Hey Everybody---

You all have been so helpful on our quest to find a reasonably priced ski vacation for our family of 4--THANK YOU.

We're still entertaining the SLC and Dillon areas, but wanted to check out Lake Tahoe skiing. Does anybody know which of the following areas are closest to the ski areas?

Lake Tahoe Nevada, Stateline
Lake Tahoe Nevada, Tahoe Village
Lake Tahoe Nevada, Crystal Bay
Lake Tahoe Nevada, Zephyr Cove
Lake Tahoe Nevada, Incline Village

And, do any of you have an opinion of the pros and cons of skiing & lodging in the Tahoe area?

Again, thank you so much!

Joy Sakura

Stateline is within walking distance to the new gondola which is Heavenly Ski Resort. The area has been newly built up to look like other upscale ski resorts but it still does have that small mountain feel. It's very nice. I prefer to stay on the Ca side in the Embassy Suites which is right next door to Harrah's. Also love the Marriott Timber Lodge and Marriott Grand. Both are very close to the gondola and within easy walking distance to the casinos.

Crystal Bay in my opinion is not desirable location for skiing or much of anything else. I know some people like Cal Neva but everything else around it is pretty dumpy.
You'd have to drive to Northstar or Incline for closeby skiing.

Zypher Cove I do like for summer fun but it requires a drive to Heaavenly for skiing.

Incline Village is a pretty upscale area and some of the homes near the lake are amazing. Not so much to do there but the Hyatt is a nice place to stay in.

If Tahoe Village is in the area of the Kingsbury Grade then that is my most unfavorite area. We drove over the Kingsbury Grade last weekend and each time we do it reinforces how far away from everything this area is. I know they say that there is skiing from here but it's not really a desireable location IMHO.

I think Tahoe Village is also referred to as Tahoe City. That's on the Northshore and would be close to two moderately priced Ski resorts Alpine Meadows and Homewood. I just researched the Tahoe ski resorts last week.

You might want to take a look at Kirkwood. They have some good condos and packages. In CA it's been my favorite place to ski.

i went to heavenly in feb. 05' and had an absolute great time while on the mountain. unfortunately i think i stayed at the worst hotel in tahoe, The Best Tahoe West. i tried saving a little money by cheaping out on the hotel, so i ended up with a very smelly room (last one left), noisy neighbors (punk ass kids with no manners or concept of sleeping) and horrible parking and on and on. my point is do your research because there are alot of run down hotels in the south lake tahoe area such as this one so be careful.

i would definatley do heavenly again but at a hotel with a good rep.

Are you interested in staying someplace where you don't have to drive or are you willing to drive a bit to get to the resort? Is skiing your main focus or do you plan to do other things? Are you serious skiers or more recreational with a range of levels? Are you looking for condo/house or hotel type accomodations? This could help us in narrowing things down for you. The major ski areas are in North Shore or South Shore of Tahoe (in the winter, do not plan on going back and forth). On south shore, there is Heavenly - huge ski resort. On North Shore there is Squaw Valley and there is Northstar - 2 big resorts, but many smaller ski areas as well. Incline Village has Diamond Peak which is more of a family type resort, not one of the huge ski areas. I agree, I wouldn't stay at Crystal Bay. I don't know what Tahoe Village is, and as mentioned above, Stateline is near Heavenly.

Personally I have never heard of Tahoe City referred to as Tahoe Village. There is a Tahoe Village area on the Kingsbury Grade though. I assumed the OP was referring to that as there are lots of condos up that way. As it turns out Northstar's full name is Northstar at Tahoe Village so maybe that's what they meant. If that's the case then Northstar is a great place to stay and a terrific ski resort.

It depends on skiing ability. I would pick the areas you want to ski, then look at places to stay. If you ski well, Kirkwood is awesome. It always has the best snow, as it has a higher base. It can be raining at Heavenly and snowing at Kirkwood. You can stay at Kirkwood or Stateline