Alpine Meadows Ski Resort is located near Lake Tahoe. 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 ski-able 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 4^th!  At Alpine Meadows, a Lake Tahoe ski vacation can be a warm-weather activity!