California - January Lake Tahoe advice

Hello,

Having received much useful in advice in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=336082), I am now curious if y'all have suggestions for a winter trip to Lake Tahoe. A search reveals a couple useful but old threads.

We will be driving from the SF Bay Area and would like to do one day (or half-day) of cross-country skiing and one day of downhill skiing in the Lake Tahoe area. We've done both before, though a refresher lesson on the downhill might be useful. I have not been to Lake Tahoe in ages, so I am slowly getting acquainted with the various ski areas. After that, we are planning to drive to Death Valley and Las Vegas.

Any suggestins, particularly about where to ski and stay in Tahoe are very much appreciated. Cost is a pretty significant consideration (e.g., I do not mind staying "far away" and driving to the ski area).

Thanks in advance,
Alex

A few things to keep in mind:

Check the weather reports before you drive. If chains/4WD are required it can take a very long time to get to Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area.

Go mid-week. You'll have less traffic and lift tickets will be cheaper.

As the time gets closer, do a Google search on "Lake Tahoe discount lift tickets". You'll usually find a fair amount of discounts. Costcos in the Bay Area, for example, often sell lift tickets to one or two resorts at considerable discount.

If you have more information, such as skiing level, what you're looking for in a lesson, if you want a ski area with great lake views, etc. I can give more specific suggestions.

Thank you for your suggestions, letiole. Some more specific considerations:

Lake views would be very nice. :)

Skiing level is beginner, though we've done both cross-country and downhill before.

We were thinking of staying in Reno one night; is it worthwhile? (I've never been.)

Thanks again for your advice.

You might want to check out Incline Village. You'll have views of the lake all day long. Here's their site:
http://www.diamondpeak.com/

You can generally get cheap lodging in Reno and drive to the resorts from there. As far as Reno itself, it's not that great, but for one night you can check out the clubs and enjoy the cheap food and lodging.

Northstar is good for beginners. Some folks call it "flat" star for a good reason. 25% Terrain for Greens.

I believe it also has cross country ski trails.

For cheap ness, forget about lake view lodging. If you're on a budget or just plain cheap, stay in Reno midweek at the casino hotels, if you're not a gambler.

I'd check weather and road conditions carefully. You might need a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I believe rental car companies don't permit use of chains/cables on rental vehicles; some offer 4 wheel drive vehicles for rental, but they can be costly.


Add on:
For more info., go to:
http://www.skinorthstar.com

Agree on Northstar. The instructors there tend to be good also. If you ski two days you could do one at Northstar with a lesson and then one at Incline. I'd stay open to whatever deals come up though too.

Just to clarify, I was talking about great places to ski, not stay, with lake views. As mentioned above, lake-view accommodations are generally pricey.

Timely thread. Friends and I (women) are taking 3 Swiss high school exchange students to Tahoe for some skiing and spa-ing in January. We're staying at the Hyatt (guess who's skiing and who's spa-ing!). Since there will be 7 of us I was going to rent a mini-van, but would we be better with a 4WD vehicle? We're not planning any big excursions, just using it for basic transportation, but not having been to that area is it wise?

I should probably qualify that the students want to snowboard rather than ski - we heard that Northstar is the best for that?

Insights welcome!

Timely thread. Friends and I (women) are taking 3 Swiss high school exchange students to Tahoe for some skiing and spa-ing in January. We're staying at the Hyatt (guess who's skiing and who's spa-ing!). Since there will be 7 of us I was going to rent a mini-van, but would we be better with a 4WD vehicle? We're not planning any big excursions, just using it for basic transportation, but not having been to that area is it wise?

I should probably qualify that the students want to snowboard rather than ski - we heard that Northstar is the best for that?

Insights welcome!

Squaw Valley is the best place for snowboarding. Squaw Valley operates a free shuttle bus between the Hyatt and the ski area. They haven't updated the info yet, but here's info on that from last year. The second link is pictures of the snowboard parks.
http://www.squaw.com/winter/shuttle_ss.html

http://www.squaw.com/winter/cpark.html

I'd go with a 4WD.

Thanks Letiole. Appreciate your views and will check out Squaw and the 4WD.

It's been a few years, but enjoyed staying at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (Incline Village) and skiing Mt Rose. IIRC there are lots of cross country trails on the Mt Rose Highway (leads to Reno from Incline Village). You also can easily get the Squaw and Northstar from the Hyatt which is right on the lake.

Hello,

Having received much useful in advice in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=336082), I am now curious if y'all have suggestions for a winter trip to Lake Tahoe. A search reveals a couple useful but old threads.

We will be driving from the SF Bay Area and would like to do one day (or half-day) of cross-country skiing and one day of downhill skiing in the Lake Tahoe area. We've done both before, though a refresher lesson on the downhill might be useful. I have not been to Lake Tahoe in ages, so I am slowly getting acquainted with the various ski areas. After that, we are planning to drive to Death Valley and Las Vegas.

Any suggestins, particularly about where to ski and stay in Tahoe are very much appreciated. Cost is a pretty significant consideration (e.g., I do not mind staying "far away" and driving to the ski area).

Thanks in advance,
Alex

Last time I went to Tahoe was during the first week of Feb 2004. I drove from San Jose to South Lake Tahoe. Stayed one night at the Harveys casino for $50 midweek. Location is very close to the gondola, which is nice. They even had ski rentals available at the casino. Next morning I skied Heavenly and came back to San Jose late in the day.

At Heavenly, you will get million dollar views of both the desert and the lake. I am an intermediate skier and had a great time, both on the Nevada and California side.

Also, a nice side trip from the Tahoe area is Grover Hot Springs State Park.