quick Tahoe ski poll (Mountain View, Stanford: train, car, tickets)

[trainman82]

Hi everyone. I'm visiting my sister in Mountain View, CA the last week of January and we are going up to Tahoe City January 30th and 31st to go skiing/snowboarding. I have decided we will go to either Squaw Valley or Northstar at Tahoe. Am wondering which one is the better choice. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and only post if you have actually been to one of them or better yet both. Thanks for the help and I cant wait to go shredding in a few weeks in REAL powder, since i'm from the east coast (ice coast).

[Hemlock140]

If the weather is OK I'd prefer Northstar, but Squaw is closer if the roads are bad. My favorite was actually Sugar Bowl, but that's way out of your way. There is also Incline. No shortage of places to ski in that area. Much longer runs than we have here in WA. We used to go skiing every year on Superbowl Sunday, no waiting in lift lines.

[.highnlite]

There is no comparison between the two resorts. But, to some extent it depends on how good you are. If you are a blue run skier, Northstar will work fine. If you are good, and look for the steeps, Northstar doesn't have any. It is "ski in the woods" place, much like the eastern resort. Squaw has world class steep off piste runs and has thousands of acres of blue runs, it is an alpine mountain experience.

Eastern skiers tend to be technically better skiers than Westerners. Once you learn how to set your edges on that eastern ice, everything else important follows.

Squaw is also in a more dramatic mountain setting, it backs to wilderness and has a series of high pecks with lifts to the summits.

Coming from the east, I'd go for Squaw Valley it will provide you a much more memorable experience.

In the olden days, I worked Ski Patrol at Northstar and Squaw Valley, I am very familiar with both resorts.

[Bulldogdad]

Squaw for Skiing and Northstar for snowboarding.

Like hilife stated Squaw is the undisputed Olympic class Alpine ski area.

Northstar reminds me of Bing Crosby's White Christmas, however according to my teens and their friends it has the better snowboarding experience.

Me I like to sit in the lodge drinking irish coffee's watching the *ehem* scenery, while mama and the kids are out on the slopes.

[DMenscha]

I've always preferred Alpine Meadows to Squash Valley. (our nickname for it after they dropped a gondola car off the cable)

[Mr5150]

Personally, you picked my two of my three least favorite Tahoe Areas to ski. A lot of Squaw skiers think they are the hottest thing on skis (some actually are). So if you like people with big egos, squaw is it. Northstar is nice if you're an intermediate and don't mind crowds.

I would consider Alpine or Kirkwood. A low key hidden Gem is Homewood. Fantastic views of the lake, cheap tickets.

[.highnlite]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

I've always preferred Alpine Meadows to Squash Valley. (our nickname for it after they dropped a gondola car off the cable)

The Cable Car accident in the 80's? Fortunately it never hit the ground. Alpine is good, it is full of skiers who think Squaw Skiers are the hottest thing on skis. Alpine has the NC Slot, now that separates the men from the boys.

Originally Posted by Mr5150

Personally, you picked my two of my three least favorite Tahoe Areas to ski. A lot of Squaw skiers think they are the hottest thing on skis (some actually are). So if you like people with big egos, squaw is it. Northstar is nice if you're an intermediate and don't mind crowds.

I would consider Alpine or Kirkwood. A low key hidden Gem is Homewood. Fantastic views of the lake, cheap tickets.

Those are all good places, but, not the one's he asked about.

Now, if I was going to ski again around Tahoe, I would go to Sugar Bowl, and not that new fangled side they built where you can park and walk to the lifts. But the Classic old side. My old man was there for the grand opening back in what, 38? There was no snow so they all drove to Mt Rose.

He went to Stanford and would catch the ski train on Friday up to Sugar Bowl, ski and party all weekend, stories he never told my mother.

My son taught skiing at Sugar Bowl, so three generations of us'ns have skied there.

[gone down south]

Squaw has a more terrain and it's a lot more varied, but if you're only doing a day or so of riding there's no advantage of one over the other.

You probably won't get much powder, Sierra snow is relatively wet and heavy compared to, say, Colorado or Utah, but it's still miles ahead of anything you ride back East. Plus, the runs are longer than the lift-line waits!