Lake Tahoe

[vh_bu98]

I'm going skiing for the first time at Lake Tahoe next month so does anyone have advice on where to ski, what to do, best place to eat and so on?

[vman]

Stay the hell away :) If this is your first time, you are in for a treat. I am sorry to disappoint you but with the news of fresh snow 80% of the Bay Area is going to be there. The place may be nice and peaceful during slow season, but winters are a zoo.

I don't know where to ski or eat, but make sure that your car has a blanket (one for each person) and that you are fully gassed up. Also, tire chains will not hurt. During bad days you may be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours as snow is piling up :)

[slojoh]

ski at heavenly valley or kirkwood both good places. for breakfast go to the red waffle hut or house, it is a good local place not far from stateline.

[DSJ]

I used to live there. My brother lives there and works at Homewood. I need more info to give you a recommendation. The Lake has different areas with different feels. South Shore is much more touristy with big hotels, casinos, etc. If you are staying in South Shore, Heavenly and Kirkwood (a bit away from the lake) are good choices. The North and West Shore is more subdued and parts are very tony. We, who are preferential to that part of the lake like to believe we are closer to the "Old Tahoe" style with smaller places to stay, etc. LOTS of great skiing on the North Shore. The aforementioned Homewood is right on the lake with spectacular views, there's Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar, and Diamond Peak in Incline Village. Let me know if you need specifics.

[DSJ]

Oh, and there are several Rolex's at the bottom of the lake waiting to be found!

[Tools]

Welcome...

[thomas311]

im from folsom/sac so i visit tahoe pretty regularly.

be prepared, bring chains if you dont have a 4x4 with snow/mud tyres. also extra supplies cant hurt, blankets, H2O, jackets and such.

if youre on the interstate 80 side, towards N.shore. NorthStar is personally one of my favs. theres also alpine meadows, and as listed above kirkwood, and of course squaw valley. be prepared to pay $$$, unless you can get discounts. it helps.

south shore, thats the hwy 50 side. theres sierra at tahoe. and heavenly, which is in south lake tahoe. nice if you are staying awhile. this way you can ski/board during the day and then come back and shower up/eat and win some big bucks. i like s.lake alot. even more beautiful during the spring/summer season.

heres a list to follow:
North lake
northstar
alpine meadows
squaw valley
homewood
mount rose
boreal

south lake where the casinos are...
kirkwood
sierra at tahoe
heavenly

there might be a few more, but those are some that ive visited in the past. anyone else in the norcal area wanna chime in?

dont forget to have fun!!!

[vh_bu98]

Originally Posted by DSJ

I used to live there. My brother lives there and works at Homewood. I need more info to give you a recommendation. The Lake has different areas with different feels. South Shore is much more touristy with big hotels, casinos, etc. If you are staying in South Shore, Heavenly and Kirkwood (a bit away from the lake) are good choices. The North and West Shore is more subdued and parts are very tony. We, who are preferential to that part of the lake like to believe we are closer to the "Old Tahoe" style with smaller places to stay, etc. LOTS of great skiing on the North Shore. The aforementioned Homewood is right on the lake with spectacular views, there's Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar, and Diamond Peak in Incline Village. Let me know if you need specifics.

We're going for a week in early Feb. Flying into Reno and renting a car and driving to Lake Tahoe. We will be staying at the Hyatt High Sierra Lodge in Incline Village. I really don't know much about what's going on since my friend is planning it and I'm going for the ride.

The plan is to ski mid-week when there will be less people and lift tickets will be cheaper. I want to do photography so any good scenery suggestions are welcome. We also want to do some snow activities like snowmobiling and dog sleding. And of course we love food, so good restaurants are always something we are looking for. It doesn't have to be expensive...just good.

We don't really gamble and there are no kids.

[DSJ]

Originally Posted by vh_bu98

We're going for a week in early Feb. Flying into Reno and renting a car and driving to Lake Tahoe. We will be staying at the Hyatt High Sierra Lodge in Incline Village. I really don't know much about what's going on since my friend is planning it and I'm going for the ride.

The plan is to ski mid-week when there will be less people and lift tickets will be cheaper. I want to do photography so any good scenery suggestions are welcome. We also want to do some snow activities like snowmobiling and dog sleding. And of course we love food, so good restaurants are always something we are looking for. It doesn't have to be expensive...just good.

We don't really gamble and there are no kids.

All the aformentioned suggestions are good, but since you are staying in Alpine Meadows, I would not bother going to South Shore - it would take too much time. Diamond Peak is closest to you, with Northstar, Alpine Meadows, Squaw and Homewood all being within 40 minutes away. There are lots of good photography opportunities from any of these resorts. Our place is in Homewood, so I am partial to that, but here is a link with some pics:
http://www.skihomewood.com/Views.html

Off the slopes, there is some good photography areas around the lake. Check out Dollar Point and over near the Thunderbird Lodge.

Even if you don't gamble, you should check out CalNeva. The resort is partially in California, partially in Nevada, and used to be owned by Sinatra. It's a very cool place.