Tips & Advice

Getting there:

• The best way to get to the Lake Tahoe resorts is to fly direct into San Francisco. There are a lot of large aircraft operating this route which means cheaper flights and always plenty of availability. It is then an easy 4 hour drive to the resorts, mainly along Interstate roads, so with a flight arriving at 2pm into San Francisco you should be able to get to resort by 8pm. If you want to, you can easily spend the first night in San Francisco to break up the journey, which does not really have to affect your ski time as with the jet-lag you will be up very early and can be on the slopes for 10am.

• The alternative option is to fly into Reno Airport, normally via San Francisco and take a 1 ½ hr transfer. However this can often mean it costs more and you don’t necessarily arrive any earlier.

• A 4x4 is really a great asset in the area to allow you to access all the 7 resorts on the lift pass. Many companies will offer you package prices with other vehicles, but from experience if you do not have a 4x4 you will find that the hire companies will not even allow you to take other vehicles if they know you are going to Tahoe because of the 4x4 or snow-chain restrictions on the roads - you can take the risk -  it will only save £100 if pre-booked, but it will cost a lot more if you have to up-grade locally.

• We always recommend a city stay in San Francisco

Where to stay:

• Squaw Valley accommodation tends to be “higher” end and so more expensive than South Lake Tahoe (Heavenly), but does offer some the best value luxury accommodation in North America. Booking early is the key again here as all 3 of the accommodations we feature have Early Booking offers which will save up to 25% on your price.

The Skiing/riding:

• Lake Tahoe Passport – this superb pass covers 7 resorts around Lake Tahoe – Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows (10 mins), Northstar (20 mins), Heavenly (45 mins), Kirkwood (1hr), Sierra at Tahoe (1hr) and Mount Rose (20 mins).

• Squaw is a great all round resort and very popular with families with its lovely groomed runs both above and below the tree line. With a 450” average snow fall and legendary advanced terrain it’s a great option for all standards. Squaw Valley can also be a little quieter at busy times than in Heavenly.

• The sheer diversity of terrain over the 7 resorts is the main attraction for many skiers to the area!! Each one is completely different and gives you a new adventure everyday. The furthest you have to drive to these is 1hour, but the scenery along these drives is breathtaking. Alpine Meadows is only 10 minutes away and a popular with locals on the powder days as well as having such gorgeous groomed runs. Northstar is a great family resort and Mount Snow can often catch more snow on some days than the surrounding areas – so keep an eye on RSN TV channel in the mornings (both 20mins drive). Heavenly and Sierra are around 45-60 minutes drive (depending which road is open) and Kirkwood can be up to 1 ½ hrs, but well worth it!

Weather:

• Lake Tahoe’s temperature is tempered by the Pacific, so this area is not prone to the Baltic temperatures that you can get in Alberta or Colorado in January. In fact the beginning of January can actually be the best time to go. Tahoe gets 300 days of sunshine a year, so when it snows, it snows in feet (400+ inches a year) and the rest of the time it is sunny….not many cloudy windy white out days!! It has one the latest seasons in North America (generally until May) and has a good snow record into April. Spring skiing is awesome as well, as the locals holidays have finished so the slopes are uncrowded…meaning they stay in good shape all day.

• Squaw has an historic snowfall total - http://www.squaw.com/winter/snowfall.html 

Eating and drinking:

• Mountain Restaurants: High Camp – at the top of the Gondola has five great restaurants – Wildflour Baking Company, serving homemade pastries and cakes (always long queues here - the locals' favorite!), and The Terrace Restaurant with spectacular views over Squaw Valley, Alexander’s Café & bar, and the Poolside Café, and BBQ area. Gold Coast has 3 restaurants, The Oasis Food Court, which serves great noodles, drop in for a quick fix at the coffee hut, or relax at either the Mermaid or Waterfall Bar. The Crossroad café or The Ground Floor which is where you get the usual pizza’s and burritos for a serious energy fix.

• Le Chamois in the Village at Squaw is a favourite serving hearty lunches and dinners with the new Pint & Pitcher Passes and coming soon - the Pizza Pass!
  Fireside Pizza Co. is another popular choice, although at weekends I would recommend booking as this gets packed!

• The Plumpjack café is a chain of 4 restaurants, the main one at Squaw Valley Village and wins numerous awards with the local food and drink magazines – this is a must dine restaurant when visiting Squaw.

• The Resort at Squaw Creek is another place for some excellent food, with Restorante Montagna serving delicious pastas, fish and meat dishes.
  

Après ski and night life:

• Après ski – as all the properties in resort make up the base area, Squaw actually has one of the best après ski atmospheres in the US, particularly at the weekends which see skiers coming up from the Bay Area. Click here for local tips http://www.skisafari.com/Feature-Squaw-Valley-Guide-Apres-Ski.aspx 

• Night life is again focused around the same bars and some will have live bands. Truckee and the casinos in Reno are a 30 minute taxi ride away and definitely worth a try.