Thread: Skiing Tahoe for a Bay Area Newb

Well I just moved to the Bay Area, which is the farthest I have ever been from a ski area, and need to find out some local tips. I've gone ahead and bought the Tahoe epic pass and plan on mostly skiing Kirkwood. So my questions are:

Is there a good ride share system from the Bay to Kirkwood?

Do any Mags have extra space (floor) in the South Lake area that they are interested in renting out on the weekends?

I would greatly appreciate any other good advice on how to make skiing and living in the Bay as easy and pleasant as possible!?

Don't have too much to offer but I'm interested in this as well, since there's a good chance I'm moving to the bay at the end of January.

Is there any ride share system?
If you want a floor,get one at Kirkwood,not SLT

Originally Posted by levistewart

I would greatly appreciate any other good advice on how to make skiing and living in the Bay as easy and pleasant as possible!?

Avoid driving to Tahoe on Friday nights or back on Sunday nights during a storm. Can easily turn into 2-3x the drive time.

Ski season lease deals work out pretty well if you can get away every weekend. I'm not sure
where you look for them these days. ( Craig's list ?). A group of 8-10 people rent a house for
the season, back in the bad old days rec.skiing.alpine was a reasonable place to look.

I don't know of any good ride share sites.

It's California, nothing happens before 10am. Use this fact to your advantage.

Don't plan on the lifts actually spinning at KW on any given day.

Honestly wind and snow will close the hill and the road. Be prepared with skins, food, water, hookers and blow.

The are also ski buses run by a couple different travel companies for day trips to resorts. The problem there is that they don't generally get to the resort until 10am.

Really surprised that nobody mentioned checking out this thread:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...at-s-Up-Thread

Tons of Bay Area folks post there and a good chunk of them exclusively ski at KW. It's always worth a shot to post up that you're looking for a ride in that thread.

Another one is Snowpals.org, which is predominantly a rideshare community site for Bay Area skiers. They tend to get harshed around here a bit, but I know quite a few Bay Area folks who have had great luck with scoring rideshares via that site. In fact, most of the folks I know who recommend that site only use it for ridesharing.

Third option is your workplace. If you are actually going in to work (i.e. not working from home) ask around and find out which of your co-workers ski. I've scored rides with friends from work many times when I was living in SF.

not quite as easy as the glacier commute...

Originally Posted by bbense

It's California, nothing happens before 10am. Use this fact to your advantage.

Huh? I'm not sure what this means.

turn to heavy drugs to make commuting with a million other douches every weekend to Tahoe or out of the city then standing in line with them at the resorts all weekend pleasant

Originally Posted by Ottime

Don't plan on the lifts actually spinning at KW on any given day.

Honestly wind and snow will close the hill and the road. Be prepared with skins, food, water, hookers and blow.

What he said but add that KW will also randomly shut down lifts due to rogue landing pads taking out the lifts or diesel generators failing.

I might have a spot in my ski lease.

send me an email- "screenname" at g mail

boreal ridge still open

Originally Posted by Dhelihiker

I might have a spot in my ski lease.

send me an email- "screenname" at g mail

nice place to boot

Originally Posted by bbense

The are also ski buses run by a couple different travel companies for day trips to resorts. The problem there is that they don't generally get to the resort until 10am.

True. Especially if it's snowing. Otherwise they aim for 9...but you are sleeping on the way up, so are not as bushed when you get there (handy if you had a late night).
In many cases, the total cost (bus ride up & down & lift-tix) isn't much more than a one day tix.
You can visit almost all the Resorts.
Drink wine/beer, & watch movies or sleep on the way home.
If you get totally "skunked" you will get some kind of refund.

Anyway, I can heartily recommend the Bay Area Ski Bus. Runs weekends, 2 day trips, weekday trips.
BayAreaSkiBus.com

drive up friday at midnight...going 80+mph takes some time off the commute. then pass out in the truckee mcdonalds parking lot till 7am. wake up, grab some food and head over to sqwalpine.


bay area ski bus isnt fun. it takes 5 hours minimum from the santa clara location and you dont get to the resort till 10 am. there are also never any cuties on it, just groups of indians and asians. not a bad deal for spring skiing though- the snow wont corn up till you get there, and you can indulge inn all sorts of mind altering substances without worry.

but seriously, search craigslist or the tahoe thread on here for someone willing to let you crash on their floor in exchange for food/drugs/alcohol. the day trips really start to take a toll on your pocketbook, and body.

Originally Posted by skibum193

not quite as easy as the glacier commute...

Haha Eric, definitely not! But what the hell thanks everybody for all of the useful tips so far what I've noted is:

Do drugs
drink beer
beat all the slow hosers to the mountain
and ALWAYS carry skins

This really is a good community!

Keep the good advice coming.. please!

Zimride for rideshare. Hit me up via PM with your email addy and I'll send you an invite. If I refer you and you use it, we both get $20 from Zimride the first time you use it. Last season I netted out to near $0.00 for total gas costs driving to/from Tahoe (North Lake) from the peninsula for 75 days of skiing.

Originally Posted by Sinecure

Zimride for rideshare. Hit me up via PM with your email addy and I'll send you an invite. If I refer you and you use it, we both get $20 from Zimride the first time you use it. Last season I netted out to near $0.00 for total gas costs driving to/from Tahoe (North Lake) from the peninsula for 75 days of skiing.

Zimride works surprisingly well, especially for the weekend Bay-Tahoe commute. Saves everyone money, and everyone I've ridden with or given rides to have been cool.

Youfuckedup!

Next year get a Squaw/Alpine pass and a house share on the North Shore!

Originally Posted by Shredhead

Youfuckedup!

Next year get a Squaw/Alpine pass and a house share on the North Shore!

No, he didn't. Nothing wrong with Kirkwood and getting to know your way around SLT with a little Heavenly now and then. And I'm saying this as someone with a Squalpine Pass and ski lease in north shore this season.

I think he did. Instead of doing his homework, posting this two months ago and finding the best ski experience in the area. He fell for VR's cheap pass. If you think VR's going to fix Kirkwoods problems this year, I think you'll be disappointed.
North Shore has better skiing, better transportation options and in my opinion, a much better experience?

STFU Shred. Let the jongs go to SLT.

Remember fight club rulez.

Originally Posted by Shredhead

a much better experience?

at squawalpine? if you are a groupie... sure.

Originally Posted by Shredhead

I think he did. Instead of doing his homework, posting this two months ago and finding the best ski experience in the area. He fell for VR's cheap pass. If you think VR's going to fix Kirkwoods problems this year, I think you'll be disappointed.
North Shore has better skiing, better transportation options and in my opinion, a much better experience?

what were kirkwood's problems last year? i'm trying to remember

better transportation options? i guess. kirkwood requires what many consider a tough drive with limited bus service (that could easily change this year with not much in the way of investment). heavenly has lifts starting all over the place with buses heading to all of them.

skiing. another toss up. squaw definitely is a rad mountain but so is heavenly just for different reasons. inbounds squaw destroys inbounds heavenly no doubt. but how many 5,000+ vertical runs does squaw have right off the back side? after that both sides of the lake offer several other very good options. sidecountry has to go to the south shore and personally i think the backcountry has to go to the south shore.