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Tahoe - Cheap with variety. Where do we ride?

4K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  alex@hour.com 
#1 ·
Hi.

Thanks for taking the time to help us out.

My girlfriend and I just moved to the bay area and are looking for a mountain to call home for this season.

We are looking for a place that would be less crowded and has cheap season passes. Due to our work schedules we wont be weekend warriors but more likely weekday warriors. However, we still want the option of going up whenever we feel like it.

We are also looking for smaller more family orientated places to ride because my girlfriend is still learning and it would be nice to not overwhelm her with 100s of people and when she falls we don't have to worry about being in too many people's way.

That being said I would like a mountain that has at least a couple good double blacks and maybe a small park to play in. I've been riding most of my life and I'm sure I'm going to want to take a few runs on my own ;)

The two resorts that I've seen come up in these type of threads are Sierra and Donner Ski Ranch.

Are there any others I should check out?

If you are familiar with Vermont resorts I'm looking for places similar in culture to Smuggler's Notch, Jay Peak, or even Snow Bowl would be fine.
 
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#2 ·
sierra can get pretty busy. have you considered homewood - it would seem to match your criteria. also, you can buy a pass which covers homewood and alpine meadows which would let you mix it up a bit when you feel like a change of scenery or your gf feels more confident about riding at a larger scale resort.

alasdair
 
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#10 ·
^ while they are much smaller than the tahoe resorts you are looking at, the season passes at those two resorts are hardly cheap.

dodge ridge is $399 which is $0.48c an acre (about 2.5 times more than kirkwood and 6 times more than heavenly). bear valley has a $299 pass but you can't ski on weekends with that. if you are sure you will never want to go on a weekend, that's an attractive option but it's still $0.23 an acre.

alasdair
 
#11 ·
When my klids were learning we went a lot to DOnner ski Ranch..which is small, very family oriented and on the easy side. Tahoe Donner is the same.... Bear is very similar, and it's REALLY family oriented...lots of kids, but the lower bowls, when open. are really good <> <> terrain.
Other than that Kirkwood is my place....diverse and sparse you can find your own little run to learn on, if you don't like chair one which is the easiest run on the planet :)
Besides the drive there is a bit shorter if you live in the bay area.
 
#13 ·
Depends on where you live in the bay. I'm from San Francisco and Kirkwood is the furthest from me. It's a good 30mins or so further than a place like Northstar. (Pretty much anything in South Lake Tahoe takes longer).

As for the drive, you take the 88/89 (i forget which one) to get to Kirkwood. Now that road is flatout FUN when it's dry. Lots of curves and I drive a Mazdaspeed 3, so I hope you'll feel the same joy in your GTI. Having said that, that road is DANGEROUS when it's snowing. South Lake Tahoe in my opinion is more tricky when it comes to driving compared to North Lake Tahoe.

And I second pretty much everybody's opinions on Kirkwood, it's the best mountain Tahoe has to offer.
 
#14 ·
I love my GTI to death. Its pretty far from stock but I'll be raising the coils and setting the programming back to stock for the winter.

Last thing I need is my little monster throwing a fit in the wet stuff. :p
 
#18 ·
I've thought about replacing my GTI with a STI or Jeep Wrangler Rubicon but my GTI is paid for. So I'm not really keen on another car loan. :)

To that affect. Maybe the chains will come in handy.
 
#19 ·
Both great cars...I changed my mind about Jeeps after a ride on a jacked up Rubicon trough a dirt road in the woods....flat out...they guy really knew what he was doing, (and the road) and it was a blast riding over anything...rocks logs, huge roots... On the drive up on pavement I had to keep up with him in turns too with the WRX. I was hella surprised how well he could hug turns with those huge wheels. The GTI is a great car too...I'm pretty sure you 'll be ok with chains. Especially if you like to be there in the morning...which you want to..unless is during the week..lol which you will want even more so you get untraced pow...
I hear you...My WRX is paid too...and it's going to last me a Loooong time.
70.000 miles and not a single glitch.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Kirkwood can be tricky to get up if the road hasnt been plowed yet and its snowing. I would say a good place to look into is Boreal, yeah yeah its not the biggest and best resort but it is relatively cheap and is empty during weekdays, and has plenty of beginner-intermediate runs especially if you know where to look (dont just stay in the middle like most do). Im not sure about your budget, i think the pass now is 399 but I got mine early season for 270, but your gf can look into the 1-2-3 ride free program for a cheap season pass if shes a beginner (or if you guys can act like beginners)
Here: Boreal Mountain Resort - 1-2-3 Ride Free - Truckee, CA - Lake Tahoe California/Nevada
So total $115 for a unrestricted pass, plus you get some lessons (and gear rentals if you need it), together it would be around $515 for both passes. This fits the bill as a smaller, family oriented place but the main downside would be on your end, I dont even think they have double black runs, but some ok black runs.

Also boreal happens to be the closest resort from the bay, at around 3 to 3.5 hrs depending how fast you drive.
 
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#21 ·
Kirkwood is an awesome resort but is pricier and harder to get to. Boreal is close and relatively cheap. You can also get a season pass deal for both Sierra and northstar for $299 or just sierra for $199. I have never been to northstar but I like sierra alright. Can get crowded but isnt so small it will get boring too quick.
 
#22 ·
I mentioned this in another threat, but Sierra is a great place to learn. My wife has gone from being scared on the bunny slope to cruising blues and it's all thanks to Sierra. from Broadway there is always one run that is jsut a little harder and it's great for progession.
 
#23 ·
the wood is my fav...

echoing others comments, kirkwood is by far my fav. for its out of the way vibe, great terrain and snow quality. they have a good beginner area too, i learned to ride there and found it pretty easy to navigate as a beginner.

i also live in sf. i take a series of backroads up to the mtn. that are never crowded on a friday or sunday night.... so sure beats the 80 or 50. though i agree they can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing on a snow day.

as far as cheap season passes, you can still get an unlimited pass through my network for $429 (no blackouts). I think the restricted passes are cheaper if you're willing to sacrifice the weekends...

to get the network price, go to:

go Kirkwood - Group Login to purchase.

then enter:

group name = epa


password = kirkwood


more info on the network deal here: Kirkwood on the Cheap

or feel free to pm me with any questions or my backroads directions from sf to the wood.
 
#24 ·
We went to boreal. Its really easy to get to (a major plus for me). The mountain is pretty small and doesn't really offer much. However, that was actually helpful while teaching my girlfriend to ride.

Next week we are going to checkout Sugar Bowl because its in that same area. I'll keep you all updated.
 
#25 ·
Good ones for learning, with family-oriented environments and far cheaper lift tickets are ones like: Diamond Peak, Donner Pass, Alpine Meadows, etc... No need to waste money on a $75-$85 lift ticket if you're not going to ride the whole mountain at places like Northstar, Squaw, Heavenly, Kirkwood, etc...
 
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#28 ·
Hi, I'm new on this forum. Season is almost over, but something to keep in mind for next year. DONNER SKI RANCH. Its 500+ acres across the street from Sugar Bowl. I just bought a season pass for next year at #249. Thats anytime, all day, any day, no restrictions. Just try and match that. DSR is the last of the family owned resorts and everyone from the owner (Marshall) down is on a first name basis. We love the place. Its closed, but there is an interconnect lift with Boreal. Hope they get that opened next season.
We board and ski there. Great place, no lines, friendly staff, and a super bargain price.
 
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