 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I am considering venturing over the pond for this years ski trip and wondered if anyone has been to Lake Tahoe,
I saw the resort on Sky travel and quiet liked the idea, although it is slightly more expensive the weak dollar makes it an attractive option compared to the euro. An alternative to the states is Norway?
I am an intermediate skier, can cope with 95% of reds and have been know to attack the occasional black if I am in the right frame of mind.
The problem comes when I take into account my partner, he has never skied before and is in his early 40's. He prob isn't in the best phyiscal shape.
Therefore does this resort really cater to a beginner, is there a decent ski school, (we prob would both do lessons) and are there other things to do if he say decides he needs a break or doesn't enjoy the snow.
It's important that the holiday provides flexibility so that I get my ski fix but he can enjoy it too!
Any advice or recommendation of good resorts (both sides of the pond) would be very 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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Hey Charlotte,
Lake Tahoe is a nice option if you're looking to hop across the pond. Tahoe is well-known for its off-piste activities (bars, restaurants, casinos, and a plethora of casual winter activities like nordic skiing and snowshoeing). As for snow conditions, Tahoe consistently gets a ton of snow, but the high water content of the snow can make "powder" days for beginners quite unfriendly and the crowds are truly a concern throughout the year. However, the proximity of resorts to one another in Tahoe is rather convenient wherein you could visit multiple resorts over a holiday week or two. North-Star-at-Tahoe would be my recommendation for beginner/intermediate pistes and convenience. As for European options, there are quite a few and I won't drag this out. I have always been a big fan of the French Alps, primarily because I am at an advanced level of riding, but the scenery alone is second to none in the world. By far, I would say the French Alps are overall more visually stimulating than Tahoe. I would suggest Flaine as a very beginner friendly area in the French Alps. There are definitely things to do off the slopes (although on-piste is the draw of course). I'm aware of the beginner friendliness because I booked a holiday last winter for me and my girlfriend (who is not very experienced on the slopes) with www.action-outdoors.co.uk and it really satisfied her needs as a novice, as well as my need for overall "budget friendliness." From what I remember, the beginner slope is literally right outside the accomodation (which is ski in/ski out) and when she was tired of falling, she found it quite nice to sit on one of the terraces enjoying her "vin chaud" (hot wine) or relaxing in the swimming area. Hope that helps, enjoy your holiday wherever you end up!
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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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Lake Tahoe isn't a single resort. if you stay at South Lake, Heavenly is the default option for most tourists although its far from the best option for advanced skiers will suffice for all standards of piste skiers. Northstar referenced above is the flattest all round family resort if you don't want too much challenge. Lots of other things to do from gambling to snowmobiling, paddleship cruises and even cycling round the lake if you go later in the season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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DavidL will be along in a minute to spam La Rosiere as technically the OP might be seen as asking about anywhere thet is good for beginners to ski at 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Current exchange rate:
1.00 GBP = 1.68662 USD
Dollar not so weak now (or rather, pound not so strong)
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| Quote: |
Lake Tahoe isn't a single resort
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Important that you realise this. There are various resorts around the Lake to which you would drive everyday (if you didnt say stay in South Lake Tahoe and ski Heavenly all the time which rather defeats the point of going). As such it may not be the best place for a situation of 1 person skiing and the other not.......unless he is happy to go with you and sit in the lodge and read a book.
Apart from South Lake Tahoe, where there are some walkable bits, you will need a car and you will use it....they dont do much walking over there and the place is not set up for walking ie very few pavements and everything is strung out over a much wider area than Europe.
Each resort is a separate commercial entity so they each have their own lift tickets and their own ski school so it will be single days here and there unless you stick to the one place for a few days
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I was lucky enough to live in San Fran for a couple of years and unsurprisingly skied Tahoe a lot 
Agree with the comments on Northstar - definitely good for beginners - lots of cruisy flatish bluey greens. Squaw is also pretty good despite the reputation as a semi-toughish mountain. (Up at the top there is a large plateau area, which is good for greens).
Sierra at Tahoe also suitable. Suggest avoiding Kirkwood (not much for beginners) and ditto Alpine Meadows (sadly both are good for intermediates).
You may be able to get discount lift tickets by buying a Tahoe Card (not sure if you need a US address or not) - snowbomb.com will have the details.
You could always combine a few days in Tahoe with SF, Napa / Sonoma etc? - quite often high teens and sunny close to the coast, even in January.
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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 learned to ski at Squaw and, unlike most people, think it is a reasonable place to learn. Yes, it is a little daunting that the main beginner area is at the top of the mountain, but the view is worth it! It is also fairly uncrowded, except for President's Week in February. Lift lines are usually short and the runs are wide open and uncrowded. The ski school is great, and the lessons are in English!
The Lake Tahoe area is a fantastic place to visit with lots of other things to do. Ice skating, dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, gambling on the Nevada side, shopping, ten-pin bowling, lots of good restaurants, open air hottubs, etc. But it is advisable to have a car to get around because the area is really a series of small villages and ski resorts - there are 27 ski areas - and although there is a decent bus service it can be inconvenient. If you decide to come you will need to decide which end of the lake to stay in - South Lake is generally where most Brits seem to stay and is where the big casino hotels are; the ski resorts are Heavenly and Sierra-at-Tahoe with Kirkwood a little further away. North Lake is a little more spread out - Tahoe City and Truckee are generally used as the main bases. Ski resorts include Mt Rose, Diamond Peak, Homewood, Alpine Meadows, Squaw, Northstar, Sugarbowl.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Heavenly is definitely not for you--practically no beginner slopes and intermediate slopes can get awfully crowded. Heavenly is a lower advanced/upper intermediate mountain.
Squaw is not for you because the green slopes are way too short and it's hard to find your way around without the trail map.
Both are VERY expensive.
So, choose one of the lesser known resorts.
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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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| skiking4 wrote: |
Heavenly is definitely not for you--practically no beginner slopes and intermediate slopes can get awfully crowded. Heavenly is a lower advanced/upper intermediate mountain.
Squaw is not for you because the green slopes are way too short and it's hard to find your way around without the trail map.
Both are VERY expensive.
So, choose one of the lesser known resorts. |
How many times you've skied Squaw and Heavenly to make such a sweeping remark?
Further more, give an example of which NOT "awfully crowded" resorts?
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There is nothing wrong with the length of the green slopes at Squaw - most beginners think that they are quite long enough, and are comforted by the lack of trees! And it is not terribly difficult to find your way around the resort, either, since the idea is that the lifts are marked according to the level of terrain that they serve and generally go over the applicable run. Alex Cushing actually wanted people to think when they ski, rather than blindly following signs.
I'm not as familiar with Heavenly, but I do know that they have perfectly adequate beginner slopes and that their ski school is excellent (although I think the Squaw ski school is better, of course!). The last time I was there (April this year) I was more concerned with finding suitable terrain for teaching hypotheticals, but much of what we used would be suitable for most 2nd or 3rd day beginners. If your partner is in a lesson there would be no problem with finding suitable terrain.
All the Tahoe resorts get relatively crowded at the weekends and are certainly more crowded on the 2 big holiday weeks of President's Day week (which many of the SF Bay area schools have as a ski week holiday) and Xmas/New Years week. Other than that it can be quite quiet and if you are with an instructor you would be skipping the lift lines, anyway.
It is possible to find something wrong with every resort, and if you talk to the wrong person you might not be able to find anything right about any of them!  Plus what might be considered a lesser known resort from a UK perspective may not necessarily be so from a Californian perspective - it is very much a ski weekend area, rather than a group of destination resorts (which makes it very quiet for those of us who can ski mid week!).
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