Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

One Day at Tahoe

3K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  scotty100 
#1 ·
Hello all,

So I will be traveling out to Tahoe on business but will have one available day to hit the slopes. So naturally I look for what is rated as the best mountains for what I think I have narrowed it down between Squaw and Heavenly. I want to get people's opinions based on my preferences if one of these two are better or if another would be best suited for me. Below is some of the criteria I was using to help me choose.

Let me also preference this with the fact that I went to Squaw last year in mid-march and it felt like 60% of the mountain was closed. Left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth so if I say something about Squaw that isn't true, call me out on it so it doesn't effect my decision this year.

1. I am an intermediate snowboarder, probably won't even attempt a black at any point.
2. I want different runs all day. With me only being at a resort for only one day, I'm not sure that it really matters which of these I go to. Just not sure what conditions will be like the 1st week of march across the board for all resorts, but I know both of these will have quite a few open.
3. Although I enjoy wide open groomers, I like the trails that make you feel isolated without actually being isolated if that makes any sense at all. Certain trails at Squaw made me feel like once I boarded one trail I had boarded them all. But there were a few trails that blew me away. Champs Elysees was one of my favorite runs there. Although I would have liked it to be a little more challenging, I just liked the feel of boarding with the contour of the mountain instead of just going straight down.
4. Price has no impact on my decision at all
5. Terrain parks really have 0 impact on my decision.

So I guess to sum it up I'm looking for lots of open, intermediate trails in march that just feel unique. I think I can find that at one of these two resorts but again, if you all feel I'm better suited for a different resort, please let me know so I can take that place into consideration as well.

Thanks in advance ya'll!
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Don't go to Heavenly, it's one of the most horribly laid out mountains. They split the mountain into two halves: California side and Nevada side. These are basically two sides of the mountains that Heavenly forcibly merged into one big mountain. The link between the two is a treacherous walk. That's right, WALK. "California trail" is ridiculously flat. So basically, if you ended up at the California side, stay there. If you ended up in Nevada side, stay there. Transversing between the two sides will basically eat up your day.

In general, Heavenly is extremely flat. The mountain is more for tourists and family time. If you aren't familiar with the mountain, and which spots are flat, you could be in a world of hurt. Especially for a snowboarders.

I hope I'm not the only one here, but to me, Heavenly is the mountain of pain and agony.
 
#4 ·
Just got back from 4 days at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows! Was absolutely great. Really good resorts. I actually liked both. If there's fresh snow, head to Alpine Meadows - if it hasn't snowed in a few days - Id cruise around Squaw. They're 10 mins apart and there's a free shuttle. And yup Heavenly isnt nearly as good although Ive heard good things about Northstar - I'd say Squaw is probably the best option. Dave
 
#6 · (Edited)
Check out Northstar ( pricey but pretty awesome ) and also check out Mt. Rose.

Been getting tons of snow lately. Was just at Mt. Rose last Saturday ( and it dumped snow Sunday and Monday ). Heading to Kirkwood this upcoming Sunday.

Thanks to El Nino, we finally got a whole bunch of snow as its been awful the past couple of years.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
I took a look at Northstar and looks like each trail is its own trail which I think I would like that feeling. Is that unique to Northstar compared to Squaw? Maybe Squaw has that too and I just didn't get to experience that because those particular runs could have been closed last year. I also liked the gladed runs (something I want to try). Also from the interactive map, it looked like I even may be able to handle some of their diamonds.

One of my concerns are trail lengths. I guess the overall mountain isn't as big, but it looked like you ski from top to bottom whereas Squaw has sections of slopes and then maybe 1 or 2 very long runs. Is that apparent to anybody else? Again please correct me if anybody feels differently. I'm going off my shitty Squaw experience and shitty interactive maps to form my opinions.

Any opinions on these two resorts I would love to hear!
 
#10 ·
Northstar is touristy and pricey, but judging from your stated ability level, and what you're looking for, I think you'd have the most fun there. It is much more like an east coast mountain, in that it is mostly cut, groomed trails through the trees, as opposed to the wide-open bowls of places like Squaw. Lots of trails, many of them short, some of them (backside) very, very long. As Funks pointed out, they're labeled as blacks, and they are mildly steep in places, but they're more about stamina. The front size has beautiful narrow trails through the pines. Lots more options.

Skip Heavenly. It's only worth going to if you're staying in Tahoe for a couple of weeks and you just want to try everything.

Sugar Bowl is fun, but I still think Northstar is what you're looking for. You'll even get some lake views in from certain trails. And you'll do a LOT less time finding your way around than you'll do at Squaw, Heavenly or Kirkwood (Kirkwood is awesome, btw, but save it until you like doing blacks...that some of the best terrain there. And you'll spend a lot of time just traveling there).
 
#11 ·
Yeah, I'd be going there on a Thursday so I hope I would miss any large crowds. I am an East Coaster so it should fit right in to what I am used to maybe minus the ice haha.

You and Funks have given some great advice and have pushed me in the direction of Northstar. And who knows, maybe the blacks at Northstar will be a good way to get a little taste of what the blacks out West are like compared to the hills they consider blacks back home. I'm going to be sure to avoid Heavenly, it sounds like a real pain to get around too. Squaw may have had various areas that you could only access through one or two lifts, but at least there was never any walking.

I will hold off to make sure Northstar holds its snow into the beginning of march (seems promising) but I think it has made its way into the number one spot.

Thanks again to all
 
#20 ·
Yeah I saw that, why couldn't it have waited just a week!? I will be going next Thursday, the 3rd. I'm just crossing my fingers that the little bit of rain that is expected the night before doesn't ruin the day. Hopefully it'll turn to snow or just not come at all.
 
#22 ·
To anyone still reading this thread, I went and it was Fantastic! Sure it may have been pretty soupy in the afternoon, but i was thrilled that the runs didnt get too choppy from people piling up snow. So many different types of trails i never felt like I was doing the same one which is exactly what I wanted.
Not to mention I started off the morning with a le waf and it was easily the best belgian waffle i ever had (although i dont think it tasted much like a waffle at all)
All in all i would highly recommend this resort, especially to those looking for an east coast feel. The only downside I saw was the cost butI definitely would not hesitate coming back. Thanks to the advice from all of you, everything that I heard from you guys is what I got from Northstar
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top