Best for: Powder lovers

Best lift: Wagonwheel

Young adult: $54

Kirkwood is on the south side of Lake Tahoe and is a little bit closer to the Bay Area than the North Lake resorts. The main draw at Kirkwood is the iconic “Wagonwheel” #10 chair, also called, for its namesake run, “The Wall.” With wide expanses from the top, you can head left, right or straight down in a wide open run with endless possibilities on a powder day. Skiers can duck into the trees, or ski in the many bowls and chutes available. Another option is the cornice chair which offers slightly easier runs but also has a steep, and possibly treacherous, run underneath a large, identifiable cornice of built-up snow.

For intermediates, Reut chair and Solitude chair are available for a wide variety of blue square and black diamond runs. Although prices to stay there can be steep, because there are almost no villages around, one ride down the iconic Wall makes it all worthwhile.

Best for: Intermediate riders

Best lift: Summit 6

Young adult: $39

Located on Highway 89 (off of Highway 80) in North Lake Tahoe, this popular ski resort has lots of difficult terrain, as well as more affordable pricing and a great environment for kids. The meat of the mountain can be accessed from the high speed, six-person Summit 6 chair. Lots of great tree-skiing, bowls, chutes and other expert terrain, as well as several steep groomed runs for advanced skiers, are all at the skier’s fingertips. However, high winds are common, and the popular Summit Bowl run, which is the easiest way down, can get very crowded and rutted, along with the lower runs all of the slopes descend toward. Farther from the lodge, and therefore less crowded, is Lakeview chair, a great place to get away from the crowds and go down some underappreciated but still quality slopes.

Unfortunately, Alpine’s lifts are quite outdated, but this can be an advantage, when lines are long on the express chairs and the slower smaller lifts are empty. In the past, Alpine did not allow snowboarders but is now much more snowboard friendly, even offering a terrain park that includes a half-pipe. Despite old technology, Alpine has much to offer skiers looking for the kind of steep runs that are hard to find in Tahoe. 

Best for: Advanced skiers

Best lift: KT-22

Young adult: $52

Any resort that has hosted the Winter Olympics is top-notch, and Squaw is no exception. After buying a lift ticket, skiers can hop directly onto KT-22, a more than 2,000 vertical foot lift through the clouds. On the way down, skiers can choose between moguls, tree-skiing and even a run named after Johnny Moseley, an Olympic champion who skis Squaw. Riders can choose to take any upper-echelon lifts such as Headwall, Granite Chief and Silverado. Each of these lifts leads to ledges and small (sometimes big) rocky cliffs to launch off of.

Located on Highway 89 from Truckee to Lake Tahoe, Squaw’s mountain is large and has so many lifts that some do not even open for lack of people. As a result, lines at Squaw can be easily avoided. On a nice powder day, skiers can go to Silverado where the back-country terrain can erase all stressful thoughts.

Squaw’s barren landscape may be imposing to some skiers. Not all natural obstacles such as ledges are well marked, so it’s best not to go racing down a run without first knowing what’s on it. Although this resort may seem a bit impersonal at times, the number of expert level runs makes Squaw a resort others wish they could be.

Best for: Snowboarders

Best lift: Backside Express

Young adult: $59

Located off of Highway 267 going toward the lake from Truckee, the varied terrain at Northstar offers a challenge to beginners and experts alike. Vista Express, one of seven high speed chairlifts, gives freestylers a chance to grind rails and go off jumps of all sizes. The terrain on the front side of the mountain caters more toward snowboarders, but skiers may find the runs enjoyable as well. The lifts can get crowded because Northstar cannot boast the number of lifts that some other resorts run, but there are ways to get around the wait. This season Northstar will be opening a new high speed six-person chairlift to help ease the bottleneck at other lifts. Skiers who frequent Northstar may also consider buying Vertical Express, a pass that allows the skier to jump much of the line.

Northstar has two lifts dedicated solely to advanced riders: Backside Express and Lookout Express. Backside Express has over 1,800 vertical feet, but many of the runs become fairly flat toward the bottom. Lookout Express has the steepest terrain on the mountain and most runs abound with moguls. Tree-skiers will love Northstar as most runs are narrow with trees on either side to ride through. The village at the bottom has been recently renovated and the staff is always friendly, but when it comes to the mountain, Northstar has difficulty keeping up with Squaw and Kirkwood.