Lake Tahoe is where the states of California and Nevada meet and is one of the United States' premier skiing destinations. The area surrounds a large fresh water lake and is enclosed by the Sierra Mountains. Lake Tahoe is a popular tourist destination for skiers because it has the largest number of ski resorts in North America.
Health Benefits
In Tahoe, you can choose from alpine skiing or cross-country (Nordic) skiing. Both alpine and cross-country skiing are total body workouts and put minimal stress on your joints. These sports help you increase endurance, burn calories, boost cardiovascular fitness and improve your coordination, balance and agility.
Ski Areas
There are twelve alpine ski resorts located at Lake Tahoe. These include Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Alpine Meadows. Seven of the twelve ski resorts are interconnected by an "interchangeable lift ticket." This ticket ensures you will have a full day on the slopes without ever having to slow down by allowing you to ski through numerous resorts. This way you can experience more of the bowls that make up the Lake Tahoe ski area than if you confined your skiing to just one resort.
Just outside Tahoe City, areas devoted to cross-country (Nordic) skiing include the Granlibakken Ski Area, which encompasses Page Meadows and the Tahoe Rim Trail, and the Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area, with 40 miles of 19 individual trails. Sugar Pine Point State Park, 10 miles south of Tahoe City, was home to the 1960 Winter Olympic Nordic skiing competitions and offers 9 miles of terrain through four trails, with grand views of the lake.
Backcountry
In addition to the ski resorts, you can choose to go backcountry skiing when in Lake Tahoe. This form of skiing allows for you to explore some of the untouched areas around Lake Tahoe. There are several guides who are certified and knowledgeable who can take you out on this backcountry adventure.
Statistics
There are 17,520 skiable acres at Lake Tahoe, with 535 groomed trails and 125 lifts. There are 21 terrain parks spread across the resorts. Trails are graded, with 28 percent of the trails designed for the novice, 42 percent for the intermediate skier and 30 percent are for the advanced skier.
When heading to Lake Tahoe to ski, chances are that you will have a sunny day while out on the slopes. There are on average 274 sunny days at Tahoe a year. The ski season typically ranges from November through May and there are approximately 420 inches of annual snowfall.
Lessons
At all the Lake Tahoe ski resorts, individuals can take skiing lessons. Lessons are available to skiers of all skill sets from novice to expert. Both group and individual lessons are available. In addition to alpine skiing lessons, several resorts offer cross-country skiing as well.
Gear
All the Lake Tahoe resorts have alpine and cross-country skis available for rent. Additionally, there are several stores in the area that have skis for rent or for sale. Many of these stores allow you to reserve your skis online before heading to Lake Tahoe.
Other Activities
On your non-skiing days in Lake Tahoe, this area has numerous activities to keep you moving. During the winter, you can head out for an active day of snowshoeing or stay closer to the hotel by hitting one of the local ice skating rinks or sledding hills. Skates and saucers are available to rent at resort-based rinks and hills.
Member Comments