 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
The following article caught my eye in the Guardian a few weeks ago -
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/nov/01/denver-reno-us-city-skiing-hubs
It's about using either Denver or Reno as a base to ski nearby resorts. I've skied most of those around Denver on various occasions, but not those around Reno.
Has anyone ever done this or something similar?
Any pointers/tips/recommendations gratefully received.
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think they're confusing destination resorts with ski hills. For (say) SLC, then I want to stay in the city and drive to the hills. Many of them (eg Snowbird) don't have a huge amount going on in the evenings, and you don't want to be based at a spur when you could be at the hub and visit wherever you fancy.
But Denver... well it's a fair I70 haul each way every day, and you'll have to pay to park in some of those places, and... mostly they are destination resorts. So I don't think that's likely to be the way I'd do it.
They also mention Vancouver. I sometimes ride at the city resorts if it's not raining and I'm passing through, but I don't think staying there is a serious proposition. There are better places to ride, but I don't want the Guriauniad to find out about them anytime soon.
Oh, I see they it's a Crystal Ski advertorial - that maybe explains it?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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i seem to remember reno being full of strip bars. might make a good base! lol
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Reno is a piece of cake for Northshore - about 30 mins barring chain control to the interstate exits for Squaw/Alpine & Northstar, just up Mt Rose Highway to Mt Rose. Just don't be a lazy stay in bed and get caught in Bay Area traffic etc coming the other way on I 80. For South shore its not really daily driving distance and as plentiful cheap accommodation and casinos are available at SLT there is no real economic case either.
(ps philwig, the Grauniad recently did an article on Shames - their journos can surf ski-bum websites just as easily as we can
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/nov/15/ski-cooperatives-canada-shames-mountains)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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skibedoo, It's a fair slog up I70 to get to a ski hill but there are regular buses from Denver. I'll be heading that way next week and I'll post about accommodation resources for the itinerant skier. snowbumЯus? Americans have a lot of short weekend break vacations and I'm hearing that there is plenty of hotel/motel space during the week except for the obvious big holiday dates.
No idea about Reno but the first ski hill is about a 25m drive heading SW down I580 or head to Tahoe which is about 55m W along I80
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It's a bit more than I'd want to drive in the morning, especially to resorts on the California side of Tahoe. Most of Reno is a dump as far as I can tell, so I'm sure there are dirt cheap accommodation options. I'd much rather base myself in Truckee for Tahoe - but then gambling leaves me cold.
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| skibedoo wrote: |
I've skied most of those around Denver on various occasions, but not those around Reno.
Has anyone ever done this or something similar? |
If you're familiar with skiing around Denver, Reno is similar. Actually, better than Denver in some regard.
(I hadn't had time to read the link yet but since I used to live in California, I know all the resorts in the Tahoe area)
For Denver, the closest hill is Loveland (or similarly A-basin), which are over an hour away. Mt Rose is less than an hour from Reno. Diamond Peak just another 10 minutes longer. So you could in fact stay at Reno to ski those two.
But the rest of the mountains are similarly far away and equally difficult to get to as those around Denver, much worse when there's a storm. There're ski buses to the other resorts but you're spending a long time on the bus.
So like Denver, it's a gateway airport you fly into but typically don't stay in the city itself.
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skibedoo, Also got to add that driving in Denver is not for the fainthearted, it's a major interstate x-roads for heavy haulers N-S to E-W and in the morning quite early it is genuinely worse than the M25 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I stayed in Truckee (about 35 miles from Reno) for a few days exploring Squaw Valley, Sugar Bowl, Lake Tahoe - I think these are all pretty close but it was some time ago - its a small town but really friendly and full of locals. We stayed at a B&B in the centre of town much cheaper than staying in the resorts and a good place to explore
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Stayed in the Silver Legacy casino in Reno a few years back - think it was 40 bucks a night for a room and all you can eat buffet 6$. There was a bus running from the door to Mt Rose and back. A few stares from the punters as you had to walk through the casino to get to the door in full ski gear and boots though.
Got the concierge to arrange some cheap car hire and did Squaw Valley, Sierra at Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Northstar and Heavenly. Great trip - cheaper to ski during the week and go sightseeing at weekends.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ropetow, very similar to our experience. We've stayed in Reno a few times at the casinos. (Silver Legacy mainly).
Takes about 40 minutes to drive to Squaw Valley from there and the casinos are quite close to I-80 junctions. We used to stop at Boomtown? on the way back. Cheap as chips buffet etc.
Also very cheap way to get beers in the evening..........play a few "penny" slots and the waitresses bring your drinks around F O C  .
We always booked accom through Squaw Valley Reservations and got discounted lift passes through them.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Mt Rose is very much a "local's mountain". Very similar to A-basin to the Denver crowd.
Like A-basin, it has a special draw for the domestic market: inexpensive (~$299?) season ticket! In Mt Rose's case, because lodging and food is so cheap at Reno, a lot of people just do a 2 weeks stay!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The Reno/Tahoe thing is very easy to do... the lower prices at the casino hotels does offset the cost of gas/petrol used getting to the resorts. Mt Rose can be a bit of a pain to get to since Mt Rose Highway is a winding steep road with few passing places and can close early during storms. Heavenly is about an hour and a quarter away on the South shore but the drive is relatively easy. On the North shore Northstar is the quickest and easiest to get to - about 45 minutes. Squaw takes 50 minutes, Alpine just about an hour. I-80 tends to close West of Truckee during storms, which means Sugar Bowl and Boreal are sometimes not an option - they are both just over an hour from Reno.
The big casino hotels run ski buses up to the big resorts, which helps, otherwise you will need to hire a 4wd vehicle.
The resorts are pretty much empty during the week - except for President's week and the other major holidays.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've never seen the attraction of flying to Reno to access the Tahoe resorts, far less to base oneself there. Unless the weather is severe the drive from the Bay Area to Tahoe isn't exactly difficult and it's possible to land at San Francisco International and get to South Lake Tahoe on public transport without having to drive at all. Amtrak will take you to Sacramento by train and from there to South Lake Tahoe on connecting coach service (both had onboard WiFi the last time I made this trip in April this year).
If you are going to travel across 8 time zones for a snowsports holiday, I'd really recommend spending a few days doing something else. At least a day to break the journey in or around San Francisco or Sacramento, and allow a few days buffer at the end to avoid any weather related stresses. I'd certainly recommend spending at least a few days in San Francisco.
While a car offers up more freedom in where to go and when, it also adds cost and means you can't have an apres ski refreshment or two at the end of the day before heading home! Last season it was possible to ride Kirkwood, Sierra at Tahoe, Squaw Valley, Northstar and Heavenly from South Lake Tahoe using shuttle buses. If you base yourself at the Stateline casinos in South Lake Tahoe the Heavenly gondola is in walking distance (as it is from some of the cheaper motels on the California side of the stateline) and every significant lodging place in South Lake Tahoe is on one of the various Heavenly shuttle routes that provide at least half hourly buses to one or more of the Heavenly base areas.
Around Tahoe there is plenty of terrain for every level and every desire, the variety of resorts you can easily access IMO more than makes up for the lack of size that the typical 'British piste basher' seeks. Plus there are various options such as 'Expedition: Kirkwood' that offers coaching on more advanced skills to take you beyond the wide groomers to really explore the mountains. The in/out of bounds vs on/off piste that Alpine skiers may be familiar with should not be seen as limiting the groomed terrain, but as an opportunity. Those who are familiar with Scottish Snowsports will find the concept fairly familiar, as the Scottish Snowsports areas system of within or outwith the patrolled area has more in common with the North America model than the stereotypical Alpine one of on or off piste.
If you do go to this part of the world, even those who would largely stay on european blues shouldn't avoid a trip to Squaw or Kirkwood, there is plenty of terrain for all at both - despite both having something of a reputation for more advanced terrain. Kirkwood, despite the recent takeover by Vail Resorts is somewhat off the beaten track, but despite the altitude difference Highway 88 up to Kirkwood is an easy drive and motorway spec compared to the A939 Lecht Pass in the Cairngorms! Way back in 2005 a fellow Scottish Skier I met out there, described Kirkwood as 'Meall a' Bhuiridh on steroids with some trees added in'. If you get Glencoe, then it's not a bad description of the place! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Winterhighland wrote: |
If you are going to travel across 8 time zones for a snowsports holiday, I'd really recommend spending a few days doing something else. At least a day to break the journey in or around San Francisco or Sacramento, and allow a few days buffer at the end to avoid any weather related stresses. I'd certainly recommend spending at least a few days in San Francisco.
While a car offers up more freedom in where to go and when, it also adds cost and means you can't have an apres ski refreshment or two at the end of the day before heading home! Last season it was possible to ride Kirkwood, Sierra at Tahoe, Squaw Valley, Northstar and Heavenly from South Lake Tahoe using shuttle buses. |
I found your logic rather tangled... To borrow your words:
"If you are going to travel across 8 time zones for a holiday"...
It'd be quite a shame not to stop off along the lake to take in a few view from different angle! Which you can't do from the inside of a shuttle bus. Not to mention a few other interesting destination such as Truckee or Virginia City. Again, you'll need a car to reach those places.
Further more, many of the shuttle buses are not free. The cost of the shuttle bus for a couple, never mind a family, will come rather close to that of a hired car! The cost of the Amtrack journey alone easily exceeds the hired car!
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If you base yourself at the Stateline casinos in South Lake Tahoe the Heavenly gondola is in walking distance (as it is from some of the cheaper motels on the California side of the stateline) and every significant lodging place in South Lake Tahoe is on one of the various Heavenly shuttle routes that provide at least half hourly buses to one or more of the Heavenly base areas.
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The lodging at Stateline are far higher than that of Reno. And the journey time from there to Northstar is far longer than from Reno. Moreover, Stateline is equally souless as Reno.
There're many GOOD eason to stay at South Lake Tahoe, but wasting hours riding shuttle to north lake mountains such as Squaw and Northstar to save a few quids on hiring car isn't one of them! You're far better to stay in Reno as suggested in the article! The shuttle bus ride from Reno to Squaw and Northstar might actually be shorter (and quite possibly cheaper too).
Last but not least, if you really prefer to ride the Amtrack train from SF to "Lake Tahoe", the train station is actually at downtown Reno!!! So it makes no sense whatsoever to take a bus to South Lake Tahoe, only to take another shuttle back up north to ski Northstar and Squaw!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| Last but not least, if you really prefer to ride the Amtrack train from SF to "Lake Tahoe", the train station is actually at downtown Reno!!! |
abc, I have used Amtrak numerous times to make this journey and have never gone anywhere near Reno (the idea of using Reno to travel to Tahoe is a marketing ploy by Reno Airport). The cost of a single ticket is less than a day's hire for even a basic car and a fraction of the cost of a standard SFO to Reno flight. The Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains which run between San Jose and Sacramento, can be accessed via Amtrak coach link from central San Francisco or via the BART metro from San Francisco International Airport to the Richmond interchange station. A connecting Amtrak coach service takes you from Sacramento via Highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe, only other stop is at Placerville. While not everyone's cup of tea, equally not everyone wants to get off a 12 hour flight, then drive several hours in a country that (for UK drivers) drives on the 'wrong' side of the road!
I have on a few occasions stayed at the Millbrae Travelodge* to the south of the Airport on day of arrival, then caught the BART from Millbrae to Richmond, the BART Station is just across the street. *is now 'The Dylan at SFO'.
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| It'd be quite a shame not to stop off along the lake to take in a few view from different angle! Which you can't do from the inside of a shuttle bus. |
On the contrary, while you can't stop off to look at the view a coach is higher than a car and offers a much better view as a result, plus you can actually look at the view rather than the road if you were driving!
Anyway, my point was a car was not essential, certainly not for a whole trip to South Lake Tahoe if your staying anywhere between the Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort at the foot of Ski Run Boluvard and the Lakeside Inn on Highway 50. Many of the accommodation places charge for parking and more per day than a seat on the Northstar or Kirkwood shuttles have cost in recent seasons. The various Heavenly bus services between the base areas are free.
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| it makes no sense whatsoever to take a bus to South Lake Tahoe, only to take another shuttle back up north to ski Northstar and Squaw! |
If you were exclusively or primarily riding the North shore resorts then obviously it would be a bit daft to stay on the South Shore (and vice versa), but on balance IMO if you are going for a holiday and want to get around several areas then South Lake Tahoe is the more obvious base, not least in that you have the biggest single area in Heavenly accessible from the middle of town via the Gondola. Plus as pointed out above, if using Amtrak from San Francisco Bay Area then you would be approaching South Lake Tahoe from the West, not the North East from Reno.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks for all the brilliant replies, I'll have to go through them all in detail later! Consensus seems to be that the area around Reno is well worth a visit, but opinion is divided on the best place to use as a base.
I would probably hire a car rather than rely on public transport (a bit more flexible and I do actually enjoy driving in America). Flying into SF instead of Reno is an interesting idea.
I agree with the comments about staying in Denver - ie it would be a hell of a trek every day and not recommended, but it looks as though Reno might be a bit closer to the surrounding resorts.
Thanks again, and keep the posts coming! Now I just have to hope that my injured leg recovers in time to go in March!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's crass stupidity that there isn't a stop at Truckee on Amtrack nor a programme of ski express trains out if the Bay Area on Thurs, Fri nights. Last I looked Amtrack was really not that cheap and a lot of hassle.
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fatbob, seriously? you don't understand how septics can't cope with public transport? . . .
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I do but I also understand the number of Bay Area Subaru drivers who are sick of bumper to bumper jams from Roseville onwards and getting to their ski leases at 2am every Saturday.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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fatbob, I think we think along similar thinking  . . . can we agree that most of them can't think?
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There is an Amtrack station in Truckee - one train a day goes West. Main problem with the trains is that freight trains have priority if the passenger train is running late, thus making the passenger trains run even later. There's also a Greyhound Bus stop. There is also the Bay Area Ski Bus - http://www.bayareaskibus.com/. Not everyone drives, but those of us that do know to leave SF either before 1pm or after 6pm on a Friday, thus missing most of the traffic.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skibedoo, We stayed in Tahoe City, and had a 4wd when we went. Some b+B around there as well as hotels. A Lot more relaxed than the South shore. Easy to get about and able to visit plenty of ski areas. There's more variety at the north of the lake rather than the south, even if Heavenly is the largest - we only went 1 day out of 14 as we skied the places that had the most snowfall most of the time.
Went to Reno for an afternoon after skiing Mt. Rose. Dont need to go back to Reno accept to fly into and out of. Took about an hour or less to drive up IIRC
Truckee could be a good base too, but a bit longer to get to Kirkwood from there though.
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