Lake Tahoe skiing has been near the top of the ski bucket list for a number of years. Justin & I both have the Epic pass, which includes three of the Tahoe resorts: Northstar, Kirkwood, and Heavenly. This presented a spectacular opportunity to gather three new stickers for my helmet. And as luck would have it, it dumped snow 2 days before we arrived.
Northstar is geared towards families and they have a larger number of children on the slopes than most resorts. Kirkwood is just the opposite – it’s where the more advanced skiers go, so the expert terrain is steep and gnarly. Heavenly quite simply lives up to it’s name: varied terrain & world class views, esp on the California side where Lake Tahoe sits below.
Reno: We flew into Reno and spent our first and last nights exploring ‘The Row’ casinos. It was the optimal way to ring in the vacation, then relax over a nice Italian dinner upon our vacation exit.
Northstar: Holy cow, there are a lot of kids here! When we arrived, we learned that it was ‘ski week’, a time when all of the local schools are closed & the students are encouraged to hit the slopes. Being family friendly, Northstar was mobbed with skiers that were half our size & a fraction of our ski experience. We quickly navigated the schools of pint-sized learners and headed for the trees. Once there, we found that the powder was plentiful & the trees were spaced out just right. Yeah, Tahoe! (play the video w the sound on)
Kirkwood: We drove from South Tahoe to Kirkwood on days 3 & 4 and it did not disappoint. The powder was fresh and there was an abundance of intense runs. There are some seriously steep & dangerous runs at this resort. There were also a few runs (Ditch of Doom, anyone?) that ran between the steep slopes & created pseudo half-pipes, but with natural obstacles – super fun. The legs hurt after our days at Kirkwood and every ache was totally worth it. Post ski hot tub & beers were well earned –
Heavenly: Days 2 & 5 on the slopes were spent at Heavenly, which was walking distance from our hotel. The gondola ride to/from the base of the resort is steep. It’s a memorable experience.
The resort is split between the Nevada & California sides. Each has perks, but that view of Lake Tahoe on the California side is why you invest time & money to make the visit. I’ve skied a LOT of resorts across the US, but no view tops the ones coming down to the base CA base. It’s also the only resort I’ve skied where the final run to the bottom is a double black diamond. Lots of skiers take the gondola down that section, so you have a good audience while you slide through the steep mogul field en route to hoppy hydration.
