Ski Snowboard Tahoe - Cold Comfort
by Scott Mortimiore
photo illustrations by Brian Johnson
photos by Court Leve, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Keoki Flagg

Think of Lake Tahoe and you may arrive at images that reside somewhere in the middle of the calendar – the June’s and July’s and August’s that are slam dunk poster children of all things warm and lovely. Jet skis and power boats stitching wakes across glassy coves. Sails fat with late day breezes, skies blazing blue, golf courses with jaw-dropping views and sun-drenched stretches of beach. They all fit the picture nicely. What may not come to mind quite as quickly are wintertime days that are equally brilliant. It’s the flip side of the calendar, the months of white and blue that blaze with life in their own distinctive ways.

Welcome to the other side of the story, the one about deep snows, slopes awash in uncommon amounts of sun, and winter carnivals that bring a pleasant warmth to wintertime at Tahoe. It’s the “secret story” that locals cherish as their own. And here are some of their inside tips on how to go about discovering the best of Reno-Tahoe’s wintertime.

The main characters of this wintertime tale are snowboarding and skiing, distant descendants of what John “Snowshoe” Thompson introduced to the area between 1856 and 1876. Thompson frequently traversed the Sierra from Sacramento to Genoa with a hefty sack of mail on his back, a long pole in hand, and a pair of ten-foot skis slapped to his feet. Aside from carrying the mail, Thompson also found time to teach locals how to make skis and how to use them for both business and pleasure. Today, that pleasure has been elevated to far greater heights. Case in point: Northstar-at-Tahoe™.

Of the more than two dozen resorts that ring the Lake Tahoe region, Northstar-at-Tahoe™ is among the growing rank of properties that have reinvented the notion of wintertime recreation. With an immense infusion of creativity and money, they’ve virtually turned themselves, their property and the concept of a ski resort upside down. Northstar-at-Tahoe is now a four-season village abuzz with shops and restaurants and surrounded by condos and cabins. At its heart is a skating rink with rink-side restaurants, pubs and coffee shops, a focal point that skiers and boarders and people simply in need of a pleasing escape gravitate to. Impressive. But what’s beyond is even more tempting. Gondolas whisk skiers and boarders from the midst of the village to a network of slopes. Not more than a short walk from the village resort you’ll come to a sun-decked Nordic center that opens up to nearly 40 kilometers of cross country, telemark and snowshoe trails that wind through woods and meadows and ridgelines with views that go on and on. And to make the journey even better – regardless of whether you’re en route to a sweat-busting trek or a half-day lark – are a series of warming huts, complete with hot chocolate, hot tea and endless views of the winter wilderness.

Northstar-at-Tahoe isn’t alone in mastering the village concept and wrapping a total experience of dining, shopping, skating, snowmobiling, bungee jumping, sleigh rides, cross country treks, snowshoe journeys and just about anything else you could associate with a winter vacation (skiing and boarding is a given!). Squaw Valley USA, not more than a cup of coffee from either Truckee or Tahoe City, weaves its 1960 Olympics mystique into a village lifestyle that is equal parts retro and chic hip.

Sharing this high-spined neighborhood of deep snows and profuse sun is Alpine Meadows, just a couple miles closer to Lake Tahoe than Squaw Valley USA. Alpine Meadows is simultaneously cozy and colossal. The mountain is vast, with 13 lifts spanning 2400 acres of skiable terrain and accumulations of white stuff averaging 495 inches a year. The resort’s instruction staff is locally renowned and its runs as challenging as one cares to tackle. But the overriding impression of Alpine Meadows is that of a resort that smiles a whole lot wider. It just feels a little bit nicer here, in part because of the sundecks, bars and restaurants, but mostly due to a management team that has found a way to create an atmosphere that feels “just right.”

Another colorful escape not far from Truckee, just over the granite capped western edge of Donner Lake, is Sugar Bowl Ski Resort-- the hidden gem that, in 1938, made skiing more mainstream and accessible to the masses when a visionary by the name of Walt Disney founded the resort and became the first in the Sierra to string chair lifts to the summit of the range. Sugar Bowl, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley USA and Northstar-at-Tahoe are just a few of the many ski and snowboard resorts within an hour of the Lake Tahoe basin and Reno. Others include Heavenly, Diamond Peak, Donner Ski Ranch, Kirkwood, Mt. Rose, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Homewood Mountain Resort.

Aside from what Mother Nature brings to the party, there’s also that side of the picture that comes compliments of human nature as well.A day on the slopes is rivaled by a double black diamond après scene that prevails at every corner. The Chateau at Incline Village, with its classic Tahoe charm, sweeping views of the lake and surrounding mountains, and its bar, restaurant and immense stone fireplace, certainly qualifies as one of the area’s ultimate après ski spots.

Cross-country aficionados can rent cross-country gear and snowshoes at rental shops throughout the area and simply head for a stretch of woods, mountains and meadows that looks to your liking. Better yet, however, are those resorts specifically geared to the sport, graced with tracks that go on for mile after mile. At Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort – the nation’s largest of its kind – you can glide or skate your way over more than 300 kilometers of groomed track and 9000 acres of skiable terrain. Another resort catering to cross-country skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts is Clair Tappaan Lodge, just 45 minutes from Reno. The facility was built in 1934 by volunteers and is today owned and operated by the Sierra Club. At all points of this winter playground are places to settle into your skinny skis or slap on your snowshoes and make for the woods. There’s Kirkwood Nordic Center south of Lake Tahoe, Spooner Lake Cross-Country Ski Area on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, Sugar Pine Point State Park on its southwest shore, the highly-acclaimed Tahoe Donner Ski Area and, as mentioned before, Northstar-at-Tahoe.

You needn’t look far to find other colorful applications for this heaven-sent bliss that finds its way to Reno-Tahoe. A toboggan, disk or tube – combined with a nice pitch of packed snow – is all it takes to whip up a day of smiles and laughter. Among the many winter play parks are favorites like Adventure Peak at Heavenly Lake Tahoe whose tubing and sledding slopes (as well as climbing wall and snowshoeing trails) are accessed by a 2.4-mile breathtaking gondola ride. Others include the Playland at Boreal Mountain Resort, Granlibakken Ski Area on the west shore, Hansen’s Resort near Heavenly, Incline Village Snow Play Area, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe®, North Tahoe Regional Park, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley, Soda Springs, Spooner Summit and Soda Springs Winter Resort, with specially bank-turned runs, tow systems, mini snowmobiles and Planet Kids – a snow adventure park made for kids under 10.

When it comes to skating, Squaw Valley USA’s arena has a perch that’s among the world’s most stunning – a 100’ x 200’ rink at the ski area’s High Camp, located 8200’ above sea level and affording views of the spine of the Sierra and beyond. The Resort at Squaw Creek, South Tahoe Ice Arena, Kirkwood Village Ice Rink and Village at Northstar are other skating favorites.

This year, visit Reno-Tahoe on the cool side of the calendar, when the winter wonderland absolutely glows. To check out Reno/Tahoe winter sport videos, click here.