cykogirl

I'm planning a snowboarding trip for December. I was thinking about Snowbird, UT, but am looking into other areas out west. I appreciate any information, reviews and/or personal accounts of Tahoe mountain.

And where is South Lake Tahoe? Would December be a bad time to go?

Also, where is the closest airport? Any ideas on how much airfare would be from NYC?

Thanks!!

EDIT: Oops, the title should be "Information on Tahoe in December"

hersheyjan

December isn't the best time but it's not bad... depends on how much it rains/snows in November/December. I'd keep an eye on the weather.

Check out http://www.snowbomb.com
http://www.sierraattahoe.com/
http://www.skinorthstar.com/

I'd fly to SFO and meet up with some S2000 owners Then take a huge trip to Tahoe.

I'm always down to go boarding...

cykogirl

I'm sure Ev would like that, being the King of Bay Area group drives that he is.

Thanks for the websites! It's so hard to plan a snowboarding trip this far in advance since there's no way to tell what the conditions will be like.

Is Tahoe a "snowboard-friendly" place? I heard Snowbird, UT isn't really.

hersheyjan

Most resorts in Tahoe are snowboard friendly. I hear Vancouver has great snow as well...I've been meaning to check it out.

wantone

December??? Now that's planning ahead Rest assured we'll bring the whole gang to pick you up

cykogirl

Whistler is great! I went there last year. Make sure to stay in the village when you go. It was awesome just walking everywhere. There are a ton of restaurants and shops. Prices weren't bad either, taking into account the exchange rate!

There are some vacation packages on their website in the fall that are pretty sweet. http://www.whistler-blackcomb.com/ Blackcomb is a short walk or free shuttle-ride from Whistler.

People are really friendly there as well. It's tempting to go back there, but I want to explore the US.

cyber_x

cykogirl,

All the resorts in the Tahoe area welcome snowboarders. The general attitude and percentage of snowboarders/skiers varies from place to place, but I'd say they're all pretty snowboard-friendly. Squaw Valley, Heavenly, and Alpine Meadows tend to be geared a little more toward skiers - there's a greater percentage of them, and the advanced terrain tends to have more moguls. Don't get me wrong, though...those places are awesome and definitely worth a visit. The other resorts - Boreal, Northstar, Sierra, Sugar Bowl, Bear Valley, Kirkwood, etc. - all have a fairly even percentage of skiers and snowboarders, with most terrain suitable for both.

December would be a so-so to good time to go, depending on what part of the month you're talking about. Early December would be good only if it's a good snow year. Late December would likely be just fine. In a typical year, the earliest of the Tahoe resorts open around Thanksgiving. Boreal is usually the first to open, but it's very small and the runs are extremely short. It does have a nice park, though, so I'd go only if you're interested in park riding. Most of the other resorts will be open maybe a week or two into December.

South Tahe and North Tahoe are pretty close together. They're separated by highway 89, and it takes maybe (rough estimate) 45-60 minutes to travel between the two. North Tahoe has more ski resorts (Boreal, Sugar Bowl, Northstar, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows), and South Tahoe has less (Sierra, Heavenly), but South Tahoe is where the casinos, restaurants, etc., are.

The closest airport to the North Tahoe area is probably Reno, NV. It's about a 30-minute drive from Reno to North Tahoe.

Also, since you're travelling all the way across the country to snowboard, you might consider checking out Mammoth Mountain while you're in the state. It's a pretty damn nice resort, the terrain is good, and my personal opinion is that it's better than any single Tahoe resort (although a lot of others disagree and like Squaw Valley the best).

Enjoy...

vananron

In December I give a 30% chance of being trapped on the mountain due to Snow.

sandman

I've gone to Whistler for the past two years and although Tahoe has plenty of resorts to offer, none of them come close to the quality of Whistler in terms of cost, length of runs as well as width, not to mention the nightlife in the village. Only thing I can think of that Tahoe has more to offer than Whistler is the snowpark stuff. I think UT would be cool to check out as well as the resorts in CO if you can afford it. But if you've never been to Tahoe, it's defineatly worth checking out.

Also, I believe you cannot commercially fly into South Lake. You'd have to fly to Reno and hitch a ride, be it rental, shuttle, bus, etc.

Anyway, enough of my opinion. I'm sure you won't be disappointed in whatever you choose.

-Sandy.

02Blue

Ya, Whistler Villiage rocks!