an article about this on Oct. 30. Try and see if you can pull it up from http://www.sfgate.com <BR> <BR>Some hotels offer packages that include lift tickets.

I second Reno as a choice for gaming and skiing. I do not ski but I certainly do more than my share of gaming. I have a very good friend that does exactly what you are planning. They stay at the Reno Hilton by the airport. Reno is a much better choice than Lake Tahoe.

Sorry, my bad. That article was in the Sunday paper, so the date should be Oct. 31. <BR> <BR>I ski but don't gamble. If the skiers in the group are decent skiers (eg. not beginners), try to locate packages that include a lift ticket for Alpine Meadows or Squaw Valley. Otherwise Mt. Rose is closer. Squaw Valley is huge and somewhat glitzy and a bit more expensive. Alpine Meadows is a little smaller, quieter and has fewer inexperienced skiers. I think they still do not allow snowboards.

For some reason, I think Alpine might accept snowboarders now. You might want to check. <BR> <BR>I disagree with the assesment of Mt. Rose as only for inexperienced skiers. Sure, their lifts are slow, but the lack of lines makes up for this. And they have plenty of steep runs--I've brought expert skiers there and they have not been disappointed. I like it there because it doesn't have the hype of some of the other resorts--you can actually get a meal in their lodge that tastes good and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! And from Reno, it's the closest by far.

I was snowboarding (and I use that term loosely) at Alpine last year. A group of us rented a condo just off Lake Tahoe, in King's Beach, a town that's on the CA/NV border, and went to a different resort each day to compare. We only went into Reno once, for New Year's Eve, but there are some very small casinos on the lake right over the NV border. I'd guess they were just slots, but didn't go in. I would not suggest staying in Reno if some people are most interested in the slopes. It's a long drive even to Mt. Rose, the closest mountain, and you want to get to the slopes as early as possible. You might stay there, but I don't know what they have in the way of lodging. We went to Mt. Rose on the first day because it is known for being beginner-friendly, and I'm glad we did. I'd never even been to a ski resort before and MR is really low-key. Then, after we'd tried out Northstar, Squaw and Alpine, we went back to MR at the end because it's the most mellow and the lines are shorter. Our group included skiiers and snowboarders, first timers and black diamonders, and we all had fun at Mt. Rose, but in fairness, the experts seemed to like Squaw and Northstar the best. As for gambling, Reno seemed to have everything you could want, but I'm not a big gambler.

Lake Tahoe is a much better choice for a group who wants to ski and gamble. The South Shore has Harveys, Ceaser's, and Harrahs as well as some smaller casinos. The skiing is much better in Tahoe and there are more choices. And the scenery! Reno can't hold a candle to Tahoe. More natural beauty than you imagine. Have fun.