After five years of skiing at our local hills, my family is finally able to go out west. We are flying into Reno and will have two days to Ski. I'm wondering which place is best for us between Squaw Valley and Heavenly. I'd say my kids (12&13) and I are all intermediates. We can ski the easy black diamonds around here but usually don't do the black diamonds with big moguls on them  such as upper eastwind and upper strata at Ski Liberty.   My wife does not like to ski so she'll probably do one day on the greens and then be looking for other fun things to do.  I'd appreciate any insights.  I only want to do one of them since we will only be there two days. 

 I think Squaw is the more interesting ski area with good beg-int skiing on the upper half of mtn suitable for your entire family.  Heavenly has far better views of the lake and more town/resort stuff at base for wife's day off.  But its snow isn't usually as good and trail layout can be chaotic.

Do you intend to stay slopeside or commute from a few miles away?  Heavenly has more slopeside or near slopeside lodging, some of it old and cheap if you need that.

That's a long way to go for two days.  I assume you have other business??

Definitely second that Heavenly has a pretty disruptive trail layout. You can get stuck in California when you actually parked in Nevada and it may literally take 2 hours of ride up and ski down to get where you need to be. On the contrary, the view from the top is amazing!!

Also, I absolutely loved Mt Rose. The mountain has a great vibe, lots of terrain options, great snow, and is super easy to get to from Reno.

From Reno, I see no reason to drive all the way to South Tahoe.  Not only have Mt. Rose pretty close to the Reno airport, there is also Northstar and Alpine Meadows.  While Squaw is obviously very well known, it's such a big place that figuring out where to go can take some time.  Squaw and Northstar have "villages" if someone is going along for the day but not going to ski that much.  If I'd taken my daughter to Tahoe when she was a tween and skiing southeast blacks, my top picks would've been Northstar, Alpine Meadows, or Sugar Bowl in north Tahoe.

The best view of Lake Tahoe on the northside is from Homewood.  That's a small place for locals, so probably not worth it with only two days for skiing.

 Thank you all for the feedback! We do plan to stay slopeside since this is the first time at a big place for us.  We will be traveling in California afterwards so that's why were going all that way for just two days.   I will have to read up on some of the other resorts that you mentioned. 

Northstar is a pretty sweet family destination and they have lots of slopeslide accommodations. 

When are you going?  I live in SF and ski Sierra, Heavenly, Kirkwood.  Our last storm, a 2 footer, was 9 days ago and was the only snow of note in the past month.  It has been unusually warm and dry after a good start.  The Tahoe areas have been experiencing 55 deg. Highs and many nights with no refreezing.  The long term prospect is for a chance of snow in about 10 days.  The high pressure ridge that made last season so poor is back in place off the coast.  It looks like a repeat of the second half of last season.  Under these circumstances I'd recommend Heavenly, where you can start at 9000 ft. And go up from there.  You can load the gondola from right in town and park for free in the back end of Harrah's parking lot, a 200 yard walk away.  Kirkwood and Mt. Rose are also high and preserve snow better than Squaw, Alpine, and Northstar.  The high point of squaw's lauout is only 9000 ft.  In late season last year they had very little open terrain and big crowds competing for it.

We are not going until March.  Our ski days will be 3/23 and 3/24. Hope the snow hangs around that long!

VASki wrote:

 Thank you all for the feedback! We do plan to stay slopeside since this is the first time at a big place for us.  We will be traveling in California afterwards so that's why were going all that way for just two days.   I will have to read up on some of the other resorts that you mentioned. 

One place to get a quick overview for several resorts is OnTheSnow .  Easier that trying to wander thru individual websites until you narrow it down a bit.

Northstar is very family friendly, especially when staying in slopeside lodging.

For snow conditions, check out what Tony Crocker put together for family planning.  He likes to collect snow stats.

http://www.bestsnow.net/fam_ski.htm

Heavenly is huge with a huge maze of trails and huge casinos.  Not ideal for a 2 day visit - once you get your bearings you'll be packing to leave.

Squaw is legendary, and well deserved.  It is a "bucket list" resort.  Keep in mind there is LOTS of challenging terrain, but there are plenty of blue cruisers to keep you entertained for two days.  Your family might enjoy the High Camp pool and lodge area.  The Squaw Village is pretty compact but still has decent restaurants, bars, shops, etc.  Watch out for morning and afternoon traffic to/from Truckee.  As suggested by others, Northstar reputation well deserved.

My personal preference would be Squaw over Heavenly, and Alpine over Squaw , although I guess that Alpine and Squaw have hooked up.

A friend of mine is on a quest to ski all Vail owned resorts ths season. He spent that last week in Tahoe.  He said it's been getting into the 50's. He used the word "sucks" to describe snow conditions,

Looking back, many replies, mine included, were more expressions of personal preference rather than addressing the original post. The weather pattern is changing as I write and a series of storms are now lining up to come into the CA coast.  Many feet of snow expected in the high Sierra.  It is supposed to last 10 days or more.  This dispels the fear of an early and warm end to the season.  Therefore, get set for a great experience.  For a first trip west, or even if you are an old hand, you are going to love it.  You cant go wrong at any of the Tahoe ares.  However, Squaw is a truly special place.  If you are to visit only one Tahoe area in your life, Squaw is the place.  

 http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.6825&lon=-120.0961#.VtnsXGK9KSP 

http://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/advisory#null 

Hi Denis and everyone who replied,

Thank you for the information! I plan to book at Squaw this weekend. We have less than 3 weeks to go and are very excited!  Please let me know if you have any other thoughts or if there are significant changes. 

VASki wrote:

Hi Denis and everyone who replied,

Thank you for the information! I plan to book at Squaw this weekend. We have less than 3 weeks to go and are very excited!  Please let me know if you have any other thoughts or if there are significant changes. 

 

 

Looks like good timing!!   Lots of snow coming that way!

I only skied at Squaw once, but remember well the green trails high up the mountain, and the fun park like activities at the top of the gondola, take your bathing suit!

MorganB

VASki wrote:

Hi Denis and everyone who replied,

Thank you for the information! I plan to book at Squaw this weekend. We have less than 3 weeks to go and are very excited!  Please let me know if you have any other thoughts or if there are significant changes. 

 

 

You are close to your departure. Have fun and good luck with the impending squall!  Looks like about 1/2 ft at most of the Tahoe resorts through tomorrow!  Bases are all sound (90+" at all the majors). I'll be heading out for a short visit in late March (coincidental w/ work, lucky me!). IF you have a chance to check in after your visit, a report from the ground would be most appreciated! I'm waffling between Squaw, Heavenly, and Kirkwood.  I'll likely make a decision as conditions dictate, but seems they are decent across the board.  Happy Skiing and Cheers!

Hi TEConnor,

 Never having skied out west before, I don't have much to compare to. To me the conditions were fantastic! Nearly everything was open and some lifts were closed but I suspect they are closed a lot of the times when it's not very crowded. We skied on Thursday and Friday. Weather was clear and warm during the day. Friday especially the snow was very hard in the morning and softened up and skied very well by midday.  Overall, we had a wonderful time! Squaw Valley turned out to be a great choice for us. I hope we have the opportunity to do it again.