Each winter, millions of people head to the beautiful
Sierra Nevada for a Lake Tahoe
ski vacation. Mark Twain famously described the lake as
“the fairest picture the whole world affords.”
There has been much development along the lakeshore since
Twain visited and towns along the Nevada side of the lake
now have popular casinos and resorts, especially along
the South Shore. The North Shore is less developed, but
it has more world-class ski areas, including Alpine Meadows
Ski Resort.
Alpine Meadow Tahoe looks quite small from its base lodge. Its not as big as some of Tahoe’s mega-resorts, Squaw Valley or Heavenly Mountain, but don’t be fooled: Alpine Meadows has over 2,000 skiable acres and a 1,800 foot vertical rise. Alpine Meadow Ski Resort is serviced by a dozen high-quality lifts, including several fast quads and six-persons.
There is more than enough terrain to fill a weekend Lake Tahoe ski vacation. Visitors on longer trips will probably want to explore other area resorts anyway. They would be advised to get a Ski Lake Tahoe interchangeable ticket, which are good at many of the regions best resorts and provide considerable savings for a multi-day pass, perfect for a Lake Tahoe ski vacation.
Alpine Meadows ski resort is well named. There is a
good beginner area near the base area and under the Meadows
and Subway chairs and the bowls are suitable for intermediate
and advanced skiers, but Alpine Meadow Tahoe is best known
for its off-piste skiing. Expert tree skiers will love
the steep Promised Land woods. In deep powder —
Alpine Meadows ski resort gets a lot of this — even
lower intermediate skiers will love the tree-lined runs.
A good layering of powder also makes Alpine Meadows’ multiple bowls a lot more fun. The popular Alpine Bowl is less challenging, more adventurous skiers and snowboarders should head to the expert Wolverine Bowl.
Alpine Meadow Tahoe is within easy driving distance
of all the major cities in California: San
Francisco is less than three and one half hours away,
Los Angeles about eight
hours. Lodging at the ski resort is somewhat limited,
but Tahoe City is only six miles away and has many quality
yet affordable hotels, many of which offer lodging and
lift ticket packages. Regular one-day tickets are between
$50 and $60. Squaw Valley and Donner Pass also have good
accommodation within easy driving distance.
Locals rave about the views from the Alpine Meadows summit, but many visitors are likely to miss these because it is snowing. Alpine Meadow ski resort seems blessed with more snow than other Lake Tahoe areas. Thanks to this, the resort is usually the first place to open and the last to close — it’s not unheard of to ski there on July 4th! At Alpine Meadows, a Lake Tahoe ski vacation can be a warm-weather activity!
