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Tahoe tips for 2020

nycskier

Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
504
Points
18
Location
New York, NY
Diamond Peak is where you ski with your kids. Gorgeous views of the lake but it's really a blue square groomer mountain.

Sierra at Tahoe is awesome. It's a ton of fun. Great trees. If you get a chance to go there you will not be disappointed.

Heavenly is amazing. One of the best mountains if you know where you are going and the worst if you don't. You can spend an entire week at Heavenly without ever skiing on a trail if you know what you are doing. You can pretty much get from one side to the other without ever setting foot on a trail. It's amazing tree and off piste skiing. My advice is when you get to Heavenly find someone who knows what they are doing and follow them. Avoid the trails at all cost. Ski firebreak, the burns and other stuff off piste. DO NOT SKI ON THE TRAILS.
 

snoseek

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2006
Messages
6,260
Points
113
Location
NH
Diamond Peak is where you ski with your kids. Gorgeous views of the lake but it's really a blue square groomer mountain.

Sierra at Tahoe is awesome. It's a ton of fun. Great trees. If you get a chance to go there you will not be disappointed.

Heavenly is amazing. One of the best mountains if you know where you are going and the worst if you don't. You can spend an entire week at Heavenly without ever skiing on a trail if you know what you are doing. You can pretty much get from one side to the other without ever setting foot on a trail. It's amazing tree and off piste skiing. My advice is when you get to Heavenly find someone who knows what they are doing and follow them. Avoid the trails at all cost. Ski firebreak, the burns and other stuff off piste. DO NOT SKI ON THE TRAILS.

This is all sound advice especially on heavenly. It gets a lot of hate from people that don't really know how to work the mountain. With fresh snow I like it better than kirkwood tbh.
 

medfordmike

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2013
Messages
263
Points
16
Location
Medford MA & Grantham NH
I am in Tahoe now. CA is an easy for trip for me for a number of reasons including having lived here and knowing my way around and still having friends here. I will say this week I just book a hotel a day in advance maybe two. There are so many places it is not a problem. I don’t travel on peak weeks which helps. Airfare is the biggest concern as far as cancelling. But a little over two weeks out I got a good price direct to SFO on Jet Blue and I will fly back on SW from Sac also very good.

So far I have been to Sugar Bowl (a favorite of mine from days gone by), Northstar, and Kirkwood today. Heavenly this weekend then Sierra at Tahoe. Coverage was good at Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood the snow at Northstar is what I would describe as tired. I will admit I am not a Northstar fan. If i didn’t have Epic and I didn’t want to return to Sugar Bowl I would not have gone to Northstar but since I do have Epic I did. The shopping mall village is a big turn off. Just not my thing. All the areas need snow. The non groomed is doable since it is warm during the day but many natural runs are not worth a repeat until after lunch. Kirkwood was better in this regard but they needs snow. If it was not for the sun and blue ski I would say New England conditions for Presidents Weekend if that helps.
 

abc

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
5,801
Points
113
Location
Lower Hudson Valley
I’m canceling my mid-March trip.

I would have to commit to flights just about now. And I decided the forecast is not encouraging enough to motivate me to commit now. I will be eyeing Easter weekend if there’s sufficient snow fall in March. Otherwise, probably Utah.

(my situation is very much like medfordmike. I too, used to live in CA. So have friends to ski with, even sometimes free places to crash. So it’s just the flight that I had to commit with minimum lead time. I had made plans to meet up with some buddy mid-March, but it’s not worth the cost of flight/car with the current forecast outlook)
 
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medfordmike

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2013
Messages
263
Points
16
Location
Medford MA & Grantham NH
I’m canceling my mid-March trip.

I would have to commit to flights just about now. And I decided the forecast is not encouraging enough to motivate me to commit now. I will be eyeing Easter weekend if there’s sufficient snow fall in March. Otherwise, probably Utah.

(my situation is very much like medfordmike. I too, used to live in CA. So have friends to ski with, even sometimes free places to crash. So it’s just the flight that I had to commit with minimum lead time. I had made plans to meet up with some buddy mid-March, but it’s not worth the cost of flight/car with the current forecast outlook)

Likely a good choice. I am having a good time skiing with friends but if I could have convinced them to meet me in Utah....I am taking a break from Epic next year. So at least I can do ask crossing off the Tahoe resorts.


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medfordmike

Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2013
Messages
263
Points
16
Location
Medford MA & Grantham NH
Ok I have at amend my last post. Snowed last night and still coming down. Top of Heavenly best snow I have hit this season and so far not crowded. Hopefully a change for Tahoe.


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