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Tahoe by the day? Can y'all help me?

4K views 38 replies 10 participants last post by  surfinsnow 
#1 ·
Hey y'all. I've been googling my fingers off, but can't really figure Tahoe out.

I'm in the South Bay...and when I'm lucky I get a day off (typically Sunday) to drive up to Tahioe. My strategy so far has been to leave work Saturday at 5:30, land in Reno at 9:30, drive to Northstar at 6 AM and then drive back to South Bay at night. It just doesnt seem like there's any easier accommodation in North Tahoe. I think ny other option would be to stay in Roseville, get there at like 8 after work and then head to the mountains like 5 ish. I just cant seem to find anything affordable or not sold out in Truckee itself.
The Roseville option may be easier if I didnt go to Northstar. I'm not in love with that mountain and its pricey for what you get. I've been thinking SugarBowl because its $20 cheaper, but then I read crappy reviews of the place. I dont need resorty stuff. i just need lifts and snow (I wont lie though....a latte at 7 AM is nice.) Is SugarBowl totally fine for just boarding blues and easier blacks? Or is it really dumpy? If I go I'm getting the CORE card ($19 and $15 off lift tickets) so I'm locking myself in to going twice.

I've been thinking of trying South Tahoe but I dont even know where to start. It looks like a faster drive on the map but less highway...so it may be longer in actuality. Kirkwood and Heavenly are there. And I do have points on my PEAKS card already. So if I go south I can add to those. I'm just worried about drive time and traffic getting back.

In a perfect world I can find a cheaper Marriott brand. I do 200 nights in a hotel for work a year. I LOVE point bagging!

Anyone else doing Tahoe by the day? Whats your strategy?
 
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#2 ·
I do mostly day trips when conditions are good...2:45 from Pleasanton to Kirkwood...shred all day and drive back. Home by 7 usually.
 
#9 ·
2 hrs and 45 min from pleasanton to kirkwood even on a powder day? (sketch roads and chains)...sounds more like a 4 hr drive

anyway, I don't know how you guys do it. My local is 2 hrs on a hardpack day and about 3 hrs on a heavy powder day. I tried the one day thing a few times but it was killer on the back with all the driving and shredding first to last chair. I do whatever it takes to be able to spend the night after the first day riding...then I can ride the next day and drive home with infinitely less fatigue.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hi Chris, You can stay at Hostel Tahoe at Kings Beach. You can take Northstar shuttle from there if you want.

There is another hostel named Tinker Station near SugarBowl.

You need to book early. I like both places. The owners are very nice.

SugarBowl is fine. Jeremy Jones rides there sometimes.

Kirkwood is quicker to get to than north shore. It is not freeway but much less traffic. Carson City will be your best option if you want to stay overnight.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Just wondering, where did you read crappy reviews of Sugar Bowl? It sounds like it would suit you just fine. Much better for the frequent day-tripper than Northstar (which imo, is like Disneyland for tourists). Sugar Bowl's a medium-sized mountain, not a dump at all, affordable, good trails, nice staff, super easy drive on the I-80 from the Bay Area/Sacramento/foothills area. More of a locals and Bay Area day-tripper vibe than Northstar. Sugar Bowl also has the best women's restroom I've seen among NLT resorts :thumbsup: The only drawback to SB is that because it's the closest "big" resort to the Bay Area, it does get crowded on weekends, especially with ski/snowboard team kids and their families.

I don't know much about staying in Roseville, but you could also stay in the Sacramento area; more business hotels to choose from, not too far a drive to Tahoe.
 
#6 ·
A guy I work with hates the place...but I hate that guy I work with. He's totally a Northstar type. And I'm really not. But there's another travel forum I looked at...Cali not Tahoe specific. People we're busting on the place for being run down. I dont care about asthetics...but since its closest to the Bay it seems like if chairs start shutting down or if "high speed" quads and 6s arent really high speed...the day can get crowded and miserable. A hostel right there sounds good though. Or a 2 hour drive from SacMo/Roseville etc will work too.

SugarBowl seems to have a lot of local devotees on On the Snow. Which is cool. But it kinda makes me think of this place back home called Saddleback. Locals defend it like crazy because its got great snow (sometimes) but its all Tbars and broke down doubles. Its not too too bad if you are skiing but its hell on a board. Not a way I wanna spend 50 bucks. But I'm getting the sense that SugarBowl isnt gonna be duct tape and tar paper shacks. Hey I'm from Maine..we're a grubby people. And yes we use duct tape to fix tbars. So I just gotta ask. :)

The Kirkwood, Carson City option sounds promising too. I could do that..get to Kirkwood Sunday AM and be home by 10 PM sunday. That would work (adding to the Peaks card!) I'm not really married to corporate hotel chains. Its just if I do one more night in a Marriot by April 15th I get 2 free (its Mega Bonus time of year!) And they give me the room/suite upgrade because I did 77 nights of 175 road nights last year at Marriott. Omg I love comps and upgrades. I really am a point bagging junkie.

I guess my original idea was pick a mountain and learn while I'm out in Cali. But I'm ready to ditch Northstar. I'm just afraid of the logistics. But there's only one way to find ouy and thats to give it a go. Makes me feel waaaay better to hear people day tripping south.
 
#8 ·
I'm getting the sense that SugarBowl isnt gonna be duct tape and tar paper shacks. Hey I'm from Maine..we're a grubby people. And yes we use duct tape to fix tbars. So I just gotta ask. :)
Don't worry, you won't experience duct tape and tar paper shacks unless you overshoot the entrance to the Judah-side parking lot of Sugar Bowl on the right, and accidentally turn into the parking lot to Donner Ski Ranch on the left (across the street from SB, where enthusiastic parking lot attendants eagerly wave you in). But then again, Donner Ski Ranch has its fans, too :laugh:
 
#10 ·
I googled the ski bus and I dont think I can do it. If anything went wrong like I got lost and missed it.. omg I would be screwed.
My boss out here is clinically insane. You should have seen what happened to me a few weeks ago when my flight from JFK back to Cali was canceled (been flying home every other weekend.) I get stuck in Tahoe and I am scrubbing her toilets with a toothbrush for real.
I need like...nothing...to go wrong. But otherwise...awesome tip. I'll spread the word.

In case it helps anyone out...
I ended up going with SugarBowl. I just booked a Marriott room in Rocklin just off 80 (that earns me 2 free nights next season! BOOM!) Google tells me its an hour and 17 minutes from the mountain. Previously I had been driving to Reno after work and driving back to Truckee (about 50 mins) so it doesnt add THAT much in the AM. But if I get out at 5:30 I should be in bed by 8 instead of 10 which will make getti v up at 5 easier. End of my day I am heading straight back to South Bay with the rest of the Tahoe traffic! I find though that if I am on first chair I feel ok leaving at 3:30.
So I'll give this line of attack a go. See what happens. I'll post a trip report.
Maybe Easter weekend I'll try Kirkwood.
Not too many more weekends after that. But I'll keep going long as the snow holds up.
 
#15 ·
Be forewarned about Kirkwood, especially considered Psycho Boss; if it starts snowing heavily, you're spending the night. There are no options, no alternate ways out. You're there until CalTrans gets the pass cleared (which they're usually are pretty good at. That said, it is an awesome mountain!

Sugarbowl is just fine. Some good chutes and steeps if you want 'em, some wide open stuff if you want that, and I don't know what anyone is talking about about it being "run down." I thought it was pretty nice. But then, I'm used to riding places in Vermont like the Mansfield lodge at Stowe, or Burke, etc. We Easties know run-down! Sugarbowl doesn't compare.

Oh, and I also agree that Northstar sucks. Except for the black trails on the backside when it's a powder day. Otherwise, it's just a big shopping mall with a ski slope attached.
 
#20 ·
Ohhh damn really? Thats just the pass on 50 going to south Tahoe you need chains on right? Yeah I cant take the risk. She really is craaaaaa-zeee.
I saw all the signs on 80, chain installation area etc. But I just assumed it was toi late in the season for blizzard. It was a little hairy in places but didnt seem like I'd get stuck up there.

I'm looking forward to SugarBowl now! Yeah EastCoast run down is totally different than the Cali version. Cali is all about style I'm finding out. I need to get a sexier car! Lol

Thanks y'all for the help!
 
#23 ·
You guys have a shit tonof regulations here in Cali. Did you know there is Agricultural Inspection Station if you come in to Truckee from Reno. I saw the sign riiight when I was about to fishbowl the car. Whoooooaaaaa.

I have All Wheel Drive, which I guess is different than full time 4wd. Its a Fusion Sport. Decent car but wont make it out of a blizzard. Its ok because the extended forecast says no precip anyway.

So I want to do this weekend and the 31st. But will Tahoe squeeze in at least one in April?
 
#24 · (Edited)
you mean another snow storm?

Typically, april will have at least one good foot+ dump...but I wouldn't trust anything this season.

We also haven't received the massive 5 to 10 foot dump we usually get in March (in 2011, it was a 12 foot dump - no bullshit). That storm last week might be the last decent one of this season - you never know.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Not a lot of people realize that virtually all AWD cars and SUVs are actually just FRONT Wheel Drive. The "all wheel" only kicks in when the on-board computer detects slippage. At which point your ESC might also kick in. There is almost always an AWD Lock button, along with an ESC defeat button, which allows you to turn on the drivetrain to all four wheels, while telling the onboard computer to stop trying to compensate for the slippery road (the ESC can be a bitch, take over your throttle and brakes if it thinks you're slipping -- in heavy snow, you want to have control yourself, not rely on a computer chip which can't tell there is a hairpin turn ahead). You have to keep your speed lower, but you probably are anyway if the conditions are that bad.

Also, I don't think AS tires are considered the same as M+S tires. M+S have the yellow and red dot on the sidewhile, and CalTrans considers them okay for R1 conditions. But they're not the same as AS tires, which I believe only have a yellow dot on the sidewall. It's spelled out in the CalTrans regulations.

I have AS tires on my AWD SUV, which is sufficient for Vermont conditions, but I'd never consider driving through the pass to Kirkwood on them if it was snowing hard. The M+S tires have a much deeper, beefier tread.
 
#30 ·
not all AWD are equal...




Subaru Impreza WRX STi (2005-2008)(Edit)

Full-time all wheel drive with 35/65(?) torque split front-to-rear under normal conditions. Driver-controllable Center Differential System (DCCD).

“Helical-type” front differential (2005-... WRX STI), varies the torque delivered to the left and right axle shafts, depending on traction and engine load. Instead of locking the output shafts so that they rotate at the same speed, this differential sends more torque to the wheel with more grip. In addition, it makes a gradual adjustment for a more fluid response.

Full-Time All Wheel Drive

This is a permanent all wheel drive or permanently engaged all wheel drive system. All wheels are powered at all times. The vehicles with full-time all wheel drive are equipped with a center differential that lets all wheels travel different distances while turning. This type of all wheel drive can be used both on and off road. In slippery conditions, the center differential can be locked, whether manually or automatically, depending on the vehicle.

When a manual center differential lock (available on off-road vehicles and some SUVs) is engaged, the transmission's behavior is similar to part-time all wheel drive, i.e. the front and rear driveshafts rotate at the same speed. The use of full-time all wheel drive with locked center differential is limited to surfaces with low traction.

In case of an automatic lock, a Torsen differential, viscous coupling, multi-plate hydraulic clutch, or similar traction device is used in conjunction with the center differential. When a wheel slip occurs (one driveshaft rotates faster than the other) the device locks the center differential and the torque is transferred from the axle that slips to the other axle that has traction. As soon as the wheel slip is eliminated, the device unlocks.

Some vehicles (Land Rover Discovery II, pre-xDrive BMW X5) do not have a locking center differential, but are equipped with an electronic traction control system (known as Electronic Differential Lock - EDL) on all four wheels. This electronic system detects slipping wheels by reading ABS sensors, then it applies brakes to the slipping wheels and the torque gets transferred to the wheels that have traction. While it performs well on slippery roads, the system cannot compete with a real mechanically locking differential when driving off-road.
 
#32 ·
I drive a Subaru Forester with M+S tires and carry chains with me whenever I drive into Tahoe in the winter or early spring. I've never had to use them, though; Cal-Trans usually sees that I have a Subie and waves me through.

If road conditions are such that chains are required on AWD, well, those are conditions I don't want to be driving in anyway (I'm a wimp) :D
 
#36 ·
Not to steal the topic, but since we are talking about cars and Kwood...how gnarly is to sleep in your car in the parking lot? The closed the hostel and I don't have a trailer...yet...so that's my only option.

Yes I'm a cheap season pass holder :)
 
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