NORTHSTAR, located north of Lake Tahoe and west of Reno, is a well-planned, aesthetic recreational complex. Additionally, there are two golf courses and other recreational facilities as well. The area is noted for sunshine, excellent grooming, terrific novice/children's runs, and some of the best bump runs at Lake Tahoe. From the top of Mt. Pluto you can see Squaw Valley Ski Resort to the west. We have always appreciated parking lot shuttles and short/non-existent lift lines at Northstar. There is a solid emphasis on aesthetics at this Tahoe ski resort!

The mountain is forested from top to bottom. The front side, stretching from the Northstar Village base to the top of Mt. Pluto, is mostly beginner and intermediate territory giving the resort the nickname "Flatstar". There is limited front-side expert terrain at the very top and along the ridge - note the black diamonds in the image below. However, the back side (to the right of Mt. Pluto in the image below) has a series of parallel runs with great moguls and 2000 vertical feet of fall-line skiing. While the front is groomed regularly, the groomers roll the backside runs in rotation so you can pick the size and type of bumps you like! Its our favorite place to work bumps! As a bonus, the back side's high-volume lift never gets crowded! Northstar's typical season is late November to early May. Its a great family ski resort with a large comfortable lodge at the top of the first lift and lots of facilities in the village base.
 

SQUAW VALLEY, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is one of the best-known ski resorts in the world. It is located a few miles north-west of Lake Tahoe and west of Reno, Nevada. Refer to the ski map for its location. Alpine Meadows Ski Resort is just to the south-east (left side in the image below). The mountain is highly varied with open bowls, steep pitches, and some glade skiing. Squaw is well-serviced with 34 lifts (including the cable-car tram, a gondola, and detachable quads), an army of grooming equipment, and night lights over selected runs. Half of the lifts, including the gondola and the tram, start at the Olympic Village base (6200' elevation) while the others fan out from the upper village. Gold Coast is at the top of the gondola and High Camp is at the top of the tram. Together, these form the upper village located just west of the Broken Arrow peak at 8200'. Gold Coast is a giant lodge and sun-tanning mecca. High Camp has restaurants, a pool, a skating rink, and a Bungee Jump!

All level of skiers enjoy the breath-taking views of Lake Tahoe to the south-east and of Desolation Wilderness to the south and west. Expert skiers delight in some of the continent's toughest runs. Small wonder that Squaw is a frequent Warren Miller film location. Beginners enjoy miles of wide, groomed trails and bowls and usually spent most of their ski day in the manicured alpine bowl around Gold Coast. Except on busy Saturdays, typical lift lines are less than one minute long!

The ski season usually runs from late November to early May. The tram and High Camp, including the big elastic, are open all year. The nightlife is also superb with Tahoe's famous casinos nearby on the south shore.
 

ALPINE MEADOWS, located north-west of Lake Tahoe, is the long-season champion. If there is snow, Alpine is open! Some years, the resort has a ski party on Independence Day - July 4. The area is also noted for short lift line-ups, good snow, sunshine, a huge back bowl, and tremendous run variety.

Much of the mountain is forested. The exceptions are the open bowls off Ward Peak and at the back of the mountain behind the top of the Sherwood chair (backside not shown). The image below faces to the south and shows, in the background, some of the mountains that form the western rim of the Tahoe basin. The lake is to the left of Scott Peak and Mt. Tallac. Squaw Valley Ski Resort is in the next valley to the right.

At Alpine, intermediates enjoy the twisting, smooth, gladded runs shown in blue. Experts delight in the steep chutes and quality bump runs shown with single and double black diamonds. There are good runs for beginners too (shown in green to the left of the base area). Facilities are terrific with a massive base lodge, parking lot pick-up vehicles, and some new high-speed lifts.

Alpine's typical season is early November to early June. It describes itself as a family resort and its a true quality ski resort run by people that love to ski!
 

MT. ROSE is located between Reno and Lake Tahoe. It is highly visible from anywhere in Reno but many of the obvious "runs" that you see are avalanche chutes and not ski terrain!

Rose is the highest resort at Tahoe's north end. The area is noted for excellent snow quality, great views, sunshine, excellent lift rates, fun activities, and consistent runs. From various locations at the top, you can see Reno, Washoe Lake, and Lake Tahoe. Rose is also notable for numerous discount offers. In fact, there is a serious discount lift price for every weekday such as Two-for-Tuesdays, Ladies'-Day-Thursdays, and so on. There is even a Drag Queen Day in March - any guy dressed in drag gets in for the Ladies' Day ticket price of $15! Naturally, there are drag races that day!

Mt. Rose has two sides or faces. The "Rose" side faces north and is to the right in the image below. The terrain is predominantly strong intermediate with some excellent beginner runs to the far right. The "Slide" side faces east and is on the left side in this image. It has a larger portion of expert terrain and some serious bump runs. In between the two sides is "no-access" series of steep avalanche chutes - see the Closed Area in the center of this artist image.

There is a road to each side. The Slide side is the first one accessed if you drive up from Reno. If you are coming from Incline Village and Tahoe, you will get to the Rose side first. There are generous parking lots at both entrances.

Mt. Rose's typical season is early November to mid May

HEAVENLY VALLEY SKI RESORT

HEAVENLY is the largest ski resort in the USA. It straddles the Nevada-California border at the south-east shore of Lake Tahoe. The mountain is forested with conifers all the way to the peak. Skiers can cross the state border in either direction at the top. There are three base entrances with separate lodges and parking lots: "Boulder" and "Stagecoach" in Nevada and the "California Base Lodge" six miles to the west in California. Heavenly is well-serviced with 27 lifts (including the tram, new gondola and numerous detachable quads), an army of grooming equipment, night lights over selected runs, and continuous shuttle service from the lodging areas at lake level (6200').

New for 2000/2001 is the gondola from lake level high up on the mountain. It has 138 cars carrying 8 passengers each. The view is spectacular!