StephSF

Northern California Ski Areas

Primarily in the Tahoe Area, these are some of the most popular ski spots that I know of.

1. Squaw Valley USA - The site of the 1960 winter Olympics, this rugged, challenging ski mountain draws visitors from worldwide.
2. Heavenly - Large and scattered, but massive, this mountain has the largest vertical drop in Tahoe by FAR. Many flat areas require long sections of "poling." The South Lake Tahoe location makes this as much a gambling area as a ski town.
3. Kirkwood - This is the San Francisco locals' mountain, with its own access highway, higher elevation, and more snow. Lodging is scarce and pricey and there is less terrain, but proximity and lack of tourists make this a popular spot for Bay Area locals.
4. Northstar - Another popular resort, this mountain boasts a variety of terrain in a beautiful, easy-to-navigate location. Ratings are soft, but experts can still enjoy the abundance of tree runs that the resort offers. The new Ritz-Carlton, built mid-mountain, only reinforces that this is the most high-end resort in Tahoe.
5. Sierra - Northstar's partner mountain on the South Shore offers a variety of terrain and is great for beginners. Experts rave about the off-trail runs, although these are only usable when there is enough snow.
6. Boreal - This beginner mountain also happens to be right off of highway 80, and offers the best snowboard parks in Tahoe. This is popular with locals.

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4 Comments

Tracypie Nov 07, 2010

This is a great list. I think you hit all of the best ones. I wish I skied more regularly.

StephSF Nov 07, 2010

Thanks, @Tracypie! Where do you stay when you ski? This is a struggle that I think i will be encountering this winter (did we talk about this already?)

NightOwlnOrinda Nov 12, 2010

I don't know anything about skiing, having never graduated from the bunny slopes, but this seems pretty good. Is there anywhere people go that is not in the Tahoe area?

StephSF Nov 12, 2010

Mammoth is the other popular spot, and is arguably better (from what I've heard), but is significantly further and is more of an LA destination. Big Bear is popular for those local to LA, although I've never heard of anyone from here making the trip down explicitly to ski. Those who are wild at heart will often backcountry ski in Tahoe and may branch out to the High Sierras (the Mount Whitney area is supposed to have some great stuff, and I am sure there are others) or Lassen Volcanic National Park, but none of these areas are really resort country and are reserved strictly for those with avalanche training who are willing to climb mountains and then ski down. Generally, if you want to go any further than that, you will likely be going out of state (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho) to get better snow and bigger mountains.