PALISADES TAHOE

Despite its image as a desert state, Nevada offers some of America’s most exciting skiing opportunities.

At Lake Tahoe, straddling both the Silver State and California, you will find 259 kilometres of spectacular ski runs, with lifts climbing up to over 3,000 metres, Try Heavenly’s Gun barrel run, twisting and turning its way underneath the chairlift, or sample some of Palisades Tahoe’s famous black diamond runs for the ultimate challenge on snow.

In fact, the ski area around Lake Tahoe comprises seven resorts, covering some 17,000 acres of winter fun. Wherever you choose to base yourself, you need not feel restricted to just that one resort. Plan you days to ski around the area and you will never have to do the same run twice. Not only is there plenty of skiing for every level, but snowboarders will also delight at Heavenly’s board park or Palisades Tahoe’s Milky Way Bowl. Or why not try snowmobiling, cross country skiing, snow-shoeing or dog sledding while you’re there?

Palisades Tahoe, site of the Winter Olympic Games in 1960, is a legendary vacation destination plunked down squarely at the end of a gorgeous Sierra valley. The terrain may seem endless to those trying to conquer it, with 44 lifts, including North America’s only Funitel and an aerial Cable Car, access six peaks, 6,000 acres. The Village was built with the inviting ambiance of a European style mountain village and features the sort of restaurants, shops, and support services skiers expect to find when visiting such a venerable area. Ski-in, ski-ski-out luxury accommodation is the norm on the north of the lake, with spacious suites, spas and pools and an excellent selection of bars and restaurants.

Heavenly, with 4,800 acres, is one of North America’s largest mountains. Few ski resorts match Heavenly’s scenic beauty and expansive network of lifts, terrain, trails, and snowmaking. Located on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, Heavenly is the region’s largest mountain resort, featuring the highest elevation and longest vertical drop. At over 10,000 feet, Heavenly is Tahoe’s highest and the average annual snowfall is a formidable 360 inches. Heavenly also boasts incredible views of North America’s largest mountain lake and you will find an eclectic mix of unusual shops and great dining places. This resort spans two states (California and Nevada). Heavenly is owned by Vail Resorts, Inc.

Northstar makes the perfect family base, centred on an open air ice rink with plenty of shops and restaurants and S’ Mores Fire Pit, where you can roast marshmallows over an open fire as you watch skaters glide by. The area boasts a vertical drop of 2,280 feet, and 3,170 acres of terrain with its longest run a thigh-taxing 2.09 km long. Northstar’s mix of runs is 13 percent beginner, 60 percent intermediate, and 27 percent advanced.

Mountain Terrain:

Beginner

25%

Intermediate

40%

Advanced

35%

Summit Elevation:

Ward Peak: 2758 m (9,050 ft)

Scott Peak: 2526 m (8,289 ft)

Vertical Drop:

869 m 

Skiable Area:

2,400 acres

Average Snowfall:

1016 cm

Snowboarders:

Snowboarder Friendly

Lift Information:

  • 1 express 6-passenger
  • 3 express quads
  • 2 triple chairs
  • 5 double chairs
  • 2 surface lifts

Trails:

100+ runs. Longest run: 3.2 miles, Mountain Run

Notes:

7 bowls. Two peaks. 

Mountain Terrain:

Beginner

25%

Intermediate

45%

Advanced

30%

Summit Elevation:

Peak: 9,050 ft

Snow King: 7,552 ft

Broken Arrow: 8,070 ft

Granite Chief: 9,006 ft

Emigrant: 8,774 ft

Vertical Drop:

869 m (2,850 ft)

Skiable Area:

3,600 acres

Average Snowfall:

1016 cm

Snowboarders:

Snowboarder Friendly

Lift Information:

  • 1 Aerial Tram 
  • 1 Funitel gondola
  • 4 Express 6-passenger lifts
  • 3 Express quads
  • 1 Fixed-grip quad
  • 9 Triple chairs
  • 5 Double chairs
  • 3 Surface lifts
  • 2 Magic carpets 

Trails:

170+ runs. Longest run: 3.2 miles. 

Notes:

16 bowls. 300 days of cloudless sunny skies per year. 5 terrain parks to choose from; Belmont Park, Gold Coast Park, Mainline Park, SnoVentures Start Park, and High Camp Start Park

Mountain Terrain:

Beginner

20%

Intermediate

45%

Advanced

35%

Summit Elevation:

3,068 m (10,067 ft)

Vertical Drop:

1,067 m (3,500 ft)

Skiable Area:

4,800 acres

Average Snowfall:

914 cm 

Snowboarders:

Snowboarder Friendly

Lift Information:

  • 1 Aerial tram/reversible ropeway
  • 1 Gondola
  • 2 6-passenger high-speed chairs
  • 8 High-speed detachable quads
  • 1 Fixed-grip quad
  • 5 Fixed-grip triples
  • 2 Fixed-grip doubles
  • 2 Rope tows
  • 5 People movers

Trails:

97 runs. Longest run: 5.5 miles. 

Notes:

One terrain park: Groove Park. 20 features, has a beginners area (LTR). 

Mountain Terrain:

Beginner

13%

Intermediate

60%

Advanced

27%

Summit Elevation:

2,624 m (8,610 ft)

Vertical Drop:

695 m (2,280 ft)

Skiable Area:

3,170 acres

Average Snowfall:

890 cm

Snowboarders:

Snowboarder Friendly

Lift Information:

  • 3 Gondolas (1 express, 1 pulse, 1 chondola)
  • 2 Six-pack express (chondola)
  • 6 Express quads
  • 1 Fixed-grip quad
  • 2 Triple chairs
  • 2 Surface lifts
  • 5 Magic carpets

Trails:

100 runs. Longest run: 1.4 miles, Logger’s Loop.

Notes:

8 terrain parks; Pinball, Moonshine, Burton, The Straits, Pipeline, The LilLil’ Stash. All differ in difficulty, something for everyone.

Photo courtesy of Palisades Tahoe