New Years in Tahoe?

[WTF is dat]

looks like I am going to be attending snowball music festival in Tahoe this year.

Will be there December 27th through January 2nd. We will probably only ski 3 days, and party / enjoy the music festival the rest of the time.

I've never been to Tahoe, so am curious about what to expect this time of year. I know that last year conditions were not good, so hopefully this year will be better.

I have an epic pass, so we will be sticking to the 3 epic pass resorts in Tahoe.

How will crowds be this time of year? I assume shitty, but I am used to skiing summit county so maybe it wont be as bad as I expect.

Since we will only be skiing 3 days, I was thinking of spending 1 day at each epic resort. Are they each worth a day? I have heard Northstar is flat and boring. Is there any terrain there worth skiing? I would like to spend a day there, just to see it and say that I have skied there, if that makes sense.

Any advice is appreciated

[snowswine]

Mountain biking will be killer!!!!!

[liv2ski]

^^^Now that is optimistic The Tahoe region, like the rest of the eastern Sierra is pretty hit and miss that time of year. I would suggest you post up nekkid pics of your girl friend in the Ullr thread as an offering.

[old goat]

Sometimes crowds not too bad. A lot of people's passes are blacked out over the holidays. New Year's Day is not usually blacked out, but is often uncrowded, for obvious reasons. I had a great powder day on Silverado one year--absolutely no line. (Anyone remember Silverado?)

[LightRanger]

(Anyone remember Silverado?)

Isn't that a chairlift at the resort I *used* to have a pass to?

OP, like old goat said, it can be hit and miss. Northstar can be fun in storms. The tree skiing in the Backside and Lookout Mountain (if it's open) is pretty fun. There's a reason people refer to it as Flatstar though. Likewise with Heavenly, although it's bigger and has at least some decently steep pitches. It's not wind-protected in storms like Northstar though. Kirkwood is a popular mountain with the Tahoe maggot crowd. Fun terrain. Lots of snow (in non-drought years, at least).

From SLT, Northstar is a bit of a drive, Kirkwood is less, and Heavenly is of course right in town. Lake views from Heavenly are sick.

[AKbruin]

Assuming you're staying in SLT, if conditions are good, I'd do two days at KW and a day at Heavenly. If they're bad, maybe the opposite or maybe substitute Northstar (which has the best snowmaking in Tahoe but is otherwise uninspiring). If they're really bad, go biking. I think we've had solid riding conditions two of the last four new years. You should be able to rent a bike at an LBS. Go shuttle Corral, which is super fun.

I think Tahoe is pretty crowded at that time, although I have no idea how it compares to CO. Maybe 15-30 minute lift lines? (I measure crowdedness by the amount of car traffic and people in my local grocery store, both of which seen to triple or even quadruple at this time.)

I'd shore up lodging sooner than later. There are some cool cabins on VRBO although everybody--cabins, motels, hotels--jacks up the prices at that time.

[TahoeJ]

So much depends on conditions so it's anyone's guess.

Northstar is great for storm days, especially if its windy because they can still spin everything. The front side is indeed flat, but the backside and Lookout mountain have great tree skiing. Obviously Kirkwood is a must.

Crowds can be horrible or surprisingly sparse that time of year. Two season ago there was a huge dump that week but most resorts weren't that packed because of blackout dates, and the lack of snow before that had caused many people to make other plans over the holidays. So it's a crapshoot.

[Danster]

Be relatively busy especially if the snow is good. Go enjoy Heavenly.

[digitaldeath]

heavenly sucks but is well located......

sierra at tahoe supremely underated

best tree skiing in the fucking world

[Ottime]

Heavenly sucks if you have no idea what you are doing. Sierra at Tahoe does have great tree skiing, but is not epic*. KW will not have crowds/lines unless it is a powder day, or the day after. Otherwise most holiday peeps are too lazy to bother with the drive out there. N* will be crowded unless it is a storm or powder day. Get up the hill early (like first lift) at the Heave and avoid mid mountain by 10am. Hook up with a local if you need to be shown around. It is worth knowing where to go, and where not to go.

[digitaldeath]

^^^^^^^^ only the chutes are fun at heavenly, that and the FACE (the face fucking rules, i totally forgot)

name a resort with more epic tree skiing than sierra at tahoe.... i say its the best in the country

[Ottime]

Sorry, I meant EPIC*. As on his pass. Tongue in cheek.

And there is a lot to the heave that is not on te maps. Especially in a good year. And if you have gear. But even inbounds there are some fun runs outside the canyons and face. Just kind of need to know where to go. Stuff that actually reminds me of SAT, as in wide spaced old growth and with pitch.

[TahoeJ]

The other key with Heavenly is don't move around too much. If you go back and forth between CA and NV a bunch, well, yeah, that's going to suck.

[gASSyrOBOt]

Thread hijack.
So KW is clearly the place to be out of the EPIC locales, with that in mind........
What is the best lodging solution to play the weather game with an Epic pass during early January?

And yes, going to Colorado is on the table at this point.

[Ottime]

Spends what you are going for. If you only be skiing KW and don't mind possible down days, and have the coin, and don't mind no night life, stay there. If you plant to check out other places, and want some night life and less expensive options, choose SLT. If you are planning on KW, and have a large enough group look for a home rental. VBRO has a few. If you are planning to stay at KW for more than two days I highly suggest getting a place with a kitchen and shopping in Reno before you drive out. Not many options to eat out in the valley.

If you leave early enough and the roads are clear the drive from SLT to KW is 40+ minutes. On other days the road is closed.

It is nice to be out at KW when there is fresh snow and the roads are closed and they actually get the place open. OTOH, if you show up during a full on winter storm week, the hill can be completely shut or mostly shut for several days. And basically, if try don't get at least 6 spinning the place can get pretty boring pretty fast. OTOH, if you have skins and some idea of where to go,there are options even in the strongest storms.

[Dhelihiker]

Skiing aside, SLT is an utter shit show on NYE. They close down the street in front of the casinos and the "I wanna fight" crowd comes out. I'm big and I went with another non-ski friend one year. He is a big boy, tatted and looking like a biker, and he was getting fucked with. I saw a drunk guy getting wooped by 4-5 teenagers. Bad scene.

[WestCoastPDR]

^^^^^^^^ only the chutes are fun at heavenly, that and the FACE (the face fucking rules, i totally forgot)

name a resort with more epic tree skiing than sierra at tahoe.... i say its the best in the country

Jay Peak Vermont. Duh. Steamboat.