Had a fantastic day of skiing on a Thursday. Parking lot can be a walk unless you pay to park…read morecloser. You can also drop off and then park. Runs were groomed but due to the weather, it got slushy by the afternoon. Staff working the lifts did not greet ppl but were helpful in slowing lifts or making sure people loaded and unloaded properly. Restaurant staff were very friendly and food options were good in the cafe. Drinks were all refillable.

Sugar Bowl Resort is one of the last true independent gems in Lake Tahoe, and you can feel it the…read moremoment you arrive. Easy access off Donner Summit makes it a go-to without the chaos, and the recent improvements really show in the lodge and base areas. It's the perfect medium-sized mountain: big enough to explore all day, but dialed enough to avoid the sprawl and commuting lift-to-lift. The terrain mix is legit too, from mellow groomers to steep lines and playful powder zones. A place that still feels like skiing should. If anything, I'd love to see how they continue building on the upgrades.

Bus driver Roz is an absolute angel! She gave us the safest most relaxing ride and we all left…read moresinging her praises! Thanks Roz for bringing some Australian flair to our beloved Lake Tahoe! 10/10 5 stars would ride again!

I had a great experience snowshoeing at the Northstar Cross Country Center!…read more I purchased a pass for $71 (steep, but cheaper than skiing so whatever!) and road the gondola up to the center. It was easy to get there from the village and there is clear signage directing guests to the center. Plus, the gondola is scenic and fun! The staff were super friendly and helpful. They reviewed the trail map with me and gave me route recommendations based on the trail conditions following a week of heavy snow. The center is equipped with hot water and clean restrooms. I especially appreciated the Caboose Warming Hut along my route - it was such a treat enjoying a warm beverage in a snowy meadow as I took a break from snowshoeing. There were plenty of scenic trails to explore and I enjoyed the views of the lake about 3.5 miles from the center. I brought my own snowshoes and trekking poles, but they have rental gear if needed. This was a fun way to spend the day while my friends went skiing. Definitely beats waiting in the village. ;)

Absolutely the best ski camps in the business. Fantastic and exotic locales...the best ski…read moretraining...all run with exceptional attention to detail. Been on 1 camp per year for 20 years- some of my best memories on (and off) snow! You will leave a better skier with tons of new skills and drills that you can work on later. Looking forward to my next NASTC adventure.

Absolutely THE BEST ski instruction - customized small groups, personalized attention to the areas…read moreYOU need to improve upon. The instructors you find with NASTC are at the highest levels nationally and internationally. These are the instructors that TEACH the instructors! I started with NASTC as a weak intermediate skier having tried several other highly touted ski "camps". The instructors at NASTC took the time to really dig into the reasons I wasn't progressing (physical fitness, focused equipment choices, fear on challenging terrain) and helped me set up the building blocks for real success. I made so much progress in my first week with them that I immediately booked a second course. I've been skiing with NASTC every winter since (and in some of the most beautiful locales in the world: St Anton, Portillo, Chile, Verbier, La Grave!). NASTC helped me develop from a "blue groomer girl" to a confident skier that doesn't think twice about tackling black and double black terrain. If you are looking for real, measurable improvement in your skiing, don't think twice. NASTC is the real deal.

In all the years that I've been coming to Tahoe regularly (10-11 years now), I can't believe I had…read morenever hit the slopes at Homewood until a couple of weeks ago! Sure it's a smaller resort than the mega resorts of Heavenly and Palisades, but what it may lack in size and fancy amenities for a lot of people, it sure makes up for with its views! If you love incredible views of Lake Tahoe (I mean who doesn't?!), then you will love Homewood. On some of the runs, it feels like you can ski or ride all the way down the mountain and right into the lake! I would purchase a season pass here in a heartbeat if it weren't for the fact that our family's cabin is in South Lake Tahoe, and in snowier winter months Hwy 89 is often closed by Emerald Bay, which means that you have to drive the long way (counter-clockwise) to get from south shore to Homewood. This can take up to 1.5 hours (each way) depending on road conditions versus the roughly 35 minutes it would take to get there if you could take the route around Emerald Bay. In any case, my husband and I loved the 2 days of snowboarding we got in a couple of weeks ago with our friends visiting from Hawaii. One day was bluebird and the next was white out conditions and snowing. Both days were EPIC! Friendly employees, less crowds than the bigger resorts, and just an all around great local vibe! We can't wait to go back...thank you Homewood!

I was a ski patroller here. I have a lot to say but what's relevant for the general public is that…read moreski patrol here does a very poor job at marking closed terrain, and the director loves to flex his authority and pull passes. Even I, as a ski patroller, entered closed terrain by mistake once. Don't ski here unless you're willing to risk your pass under typical conditions. Love the powder and lack of crowds, but don't like the slow lifts with no safety bar. There are no terrain parks here. Ski patrol here are all alcoholics but they do a good job keeping you alive nonetheless and they don't seem to drink on the job from what I can tell.

Went to visit the Donner tunnels. Had a great time. It's a little cold and you need a flash light.read more

We wern't there for skiing or tubing, we were there for food…read more We saw the sign for pies, ice cream, and cocktails as we parked for an epic bike ride through the Donner Tunnels We rode the donner tunnels bike trail, and were starving, so we stopped in. Not sure if there was a handicap entrance, but I would have appreciated that. I stiffen up pretty quickly after a ride, so the climb up the two sets of stairs was excruciating. The pain was worth it. I had a great Western Burger, and my friend enjoyed the Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad Dogs are not allowed inside. Not even well behaved service dogs?! We sat on the deck. Multiple untrained dogs on the deck. Yes your dogs are cute, but watch them! And your kids! They should be AT YOUR TABLE. One adorable frenchie kept running inside every time the door opened. Are there no leash laws in California? Our well trained service dog was rolling her eyes, at all the crazy behavior. Pretty sure the cocktails made the climb down to the parking lot much more enjoyable. Thank you!

Top notch. Not only…read moreare these guys the friendliest, man oh man are they efficient, well-stocked, knowledgeable and all around awesome. In and out with awesome gear in less than 30 min (two kids being fitted), and ready to hit the slopes. You guys rock!

We only use Black Tie rentals. Gear delivery is incredibly convenient, and accommodating. We love…read morehaving the ability to make gear changes at anytime, fitment process, and ease of return. Much better experience than renting from the resort.

I recently took an AIARE level 2 Avalanche course. The instruction was good but about halfway…read morethrough the day I fell early on a ski descent on a moderate slope with variable terrain and fractured/ dislocated my ankle. There was minimal to no assessment of my injury and I wound up sidestepping/ sliding/ skinning back to the car a few miles away with essentially minimal help/support. When I mentioned that I couldn't bear weight on my injured ankle I was instead given advice to "keep your weight forward and lean into the fall line". I was in a mild to moderate degree of shock by the time I reached my car. No one outreached me afterward. When I reached out to Tahoe Mountain School after the event with some constructive feedback the response that I received was " Sorry, we heard that the issue was due to lack of skier ability". I'll be the first to admit that my skiing ability was indeed severely compromised by a fractured ankle that required surgery but somehow they seemed to miss the point about doing a basic assessment. As a physician and SAR volunteer (unknown to those in the class) I'd grade the response to real life backcountry injury an "F" and the company's response to feedback as tone deaf.

Took the intro to Backcountry skiing class. Instructor was very knowledgeable and a good teacher…read more He took us to a location down the road to get to the backcountry, helped us learn how to use our gear, we hiked in with our backcountry skis, he taught us how to ascend, do switchback turns, and again, set our gear for downhill. Also taught us how to use our beacons, and the procedure for skiing with a buddy. Excellent course far exceeding my expectations, and I am excited to have this new wonderful hobby.

We love the ski school and child care at the California lodge. It's only available to the 3 and 4…read moreyear olds and they have a wrap around child care where kids also go out for the lessons. We did multiple days each time and they always remembered our kid. For a slow to warm kid, they also tried to get the same teacher for him each lesson and that made a huge difference in his success. By the time he was a bit older than 4, he was turning on the easiest green all on his own! We'll be sad that he's graduating to the big kid ski school next winter but he was well prepared.

Can't believe the people they let work around kids here…read more I was nearly attacked by an instructor named Brian on the Nevada side @ Boulder Lodge because he thought I was going too fast. This guy followed me all the way to my car, pushing up on my side the entire time, to the point where security had to come and shoo him away. Heavenly has not done anything about this even after I have gone to HR about it and filed an official report/complaint on this employee. Terrible all around from the resort management in handling the issue / proper customer service training for the ski instructor.

My family and I visited in late-February and this was my first time ever skiing and my first visit…read moreto Lake Tahoe, and overall I had a great experience at Sierra at Tahoe. Full disclaimer: as a complete beginner, I stayed on the Easy Rider lift and learning hill both days, so I can't speak to the more advanced runs. But as a place to learn, it felt like a great starting point. The scenery is beautiful, the mountain has a relaxed vibe, and most of the staff I interacted with were friendly and helpful. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is an incident at the lift. While I was waiting at the red line to load the chair, a skier sat down in the chair when he wasn't supposed to. The lift attendants didn't catch it in time, and when the chair came around I ended up sitting directly on top of him while trying to load. My skis got stuck and it created a pretty awkward situation. The lift was eventually stopped, but it felt like it took longer than it should have for the operators to notice. Thankfully no one was hurt, but it did seem like the lift attendants could have been paying closer attention during loading. Aside from that, it was a really fun first skiing experience and the resort itself is beautiful. I'd definitely come back next season and hopefully try more of the mountain beyond the beginner area.

If you're a beginner, I strongly recommend choosing a different ski resort. The overall environment…read morehere felt unwelcoming, and every staff member we interacted with was dismissive and openly hostile. When we asked simple questions about which slopes would be best for beginners, we were met with rude attitudes from the staff. At one point, we sat on a bench in front of the shop while taking a break. A staff member approached us and told us it was "policy" that guests were not allowed to sit there unless we were paying customers of the establishment. When my friend calmly asked where that policy was stated, the employee became aggressive, cursing at us, and said how he could have us banned from the resort if he wanted to. He even told my friend to "go back to where he came from," which was deeply inappropriate and unacceptable. My friend had never been on a ski lift and was nervous. As the lift approached, she hesitated and missed it. The employee started yelling at her and said she was "holding up the line" for everyone else. This lift was supposed to take us to their "bunny slope" so I was appalled by his reaction since many people in line were likely first time/beginner skiers as well. What should have been an enjoyable day turned into an extremely stressful experience. This resort failed us in every way when it came to customer service and I have no intention of returning.

Really appreciate the quick service for snowshoes today. Very simple process with $15 for the…read moresnowshoes and $10 for rentals. Equipment was good and we enjoyed a solid first experience on the recommend Emigrant Trail. Very fun day - THANKS

I've been coming up to Truckee for big chunks of the summer and winter since 1995 and I can't…read morebelieve I didn't know Tahoe Mountain Sports was here. I feel like I've been deprived! On a recent trip to Tahoe, we realized we needed a bigger set of snow boots for our toddler. A quick search on Yelp turned up TMS. It had the added bonus of being next to a grocery store, so we could kill two birds with one stone. Enter TMS and the staff was super friendly and helpful. They had a good selection of high quality gear and apparel for all seasons. We got help with trying on a pair of boots for our 18-month old and couldn't help picking up a few toys for ourselves. If you're looking for a good selection of quality adventure brands without crazy high prices and any pretentiousness, check out Tahoe Mountain Sports.