Whether you’re looking for a family fun packed day of first time bunny hill runs, snow tubing, ice skating, and shopping for this season’s top of the line apparel, or adrenaline fueled tree runs, epic powder days, and a challenging technical park experience, Lake Tahoe’s many ski resorts are guaranteed to satisfy all the desires of your mountain vacation. Detailed below is an easy reference for intimate hills off the beaten path as well as large resorts that offer a trifecta of skiing, shopping, and dining.

Alpine Meadows Ski Resort – Alpine Meadows ski resort offers diverse terrain and spectacular Lake Tahoe views. Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley USA now offer a fully interchangeable combined season pass. Visitors have access to more than 6,000 acres, eight mountain peaks, 44 lifts, and over 270 trails. Squaw and Alpine maintain their individual character, which means locals and visitors continue to enjoy Alpine Meadows’ relaxed and easygoing atmosphere. Ski and board advanced runs or gentle cruising trails. The children’s center offers lessons and family-friendly activities like snow tubing and a mini-terrain park.

Website: www.skialpine.com

Phone: 800-403-0206

Address: 2600 Alpine Meadows Road, Tahoe City, CA 96145

Hours: 9am – 4pm

Average Annual Snowfall: 450 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,385/8,637 feet

# Lifts: 13

Acreage: 2,400

Trails: 100+

Classification: 25% easier, 40% more difficult, 35% most difficult/expert

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available, clinics available

Dining and Shopping: 9 dining options, 1 retail shop

Diamond Peak Ski Resort – Diamond Peak Ski Resort is North Lake Tahoe’s hidden gem. Located in Nevada’s Incline Village, the affordable, family friendly resort offers breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe, gentle slopes and wide runs for beginners, as well as challenging terrain in Solitude Canyon, tree skiing, and open glades. Diamond Peak offers more ways for adults and kids to have a great day on the slopes, without breaking the bank. Lift tickets range from $59 for adults, to free for those 6 and under and 80 and older. Diamond Peak is a great place to learn or improve your skills, with lessons for first timers to advanced skiers and riders. Diamond Peak features two lodges, private and group lessons, equipment rentals and a variety of fun events throughout the season.

Website: www. diamondpeak.com

Phone: (775) 832-1177

Address: 1210 Ski Way Incline Village, NV 89451

Hours: 9am-4pm

Average annual snowfall: 325 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation:  6,700/8,540 feet

# Lifts: 7

Acreage: 655

Trails: 30

Classification: beginner 18%/intermediate 46%/advanced 36%

Ski school: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 6 dining options/1 retail shop

Heavenly Ski Resort – Enjoy challenging technical slopes, tree runs, terrain parks, 80-foot jumps, and the Gunbarrel’s world famous moguls, or cruise 34 miles of wide-open groomed hills. Heavenly has the highest elevation and the longest vertical drop in the Lake Tahoe area. The Heavenly Gondola offers scenic rides with panoramic views of Lake Tahoe. Guests also enjoy live music, food, drinks, and giveaways at the Apres Ski Party. Heavenly also offers a wide variety of shopping opportunities, exciting nightlife, great entertainment and activities in the Heavenly Village, plus the nearby casinos and restaurants of South Lake Tahoe.

Website: http://www.skiheavenly.com

Phone: (775) 586-7000

Address: 4080 Lake Tahoe Blvd South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekends 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays

Average annual snowfall: 360 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,540/10,067 feet

# Lifts: 30

Acreage: 4,800

Trails: 97+

Classification: Beginner 20%, Intermediate 45%, Expert/Advanced 35%

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 26 dining options/13 retail shops

Homewood Ski Resort – Ranked 12th in SKI Magazine’s 2001 reader’s poll, Homewood is a hidden gem of Lake Tahoe’s resort repertoire. Smaller crowds can be expected at this West Shore resort. The mountain is protected from high-ridge winds by Ellis Peak, making for excellent powder all throughout the season. Homewood also boasts beautiful views of Lake Tahoe from every slope. Ski Homewood’s groomed boulevards, glade runs through old-growth forest, and trademark hidden powder stashes. Homewood has two terrain parks for all levels of expertise. Lakeview Park features a variety of tables, rails, flat boxes, rollers, and bank turns. Kolby’s Escape is an innovative park with skate-style features including tables, steps, boxes, slant rails, and bar rails.

Website: http://www.skihomewood.com

Phone: 530-525-2900

Address: 5145 West Lake Blvd. Homewood CA 961415145 West Lake Boulevard

Hours: 9am–4pm

Average annual snowfall: 450 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,230/7,880 feet

# Lifts: 8

Acreage: 1,260

Trails: 64

Classification: 15% beginner, 50% intermediate, 35% advanced

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 6 dining options/1 retail shop

Kirkwood Ski Resort – Kirkwood is action packed with diverse terrain including gentle slopes, open bowls, cornices, and cliffs. Ski Magazine ranked the resort number 10 in the country in its October 2009 edition, and it was chosen as Resort of Choice for Winter 2008 by readers of The Wave Magazine. Four dynamic terrain parks range from an easy beginner park with rollers, spines and whoop-de-doos, to an expert level park with big jumps and kinked rails. Also available is cross country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sled tours, back country expeditions, and snow cat tours. Thunder Mountain Kid’s Snowmobile Park and Slide Mountain Tube Hill is great for families.

Website: http://www.winter.kirkwood.com

Phone: (209) 258-6000

Address: 1501 Kirkwood Meadows Dr Kirkwood, CA 95646

Hours: 9-4pm

Average annual snowfall: 600 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 7,800/9,800 feet

# Lifts: 15

Acreage: 2,300

Trails: 81+

Classification: 15% beginner, 50% intermediate, 20% advanced, 15% expert

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 11 dining options/1 retail shop

Mt. Rose Ski Resort – Just twenty-five minutes from downtown Reno, Mt. Rose provides the option an affordable, convenient, and quick getaway or a longer vacation. Stunning panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and Nevada can be seen from the summit. Mt. Rose offers terrain parks for all abilities, and The Chutes offer an extreme challenge for advanced skiers and snowboarders. Numerous events and entertainment is planned throughout the year, including the Santa Ski Crawl, The Chutes Best Line Challenge, and the Dummy Downhill.

Website: http://www.skirose.com

Phone: (775) 849-0704

Address: 22222 Mt. Rose Hwy Reno, NV 89511

Hours: Zephyr Chair (first tracks) 8:30am – 4pm, Chuter Chair 8:45am – 3:45pm, other lifts 9am – 4pm.

Average annual snowfall: 350 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 8,260/9,700 feet

# Lifts: 8

Acreage: 1,200+

Trails: 60+

Classification: 20% beginner, 30% intermediate, 40% advanced, 10% expert

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 8 dining options/1 retail shop

Northstar California Ski Resort – Northstar’s popular trails are accessed by 20 lifts, including two gondolas, making for an uphill capacity of 34,799 skiers per hour. The resort features seven award-winning terrain parks designed by Snow Park Technologies (SPT) and the Northstar Terrain Park Crew. Cross-country ski, Telemark ski, or snowshoe on 40 kilometers of groomed trails and enjoy warming huts, fire pits and picnic sites with amazing views. Families can take advantage of the snow tubing hill with its own lift. The Village at Northstar is host to more than 30 shops and restaurants including everything from equipment rentals and children’s boutiques, pottery painting, candle making and bead design stores to designer footwear and fine art galleries. The Village also offers a movie theater, luxury lodging options, and special events.

Website: http://www.northstarcalifornia.com

Phone: 530.562.1010

Address: 5001 Northstar Drive, Truckee, CA 96161

Hours: Daily 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The Backside & Lookout Mtn. Express: Daily 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Gondola Express: Daily 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Average annual snowfall: 350 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,330/8,610 feet

# Lifts: 20

Acreage: 3,170

Trails: 97

Classification: 13% Beginner, 60% Intermediate, 27% Advanced

Ski School: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 13 dining options/16 retail shops

Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort – Catering to families and avid outdoor adventurists alike, Sierra at Tahoe ski resort offers award-winning terrain. The resort has been recognized by TransWorld SNOWboarding as a Top 10 Overall Resort year after year, most recently in their 2012 Resort Poll. Its five award-winning terrain parks include the South Shore’s only Superpipe. The resort has excellent wind shelter that allows the lifts to run on windy days. Huckleberry Gates features extremely challenging and steep terrain, appropriate for experts only, filled with cliff drops, rock chutes, open blows, cornices, glades, and powder pillows. Huckleberry Canyon can be explored with guides, or via a guided snowcat tour. Sierra at Tahoe is a family-oriented destination with a special area designed specifically for small skiers and snowboarders. Sierra at Tahoe’s Adventure Zones feature a variety of terrain including mini jumps, rollers, and banked turns with interactive activities to educate children and help them improve their skills. There are also tubing hills with two lifts, a snowplay area, and three miles of snowshoe trails.

Website: http://www.sierraattahoe.com

Phone: (530) 659-7453

Address: 1111 Sierra-At-Tahoe Rd Twin Bridges, CA 95735

Hours: Weekends & Peak Periods: 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Weekdays: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

Average annual snowfall: 480 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,640/8,852 feet

# Lifts: 14

Acreage: 2000

Trails: 46

Classification: 25% Beginner, 50% Intermediate, 25% Advanced

Ski school: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 8 dining options/1 retail shop

Squaw Valley Ski Resort – As the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, its world-famous terrain is filled with exciting runs for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. The resort’s terrain parks and half-pipe are designed and built by Snow Park Technologies, the team that built the world’s first cubed 22-foot pipe featured as part of a signature Red Bull event. The aerial cable car transports guests 2,000 vertical feet to High Camp located at the summit with spectacular views. Ski out from High Camp or skate on the world’s highest open-air ice rink situated at 8,200 feet. Also at the summit are dining venues, sport shops, snowtubing runs, beginner skiing areas, and the Olympic Museum. In addition to the 110-person aerial cable car, the Squaw Valley gondola seats 28-passengers, and over 30 lifts give Squaw Valley an uphill capacity of 49,000 guests per hour. At the base of the mountain is the Village at Squaw Valley, which offers more than 30 restaurants and bars, specialty wine shops, fine art galleries, rental and repair shops, and other exclusive shopping opportunities.

Website: http://www.squaw.com

Phone: (800) 403-0206

Address: 1960 Squaw Valley Rd Olympic Valley, CA 96146

Hours: Weekends/Holidays – 8:30am – 4pm, Weekdays – 9am – 4pm, Night Skiing – 4pm – 9pm

Average annual snowfall: 450 inches

Base Elevation/Summit Elevation: 6,200/9,050 feet

# Lifts: 30

Acreage: 3,600

Trails: 170+

Classification: 25% Beginner, 45% Intermediate, 30% Advanced

Ski school: Adult and children’s private and group lessons available

Dining and shopping: 20+ dining options/20+ retail shops  

This article is an excerpt from Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty’s Winter/Spring issue of Tahoe Legacy magazine. Stay tuned for more updates about Tahoe Legacy. Are you considering a ski property purchase in Lake Tahoe? Contact one of our local experts to find out more about opportunities with our extraordinary listings and living in Reno-Tahoe. Contribute to the conversation using #SierraSothebys, #LakeTahoeLuxury, and “Like” our Facebook page to receive instant updates.