My Favorite Places to Hit the Slopes

By Shelby Hudak, Assistant Account Executive

Any day skiing on a mountain is a good day to me.  

Whether it is a sunny, warm day on the mountain that makes me want to wear my bikini, or it’s so cold that I feel like I don’t have enough jackets, I love to snow ski. It is something about the feeling of gliding smoothly over snow that makes me so happy.   

It may not have been the season that people expected and wanted.  You may have heard many people complain with disappointment about the late start to the snow season in Tahoe this year.  

To me, snow is snow.  It might not be fresh powder, but it’s still great to ride on.

I have visited a variety of mountains:     

Squaw Valley to some has the reputation of being “Squallywood,” an uppity mountain village lined with million-dollar condos.  This North Shore ski resort prides itself on having hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and definitely has the terrain to prove it.  Squaw has some of the steepest ski slopes in the Tahoe area.

Northstar when compared to Squaw Valley can be known as “Flat Star.” The runs are substantially less difficult than Squaw’s.  When it comes to the terrain park, though, Northstar has one of the highest quality parks in the country with terrain for all ski levels.   In 2000, Northstar added a lookout mountain to increase its number of advanced runs to accommodate the expert skiers and snowboarders. There are also plenty of beginner runs for the people still learning. This is why I think that Northstar is the perfect family resort.     

Alpine Meadows, personally, is my favorite.  It has that local-style flair with little “friss and frills.” I love the short walk from the parking lot to the chairlift, and, most importantly, I love that the lines are sane.  Alpine has this particular area it calls Estelle Bowl that skiers can only get to from hiking.  Estelle Bowl has absolutely incredible snow and is my favorite place to ski.    

Boreal gives out special $15 deals on Fridays to college students and those on active military duty. Boreal is definitely smaller than most of the other mountains. However, it makes up for the lack of terrain with being open late.  Boreal is one of the only places in the region that stays open for night riding.

Homewood may not be as up-to-date with the high-speed chairlift technology as some of the other mountain resorts, but I will argue any day that Homewood has better views of Lake Tahoe than any of the other mountains.  There is nothing like gliding down the mountain while staring into the beautiful distance and seeing Lake Tahoe. 

Snow skiing has been a part of my life since before I can even remember.  It truly is one of my favorite hobbies.  I can’t wait for the next storm to gust over Tahoe and to ski the fresh powder.