Planning ski trip...

[Big A]

Shit Aaron, you're selling me on Lake Tahoe. I went up there once but I was still young and was on a road trip with my parents. We stayed in Lake Tahoe but only one night and moved on.

This is the lift next to the Marriott mentioned above, the place sells itself. Plenty to do in the summer time as well.

[Whoknows4077]

This is the lift next to the Marriott mentioned above, the place sells itself. Plenty to do in the summer time as well.

See that looks cool as shit... but I want my ski lifts to be a bit sketchy, I dont know if they even are now days, its been a few years. Crested butte. always love that small town feel. but you cant beat breckinridge because of the combo packages with the different mountains.

[SC457A]

Went to Heavenly twice about 12-15 years ago I think. Seeing Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain is breath taking. Should have took a camera, but it would have gotten broken, many times.

The only other place I went to was Durango/ Purgatory. Almost died there thanks to a POS shuttle bus that lost its brakes. Well, thats how it felt at the time.

[Vertnut]

This is where I was initially looking. There's a Harrahs there that isn't too far from the lifts. But the Fairmont in Whistler looks awesome. Will have to look into that.

That would be the Heavenly resort (on the south side). The north side has more options for skiing, but the south side has more activities right around you. My wife and I started going up there in college ('81-'82) and would stay in a dive called Cal-Neva Inn. It was right on the California/Nevada state line. Between skiing and gambling, we were never in the room more than 5 hours to sleep, so it was great! Harrah's became our main-stay once we had a few bucks, and then the Hyatt on the north side a few times, when we were skiing a lot. Fly into Reno and rent a car, or take a shuttle. It's about an hour or so up the mountain, as long as the roads are open.

[davbrucas]

We were thinking about flying to SF and spending a day there and driving over. How far away is SF from Heavenly Resort? Roads closed a lot?

[Vertnut]

We were thinking about flying to SF and spending a day there and driving over. How far away is SF from Heavenly Resort? Roads closed a lot?

About 3 1/2 to 4 hours from San Fran. to the south-side. I'm not sure about road conditions from that direction, but considering how Californian's literally FLOCK to Tahoe every weekend, I would think the roads might stay a bit clearer.

[jluv]

Only place I've been is Crested Butte in CO. It was nice. I know they cater hard to snowboarding, too. Great town and they get tons of fresh snow.

[Big A]

About 3 1/2 to 4 hours from San Fran. to the south-side. I'm not sure about road conditions from that direction, but considering how Californian's literally FLOCK to Tahoe every weekend, I would think the roads might stay a bit clearer.

Yeah, it's plowed well, but it's the traffic that'll get you. It's 4 hours minimum non-peak, but add bay area traffic, and the flow from Sacramento up 50 to SLT could easily tack on another hour or two. If possible, plan your drive to leave mid-morning through early afternoon, on a weekday preferably, to miss rush hour, and minimize the local weekend warriors. Make sure you have small bills for the bridge tolls, to get through quicker.

Oh, and make sure that you have chains, or rent a 4x4 if you can. You may get stuck buying some if not, as they are required often for 2-wheel drive vehicles, depending on conditions on a given day.

Or come back to SF on another trip when the weather's warmer, and stay a little longer. There's plenty to see and do for that to be a trip of it's own. IMO only a day in SF isn't worth the extra day or two car rental, and the drive over to SLT.

[davbrucas]

Thanks for the info.

[lowthreeohz]

god bless northstar and squaw valley.. some of the best summer and winter runs ever!

[Vertnut]

god bless northstar and squaw valley.. some of the best summer and winter runs ever!

Pluto's Run? (looong, gorgeous "blue" run, with black diamond options), or how about "Hornet's Nest? Double black diamond with 8ft tall moguls? I'm there!

Big plus in the Spring: girls skiing in bikini's! Swear to God!

[lowthreeohz]

Yup! There's some of the best skiing i've ever had up there, and i grew up skiing in Utah.

I also loved biking the cat trails in the summer, the scenery and wildlife was amazing.