Originally Posted by
doggiefizzle
I'd actually say that Kirkwood is probably the best location in Tahoe on a sunny powder day, but is a little bit out of the way from Northstar. That being said, if you have an Epic pass, you have three mountains (Kirkwood, Northstar, and Heavenly) you can reach from the RC. Agree that Northstar is an excellent basecamp for families visiting North Shore. I grew up skiing there and jump at any opportunity to go back. That being said, I'd rather stay at the Hyatt Incline, Welk/Hyatt Timeshares at Northstar, or an Incline, Dollar Point, or Carnelian Bay VRBO than the RC at Northstar. The slopeside location is great, but the rooms/service are just average for what you pay per night.
Kirkwood is a far better mountain than Northstar / Heavenly, not only as terrain is more varied / challenging but also less crowded. FYI If you plan on staying at RC Northstar or HR Incline to commute to Kirkwood, I suggest just saving a ton of points and staying at Hyatt Place Reno (same drive time, way more options for food/entertainment), or just spend some dollar and stay on-hill to save the drive. We stay less and less at HR Incline as the points/benefit ratio just keeps on dropping. I'd rather get 3x the nights @ HP Reno and then ski Mt Rose / Sugar Bowl / Kirkwood 3x as often.
Thanks for the feedback on RC Northstar - won't be visiting if the only benefit is ski in ski out.