Tahoe Ski Resorts RANKED - Worst to Best

Our overall rankings of the destination Lake Tahoe ski resorts for the 2022/23 season, including Homewood, Diamond Peak, Mount Rose, Sugar Bowl, Northstar, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Kirkwood, Heavenly, and Palisades Tahoe (Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows).
0:00 Intro
0:51 10th in Tahoe
2:01 9th in Tahoe
3:10 8th in Tahoe
4:20 7th in Tahoe
5:27 6th in Tahoe
6:47 5th in Tahoe
8:18 4th in Tahoe
9:49 3rd in Tahoe
10:57 2nd in Tahoe
12:12 1st in Tahoe
13:26 Conclusion
See our full resort breakdowns and written reviews for the Tahoe resorts here: www.peakrankings.com/lake-tah...
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[@dickgozinya8673]

Kirkwood is my favorite. Higher elevation, minimal lift lines, great terrain. Beautiful area. I like the drive from the Bay Area because it avoids highway 80 in the mountains.

[@xtc996]

Sadly vail ruined it.

[@xtc996]

@El Barbero If my memory still serves me. I do believe Vail bought Kirkwood at the end of the 11/12 season.

[@MrMountain707]

Then stop telling people

[@brentlanyon4654]

Sounds like you've never been stuck on 50! 80 is 4 lanes all the way, 50 is more beautiful but with way less margin for error when it's slick. I love Kirkwood, too, btw. Hard to pick a favorite, because conditions are so variable from one trip to another. Really liked Alpine Meadows, too, but haven't been to Palisades yet.

[@kevincrosby3030]

Decades-long Tahoe skier from the Bay Area - I think you ranked them right, but missed an important point. the proximity of these resorts and ski areas allows one to adjust to the weather and snow conditions, and to your mood that day. Palisades is great in sunshine but is bad in flat light, as it has too few trees to provide contrast. When wind shuts down lifts at Palisades, Mt. Rose or Heavenly, or when it's cloudy, snowing, etc., Homewood and Diamond Peak are excellent options (also great for those days when you just want a mellow, fun day with minimum crowds, runs all to yourself, awesome views, etc.). Northstar is also a great option on storm days with its wind protection and good tree skiing for visibility contrast - and on those days the crowds are diminished there. Thanks for the overall ranking - you did well!

[@PeakRankings]

Thank you Kevin- great point on the proximity! If you have a car, you certainly don't have to stick to a specific resort.

[@ontheotherside3]

Northstar, Homewood and diamond peak are TERRIBLE for storm days especially. Sugarbowl and Palisades and Sierra at Tahoe, the easiest MTN to get to from the bay area, are by far the best storm day resorts! Please don't argue back, don't list all the ways I am wrong about Homewood and Northstar. 🙏🏻

[@ryanpope1128]

Don’t care go back to the bay

[@Graybeard_]

I worked as a lead liftie at Alpine Meadows (now Palisades) in 1990-93. I was lead operator of the Sherwood chair which serviced the back side of the resort, Sherwood Bowl. I would arrive first in the mornings Thur-Mon, get the lift powered and running, sweep the chairs and communicate with lift operations calling in conditions and requesting permission to operate once all the operation steps were met. I assigned the other lifties to their lift positions each day, lanes/ticket check, loading or top of chair shack. I also gave them breaks/lunch rotating through each of their positions. As lead liftie I got to ski a lot. Only patrol skied more than lead lifties because in adition to giving breaks, we had to ski "the line" underneath the chair checking the tower shivs, ice buildup and dropped articles. Sherwood would close an hour before the rest of the mountain to give skiers time to return to the frontside and for ski patrol to perform a sweep to make sure that no skiers were left on the the back side. Once all the closing operations were completed, the other lifties took the chair over to the front side to return to base. I remained at the bottom waiting for ski patrol to perform their final sweep. Once they arrived at the bottom, the three of us would ride the chair to the top. Patrol would ski down to the base. I would lock the top shack and ski back down to the chair base. There was a private road and parking lot on the backside that was closer to my house than the frontside main base parking lot, so I was given a parking permit to park there. Five days each week for three seasons, I got literally the last run of the day. No one, not even patrol was on the mountain When I skied down. Usually, I would stand at the top, take a hit of pot and and time my final run with the sunset. The groomers were just starting to fan out on the other side, but they never did Sherwood until morning. I will never forget those beautiful sunset skis down the backside all to myself. Alpine Meadows, when I lived/worked there was the locals' resort. All the "steeps" and powder of Squaw Valley, but without the crowds and attitudes of the rich skiers.

[@easternyellowjacket276]

Epic. You were blessed.

[@volkyl]

I love alpine and I love this story. Thank you for sharing this cherished memory. It sounds amazing!

[@rodneybrown6326]

I used to say hi to you. “Sherwood like a raise” 😂

[@gur123noor]

Great insights! Maybe add a few more to this list (beginner perspective): - #11 - Boreal - One of the cheapest resorts in the area. Their "Take 3 Ride Free" pass was what got me into skiing. It was then best value for money for 3 beginner ski lessons + a season pass. It got me and my buddy from pizza to parallels. Tiny crowded resort, but great parks including a half pipe. They are the only resort to offer night skiing. - #12 - Donner Ski - $10 beginner carpet only tickets. - Just a hill - Granlibakken Tahoe - this inexpensive tiny hill has lessons for kids if you just want to spend a few hours here. Shoutout to "Used Ski and Snowboard" shop. I got beginner used boots for $50 here. This place can be cheaper than a 2 two day rental. Few years back he had a 30 day buy back program as well.

[@MystMikayla]

I'm glad you mentioned Donner Ski Ranch! It's small, but it's a great place for beginners to learn the basics before they move onto the "real" slopes. Some of my friends don't know how to ski or snowboard right now, and it's the place I plan on taking them at least a couple times until they feel confident enough to move to more daunting parks.

[@krimdelko]

Longterm skier from Bay Area, grew up in Switzerland. Palisades is world class. Only issue is frequent wind holds and avalanche risk. Lots of extreme skiing. I used to go to Jackson Hole and Whistler a lot but realized I've got it all here. Palisades on a good day competes with any resort world wide.

[@devp3916]

Palisades is world class indeed. Sierras have their own problems (price, lackluster snow) but the terrian in palisades measures up to anywhere.

[@kusotare9559]

I'm a 20-year on-mountain employee of one of the resorts on this list (won't say which), and I agree with almost everything EXCEPT for views. Homewood has the absolute best views of the lake of any resort. It beats The Heave for lake views by a mile.

[@boyuanfang7247]

I think you might just said which.

[@kusotare9559]

@@boyuanfang7247 Nope. My place has crap views.

[@mikec6228]

I would agree 100%

[@gregparrott]

I've skied more resorts listed here, but not Homewood. Based on numerous people I know who have skied Homewood, without exception, they say Homewood has the best views.

[@jaytierney]

As a life-long Tahoe skier and Truckee resident this list is hilarious. Sugar Bowl ranked behind Northstar, Heavenly and Sierra? Did you guys talk to anyone local at all? Here's the proper order for actual skiing and good terrain: OV / Alpine, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl, Mt. Rose and then the rest are a toss up. Sierra, Northstar and Homewood have their place for tree skiing and windy storm days.

[@craftdawgy1115]

I 100% agree, I’ve done ski team at sugar bowl for nearly my whole life, and have been to all of these mountains, and you can tell this list had no local input, and was put together by someone who casually skis every other month.

[@petercharron3268]

Agree. Nothing about accommodations. Sugar bowl is our race mountain. Northstar on a windy day for a great stay, squaw for big mountain tradition, Kirkwood for remote nature

[@drkmriggs]

Skied Squaw almost exclusively back in the 70-80’s. Sugar Bowl for quick trips and Kirkwood occasionally. Why go anywhere else?

[@sheplerwill]

How did Heavenly even make the list? Obnoxious European skiers, cat tracks galore, and trails based on destination. But hey, you can ski across state lines!

[@MikeTheBurnerTurner]

@Jay your list is way more accurate. Video made me feel crazy for a second 😅 but shoot, sounds like I need to give Alpine another shot

[@chrisskiingpowpow]

Man the lake views never get old, especially seeing that dark blue hue on a sunny day

[@coopersmith9828]

As a former Homewood liftie, I knew in my heart it was going to be last place the moment I saw this list. But I just love the place, and those views are the best on the lake, no substitution. So it's too bad that after this season, they're going totally private. Only the millionaire "local" home-owners will get access, and they're being really sketchy about who will be allowed to buy season passes. So if you want to buy a day pass and see Homewood for yourself, THIS IS THE LAST SEASON COMING UP.

[@methodgrab5764]

Have you heard the news officially though? Yours is one of many different rumors ive heard floating around about how it will operate after this upcoming season. I currently work here.

[@rambultruesdell3412]

Awesome looking snow, with the hotshots going elsewhere? Lived in Yuba City during the 1990s.

[@virtualbown]

I've only been to a few on this list ( see below). However, the Views and the overall feel of Homewood is for me unmatched. The place is just cool. In a pure ski experience, it probably is last. But its #1 for being special. * Alpine * Heavenly * Sierra at Tahoe * Northstar * Homewood

[@ontheotherside3]

@@methodgrab5764 well, if you have any insight, we would all love to know more. their day passes are now the most expensive in the country @ $260/day, right? if they go the way of the private ski resort in Montana, 400k membership, plus a house, plus $40k per year. Zuckerberg is a member of that and has a house about a mile from Homewood. I honestly see it going that way over anything else. It will literally be for billionaires only. probably over a million to be part is my guess. I sure hope not as I really love Homewood!

[@danielweimer295]

Homewood is great but it is so empty all the time. They have to do something different.

[@user-fd3xf3yy9z]

Squaw and Northstar were my favorites growing up because they were 15-20 minutes away from our house. Back in the day, we didn't worry about any crowds. Easy in and easy out.

[@olivierbailly516]

The one thing against Squaw Valley are the incredibly short runs. The lifts are also ungodly slow, and some runs like Women's Downhill (from the Olympics) are iced out more often than not. I think you're mostly viewing it from the lens of an advanced/expert skier, which makes sense for some people. Consider the fact that 90% of skiers are beginners or intermediate, then the focus changes.

[@Sn0wZer0]

High speed lifts with lengths: WaSheShu 2.3km, Headwall 1.7km, KT-22 1.5km. This compares pretty favorably across Tahoe; pretty much nothing there has a single-lift huge vertical, so I'm not sure what you are comparing it with. Yes the Olympic Lady part is not great, but that's an old lift that starts halfway up the lower mountain, which is why people use KT-22 or Headwall for a similar-but-better experience. Upper mountain is mostly served by high-speed 6s now; not slow at all. Heavenly has the most total vertical but it's not really consistent terrain and you have to chain several lifts or ride a gondola to use it. I guess if you want to maximize the run length at Pallisades for intermediate you can lap WaSheShu+Siberia.

[@psalmsurfer1]

RED DOG TREES AND GULLEYS ALL DAY BABY GRANITE CHIEF PEAK ALL DAY--SILVERADO ALL DAY BABYY LOLLL

[@rexmundi5180]

The worst part about squaw is definitely the crowds

[@mrjon75]

Great video. This is exactly what people contemplating a visit to ski need.

[@FlipsTheTrips]

Very informative! With this ranking, I'm more comfortable planning my next vacation. Thanks for making. Looking forward to future uploads.

[@Twinsdad6]

Been to most of these resorts, but my favorite is still Homewood. Living in Fla, I'm a green/blue skier, and Homewood was just the perfect fit me. Just to be able to glide down the mountain with those views right in view is awesome. And ski patrol was great to me and my friends when I dislocated my kneecap back in the early 90's. Thanks! Great vid. Thanks for posting.

[@psalmsurfer1]

HOPE YOU HAD FUN..IT WILL NO LONGER BE ACCESSIBLE FOR LOWLY PEASANTS

[@joekrause1330]

Northstar at #6 and Sierra at #5 makes me so happy. Northstar is very overrated imo and Sierra is significantly underrated imo. I feel that the fact that Kirkwood gets signifcantly more snow and better snow than Heavenly was overlooked and that would have bumped it up one more spot over Heavenly.

[@darkred17]

PREACH

[@frazierlax2954]

Yeeesss been tryna tell people kirk is a top dog resort in tahoe but no one listens

[@DC-et4li]

Northstar is intentionally over priced. It's built for the high end luxury vacationer. Hell they have a Ritz Carlton on site. Theier one shining start is the terrain park with the biggest half pipe in the Tahoe Basin.

[@thekittehman]

S@T is an incredible resort.

[@noahr2710]

Let's go! Been waiting for more Tahoe content.

[@ontheotherside3]

Thank you for this! Seriously, thank you! I hope every tourist and visitor follows this list exactly and only goes to the top 3! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥳

[@AuroraBoarder1]

I have skied all these resorts. 1) Palisades - this is where I first learned to ski, as a child. Seeing the Olympic flag scared me to death. I was relieved that they had bunny slopes for learning! 2) Alpine Meadows - this, along with Northstar, is my favorite. 3) Heavenly Valley - it's cheaper if you enter from the Nevada side. Also, when you cross the state line, you can tell by the quality of the snow; it's lighter and drier in Nevada. 4) Kirkwood - I skied here a lot during high school. Once, Bob Dylan came here! 5) Sierra at Tahoe - I skied here a lot during high school. They have expanded a lot since. 6) Northstar - one of my favorites. I got my start skiing black diamonds here. 7) Sugar Bowl - my ski club Inskiers used to launch the ski season here. 8) Mt Rose - I came here 3 times. The first time, I got a refund because the snow was bulletproof hard, in spite of the forecast saying it was packed powder. The second, my ex dislocated his shoulder. The 3rd, it was raining. But I'm willing to give it another try. 9) Diamond Peak - I had the most amazing experience here. It was foggy at the top, and the trees were covered with snow. Every once in awhile, a hole would open in the fog, and you could see Lake Tahoe glittering dark blue. It was spooky! 10) Homewood - I took my niece skiing here, once. My recommendation is that cheap and tiny Granlibakken is perfect for learning. It's on the west side of the lake, south of Alpine Meadows.

[@rayfreeman6998]

hey! my current boyfriend dislocated his shoulder at mt rose!

[@n-da-bunka2650]

Mt Rose - Why would you be willing to give it another try based on your prior 3 attempts? Do you have a death wish or does your wife have a 3 million $ life insurance policy on you? LOL-ish

[@bradyjohnson5460]

Lift prices are the same at Heavenly weather you start from Boulder/Stagecoach or the Cal side.

[@psalmsurfer1]

Palisades LMAO its Squaw Valley and will always be Squaw Valley dgaf

[@psalmsurfer1]

@@rayfreeman6998 your CURRENT bf? planning on acquiring some future bf's? LMAOOO

[@TheTolleyTrolley]

As a recent North Carolinian transplant in Reno, I'm skiing Mt Rose this year and my mind is fully blown by how incredible the mountain is. I bought a season pass so probably won't be going elsewhere this year but I'll have to try some of these other resorts next year!

[@scarface548]

Nice. Did you move to reno to ski?

[@zachgalante3577]

You should check out Moment

[@itsagreatbasin3017]

First rule of Rose club is????

[@paulblichmann2791]

You can certainly learn in NC...although most NC skiers are A: Church groups in blue jeans totally unprepared. ✝️😲✝️😲✝️😲 B. Rednecks chugging Bud Lites and trowing the cans off lift.

[@williamtell5365]

I've skied most of them but I just love Kirkwood.

[@KaliAndy2]

shhh don't tell anyone lol

[@deang.3877]

i grew up in Placerville and have skied all these - the list very good. Although, Mt. Rose like Sierra has that same "Locals" feel and is worth the time to go check out in my opinion.

[@nacho-man1063]

great job!! I’m always waiting to see if you are going to do Mont Saint Anne?? Or Jays peak VT

[@stephenn77]

Sierra and Sugar Bowl are my annual go-to’s. I did Heavenly last season and loved it! I want to go back to Palisades Olympic Valley! I grew up skiing Homewood so there is definite nostalgia there.

[@travisburton2948]

I love Sierra as well, it's too bad you gotta take the miserable 50 to get there tho

[@stephenn77]

@@travisburton2948 It’s not that bad unless there’s snow on the road. Scenic drive!

[@Uchuuneko]

Even though I haven't been there yet, the Reno and desert views at Mt. Rose remind me of snowboarding in Southern California at Mt. Baldy and Mountain High. Both resorts are above a desert valley and offer a similar striking contrast to the immediate mountains. And at Baldy you can see the ocean and if weather permitting as far away as the downtown LA skyline.

[@malagisenze3613]

Ski Los Angeles! San Antonio Ridge!

[@dhowe5180]

I used to ski Baldy back in the late 70s. Unfortunately there hasn’t been a single dollar of investment since then. But I agree the views are stunning

[@quantumfzx]

Ahh...Baldy. Where it all began for me. Definitely the mountain in So Cal with the most character to it.

[@mattweir9674]

@@quantumfzx Mt. Waterman is pretty neat too when it's open! Baldy is wild on a good day tho

[@markmangin517]

Been to all of these resorts and would have to say this review is spot-on.

[@dudereno21]

Used to run top of Sky chair and others at Heavenly and think to myself that I must have the best office view in the world. But as far as putting the gnarly boots on it was almost always Kirkwood or Sierra. The beauty of Tahoe is if you have 4x4 (and money) you can determine the best place to go depending on weather, snow, and what you feel like riding that day. I miss it

[@JDMc2.0]

I used to live in Reno, and your channel is fun to watch. New subscriber! Have you thought about doing ski resorts in the summer with world class mountain biking? Tahoe has it. Good video!

[@PeakRankings]

Thanks John, glad to have you on board! Mountain biking has been on our backlog for awhile now, we'll just have to get good at it 🐒

[@itsagreatbasin3017]

First rule Rose club is???

[@sockeyeboy]

Good list. Sugar bowl should be higher because of the great steeps

[@bladesofglory100]

Yeah pretty funny to see Sierra at Tahoe and Northstar of all places rater higher

[@andreasramirez8349]

As someone who both raced and worked for Squaw Alpine, I can agree it is the best resort included on this list. I know it is a little too far south of tahoe, but if you are ever in the area i would suggest skiing at bear valley. It is a basic and old fashioned resort that brings a local "california redneck" charm combined with some of the best expert terrain in the state. And it is never busy!

[@tpolerex7282]

Grizzly Bowl!

[@joebrings5817]

I worked there back in the early 2000s . And worked at Kirkwood. Love them both

[@tpolerex7282]

@@joebrings5817 Love the Wood! My favorite resort in Tahoe, well worth the jaunt.

[@griffhenshaw5631]

As I recall you could see it from kirkwood or Sierra ski ranch( that dates me) and ski bear bumper stickers were a big thing. Only sied there 1x and it was a bad weather day so couldn't appreciate it fully.

[@dewnl8389]

My family has a cabin right within walking distance to homewood which is small and old but I knew it'd be last on the list. We almost never go anywhere else and I wish we did but its still a nice family resort

[@jaska145]

Good video. My personal list is almost the same but I would put Kirkwood on the top with Palisades. The reason is that in Kirkwood you can reach untrack powder with only 10 minutes hike. Even a day or two after the snowstorm. I skied 7 seasons at Lake Tahoe. Mosly Kirkwood, Heavenly, Sierra and Squaw. I liked them all but Kirkwood and Squaw were my favors.

[@replicatingsps4118]

You ever check sugarbowl?

[@johnscurich6446]

After skiing many times at Heavenly, which I love for the very reasons pointed out here, but I agree about the ridiculous crowds at peak season on the weekends - which is why I always tried to go on weekdays. But, thanks to having a car this past year's trip, I was finally able to get over for the first time to try a few days at Kirkwood and Northstar. I agree with most of what was said about Northstar, but I found the crowds a tad smaller than Heavenly, but really enjoyed what I found to be some terrific long runs (longer than described here) if you're willing to go all the way down to the very bottom of the mountain and endure several lifts back up to the top. However, I think you're undercutting Kirkwood. First, I couldn't agree more that the small crowds (especially on a weekday) make this a great place. You sometimes get the feeling you own the place. And, as a skier moving up from green to blues, I found Kirkwood to be ideal. Kirkwood has several short blue runs which are great for a developing skier to work on. And, I agree the quality of the powder was excellent compared to others. But, I agree with the assessment that there's no other place I know of in the U.S. that has the views that Heavenly has. And, I will be going back to Tahoe on two trip in '23 in Jan. and March. Plus, I'll be heading to Breck - which I love - but that's another topic. Thanks for a great video!

[@danrohm5643]

Love this! Could you do this for Utah and Colorado resorts?

[@PeakRankings]

Utah is in the pipeline! Need footage for a few more resorts to complete the Colorado list.

[@Jay_G9226]

My last trip was 3 years ago. For those flying in, a lot of these offer free 1/2 day passes with airline ticket stubs the day you fly in. At least they did a few years ago. Schedule yourself an early flight so you can make it up there in time to take advantage. Kirkwood will always be my hands down favorite on this list. Pretty accurate pros/cons in this review imo. I just love the smaller crowds, challenging terrain, and good prices. Also a beautiful drive from S. Lake Tahoe and one I don't mind doing every day on a vacation. Some of the greatest mid week powder skiing I have ever experienced was at Kirkwood on days I never waited in a line longer than 2 or 3 chairs, and often just got into a chair with never even stopping until I sat down.

[@kaylabarile8207]

as a kirkwood local i would like to say that kirkwood does tend to do a pretty good job of keeping lifts open, even on harsher days. but the resort closes its roads often in a snow heavy season, leaving you stuck in or out.

[@ryankelly5296]

Dang, spot on with my list, this guy knows these resorts well!

[@pauldoan180]

I just made it to Pallisades this weekend I had a great time snow was still good even though it hadn't snowed in several days, terrain was excellent I'm expert skier from Seattle my big mountain experience in my area is Whistler blackcomb I'll be coming back to Pallisades definitely.

[@bigslacker666]

Tahoe local, I agree with the list. Palisades/Alpine is dope, quite a drive for me compared to under 10 minutes to heavenly. And with Kirkwood on Epic it's my secondary, it has that remote wild feel and being able to get right off the lift and drop into legit double black terrain is special. I will make the trip out to Palisades a few times a season though, especially midweek new snow because it's SO good.

[@psalmsurfer1]

YOU MEAN SQUAW/ALPINE right?

[@bigslacker666]

@@psalmsurfer1 Though I never had a problem with Squaw as a name and still call it that when I forget I'm not gonna be one of those bitter old angry locals that holds on to every little change that happens in the area. We got enough of those around town already. :D

[@psalmsurfer1]

@@bigslacker666 fair enough I'll be the bitter old angry local for you lol

[@bigslacker666]

@@psalmsurfer1 Haha! Drinks on me at Mott. :D

[@kkkppr1163]

Great video! I was wondering if you could check out Bear Valley Resort this season. It’s my go to resort!

[@PeakRankings]

We've had a lot of Bear Valley requests recently-will really try to get there when it's 100% open!

[@kkkppr1163]

@@PeakRankings Great thanks!

[@kendestine9905]

I get why Homewood is last but I love that resort. The vibe is so chill there.

[@blmgt]

Pretty much agree except for Palisades. I prefer Alpine, Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood. I am not a local but have been skiing Tahoe about once a year for last 20 years. I would rank myself as an advanced skier. The only resort on your list I haven't skied is Sugar Bowl.

[@nunyabidness3075]

Wind at Kirkwood is no joke. My young nephew was getting pushed up the hill, even where it was steep. I was below him, but jumping up the hill was possible because the wind helped me. I then pushed him down until out of most of the wind.

[@edcotterjr1926]

My go to was Sugar Bowl when I lived in the Bay Area. Old School vibe. Cozy lodge that was not too pricey. Happened to be there one day when Warren Miller films was shooting. We had to wait for them to clear out before we could go up. Irritating but memorable.

[@cutthroat795]

Alpine meadows was always a hidden gem. So much less crowded than Squaw. I wonder how the crowds will be now with the connector.

[@IMP3TIGO]

Well I'm glad that Palisades is part of the Ikon pass. Will have to take a road trip down from WA to Tahoe to visit next season!

[@griffhenshaw5631]

I haven't skied them in years but had a few 100+ days......ticket prices have gotten insane. Your sequence is valid. Does rose still include slide side. Snow was drier, mo crowds and some steeps. Squaw/ palisades is #1 no doubt. It's up there w telluride, Jackson, taos snowbird. Kt22 and headwall, granite chief memorable. While racing to the bottom for a taco for lunch I twisted knee and my buddy wrenched his back.....all for a taco. I can't remember who won but we both have reminders of that day. Still an amazing mountain size, terrain, and accessibility. If you learned how to work it you could gets lots of skiing in even on a weekend. Enjoyed the video.

[@acf4962]

Funny, lived in No Cal for 5 years, skied Tahoe every winter and I’ve never heard of the bottom 3 ski areas! You definitely hit the nail on the head with Squaw, for sure the best in Tahoe. Varied terrain with stuff some experts will avoid. Live in NM now, some great mountains close here, but still miss Squaw and the best mountain on Earth, Mammoth!

[@jeffalonzo4035]

Good review. Having skied all of them dozens of tImes, I would most definitely move Sierra at Tahoe to #9. I'd also move Sugar Bowl up to to just before Kirkwood. IMHO. Sugar Bowl is one of Tahoes best! Wish it were an Ikon Mountain.

[@dustinengel4852]

skied at Heavenly a few weeks ago on a Sunday, SUPER busy. long lines for Gunbarrel, Powder, and Sky. great lake views though. going to Homewood in a few weeks during the week!!

[@ItsUs169]

i ski at Donner Ski Ranch but i also love to take a trip to alpine and palisades i think Donner ski ranch is a great resort with 6 lifts and has amazing weather and great snow.

[@michaelcooper9097]

Love DSR! Locally owned, best bar and low priced and low key ski experience!

[@sammerkel2816]

Sugar bowl has very accessible side country and caters to the uphill crowd extremely well. The palisades (the area within sugarbowl, not the resort down the road) have also been open the majority of the last few years (when the conditions have allowed). They’re currently open

[@carsonisaboss]

I skied homewood all season last year because it gives free ski passes to military members. Definitely a small resort, with limited terrain. Felt like I skied the entire resort in 2 days. But the views are awesome and the vibes were good too, I love a good hometown feel and that’s what it seemed like. Grew up skiing Hood so this reminded me of back home.

[@CheeseFantastico]

Ironically I've had the best two powder days in my life at Homewood. It's great if you don't want the overblown crowds and commercialism of Palisades. Overall, my top pick is Sugarbowl. Terrain and snow as good as any of them, without the crowds and traffic.

[@scottspeer]

Good video. I agree with most points made. I would shuffle the rankings a little though. I'd put Sugar Bowl above Sierra and move Alpine to #4 under Heavenly and Kirkwood. But those top 4 really come down to personal preference, they're all great (well, 2-4 do, Squaw reigns supreme whether you want to admit it or not).

[@torreyintahoe]

Alpine blows heavenly out of the water.

[@Yerlanendo]

Cool! Some tracks and places like in a Karakol in the Kyrgyzstan.

[@MBWiseman]

Skied Kirkwood and Heavenly in 2010-11, an amazing snow year. Everything was open and well-covered. Fell in love with tree skiing in their widely-spaced wind-pruned glades. Fell in love with Killebrew Canyon’s steeps at Heavenly, and the open, choose-your-own-adventure terrain of Kirkwood. I found Heavenly's casino-oriented apres-ski gaudy and kinda gross, however. I have no interest in gambling, or even being around gambling, so I didn’t enjoy it at night. I did, however, love both mountains.

[@davmil2002]

I loved Alpine Meadows. It reminds me of Alta, UT in terms of laid back, old style skiers' mountain. Squaw is more like Snowbird. Both are great mountains. Look for time-share rentals for lodging bargains if you have a car.

[@kevinwelch7442]

Good list, I think that Sugar Bowl is ranked too low though. Compared to the other resorts, I think that it ranks higher due to it being easily accessible to Bay Area Skiers and because of the short lift lines throughout the entire year. One of my pet peeves is getting a good run in and then having to wait so long to even get back onto the chair lift to get back up to the top of the mountain. Sugar Bowl is top 3 for me just because of the lift lines, easily !

[@jimlow6824]

I think this review just made Sugar Bowl lift lines longer...🤣

[@jordaneisenman4894]

I love Kirkwood. Second most fun mt I've been to. Incredible...

[@michaelcarlos2906]

If you like powder, no ropes or lines, and insane runs Sugar Bowl is the best resort we have (coming from a local).

[@ItsUs169]

i love palisades and alpine meadows

[@markmassoglia]

I've skied a number of Tahoe areas, only ones on your list I have not skied are Sierra-at-Tahoe and Alpine Valley. Would love to visit both in the future. IMO Homewood has better views than Heavenly. Kirkwood is my favorite, it's out of the way, snow is great and challenging as hell. Sugarbowl is my number two, had my best pow day every at Sugarbowl. Loved Palisades (Squaw) for the difficulty and the Olympic history, and Heavenly because it's big. Mt. Rose is a great day trip and the Chutes are nasty. Northstar was probably my least favorite, it was busy and not much challenge. Thanks for what you do, your content is excellent!

[@gerakore8948]

cant wait. also palisades is unlimited with ikon pass

[@tjlvm]

I live in Florida but have been going out to Tahoe for 20 straight years. Always loved Homewood- going back next month but the ticket prices are crazy high!

[@garygech]

Squaw/Alpine is world class. The Red Dog lift opens up the tree skiing, and Alpine has an improved access with the Gondola. When Silverado is open, the level of terrain at Squaw is fantastic, along with Scotts Chair at Alpine in later winter or spring.

[@jimland7176]

The only one I've been to is Heavenly and I think it was pretty spot on. The lake view was incredible. A lot of the tree runs were a great time, but navigating the mountain was a pain and there were some long lift lines. Wind can cut the resort in half.

[@__dm__]

I learned to ski at Tahoe Donner and it's a really small but varied resort. There's even some steep black runs. Good place to learn to ski.

[@crispineda4630]

We plan to go there in a week. Is it worth it? esp if our whole crew is beginners? It didn't even make the cut for this vid.

[@SkiMum]

nice video

[@PaloAlto555555]

Thanks!

[@bgw9906]

thanks for ranking Mt Rose so low, appreciate it!

[@ericred8124]

Booooo on you sir (unless that was sarcasm). We locals love it for sure. Might be a bit of a hike for the Bay Area.

[@bgw9906]

@@ericred8124 COMPLETE sarcasm. Rose is my mountain always... good to sample all Tahoe has to offer, which is a lot! But coming home to Rose always feels great.

[@bjbhehir]

Agree!! LOL wish he didn't even rank Rose!!

[@patriciamcmahonkelly]

Season pass holder for mt rose for years , after dealing with gondolas and car park buses everywhere else , I will ski no where else in Tahoe, north and South Lake Tahoe accommodation is outrageously expensive, Reno is the place to stay

[@bgw9906]

@@patriciamcmahonkelly I had a similar experience- bought a 2 day pass at Heavenly with my wife- skied one day- swallowed the second day and went back to Rose instead. Have a great ski season everyone!

[@goyo2897]

Thanks for that! I don't think I'd change the order at all but I think Mt. Rose has got more going on for it then it gets credit for and I think Killibrew and Mott Canyons at Heavenly offer plenty of challenge for advanced/expert skiers. My personal favorite: Alpine!

[@PeakRankings]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@bjbhehir]

shhhhhh don't tell them about Rose!!

[@goyo2897]

@@bjbhehir I never heard of it...

[@Dr_Bombay]

surprised that they didn't mention Mt. Rose's new lift, that will allow more lake views and some new terrain. i think that would improve its ranking.

[@PeakRankings]

@@Dr_Bombay we'll be back to re-assess the Mt Rose experience with the new lift this winter!

[@marktweet7395]

Lived in this area for 20 + years. Your description very accurate. North Star is about greed now part on Vail Ass!

[@Carrera_Quan]

I miss night skiing the 3 mile run at Squaw.

[@danjf1]

I agree with the ranking, though never personally skied #'s 10-6. Having been a repeat skier at Squaw/Alpine meadows back in the early 2000s you really can't beat Alpine Meadows for its expert skiing terrain. Yes, you have to traverse and trek to get to some choice powder but it still deserves the #2/#1 spot. I'd love to hear from recent Tahoe skiers about apres ski at which resort? Thanks again for posting! It brings back some really good ski memories at Tahoe.

[@psalmsurfer1]

thank God you called it Squaw..someone with backbone..thank you sir lol

[@A-Shitty-Snowboarder]

We all need to take a moment of silence for Sierra at Tahoe, so damn sad to see it as it is right now..... it is a gut punch every time I drive by :(

[@mr2fyre]

On the upside we may get some new trails and less dense tree areas.

[@freedomfightertrucker5798]

Sierra Ski Ranch was my favorite.

[@ZENmud]

Ex's parents co-owned a 4br home with dock, just below Homewood (means within a half mile from entrance); but the droughts were so bad (1989-93?), we never skied once; BBQ on the dock, in shorts, at Christmas, chasin' raccoons. We were in Vail, then Denver, then east...

[@cm3462]

Very cool

[@LewksLife]

Something about heavenly village that was berry recognizable was there inability to handle wind and snow. I stayed there for about a week and even though our time was cut short on the last day for avalanche maintenance we still had many issues. First, the gondola was the most worthless thing I have ever experienced as it only ran for 1 and a half days the whole week. Second was the crowds when conditions were better. The best day I had for crowds was the first day when there was heavy snowfall. Lastly this isn’t really the worst thing, but the lodges at the bottom are packed and almost impossible to find seating. The expert terrain was actually decent and even though we didn’t get to experience the hardest of the Nevada side, the wood skiing made up for it. Overall I would really want to expire heavenly on a sunny week as that week was not the best.

[@dre3951]

I was up there for about 10 days, same time you were. Fully agree with what you say. Been skiing at Heavenly for 35 years now, and I can say that was not normal at all. Things were not so bad starting from CA Lodge, but still it seemed like an endless string of excuses why things were shut down. Snow was great though. The weather was not the problem in my opinion. They've had tough weather many times before. It just seemed like they (management in Colorado?, frontline workers) did not care to put in the effort to keep things running. Disappointing, but we made the best of it. Regarding the rankings, one thing Heavenly has always seemed to excel at (maybe others are catching up by now, not sure) is having Express lifts almost everywhere. I like to get as much as I can out of every day, and waiting in a long line and then waiting on a SLOW ride as I'd find at other resorts was not what I wanted. Heavenly on a weekday, as long as there are no wind-related lift shutdowns, will give you virtually no lines and fast lifts.

[@daveteteak8210]

@@dre3951 that’s what happens when Vail takes over a ski resort town the affluent they don’t give a shit about you or your experience. Tahoe is not the same.

[@Weathernerd27]

I grew up in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento and skied at tahoe resorts alot. The resorts on the west side of the lake get more snow but the resorts on the east side of the lake have better views and are higher/colder/have better quality snow. Northstar, Heavenly and Sqaw valley are crazy expensive so it might be worth it to go to one of the smaller resorts like Homewood, Mt Rose, Sierra at Tahoe or Kirkwood. It used to be that you could count on decent snow from Dec thru Mar but recent winters have been warmer and drier. It used to be that winter precipitation was all snow above about 7,000 feet but in recent winters rain has fallen as high as 8,000 or 9,000 feet. There still are some deep powder days but more often you find spring snow/sierra cement. During the warmest driest winters the ski resorts may only have thin patchy slush. There is a reason California has experienced massive forest fires the past few summers, winter storms have failed to materialize and trees don't do so well when its dry year round/no wet season. Last summer a forest fire burned about 1/2 of the Sierra At Tahoe ski resort. The lift survived so you can now ski around blackend stumps.

[@jakelee2]

Could you please do a ranking for the Colorado Denver area resorts? 🙏

[@PeakRankings]

We still need footage of a few more, but will be up soon!

[@asgharalirajput9510]

Very nice Video sharing big like stay blessed 👍

[@ewanjedlic9776]

You completly forgot to mention lift lines and crowds. makes squaw and alpine un skiable somedays especially weekends. Sugar bowl on top

[@wiesemc]

I’m 20 minutes from Rose. This year has been incredible. I can argue it’s place but glad it’s typically not considered the go to Tahoe mountain. Let’s keep it that way!

[@jlo2o199]

Ive always wanted to go to Homewood and still plan to. Its always been a place where you weigh the pros and cons from what I hear. Can't wait to patron them some day and savor those views. Was shocked and a little excited when I heard their main lodge burned down some years ago, I hope they took the opportunity to rebuild an even better one, thus creating more appeal for the resort. Did they?

[@PeakRankings]

The lodge on their south side burned down, and unfortunately, they never rebuilt it. However, the lodge on the north side, which is arguably their main side, remains intact.

[@gregparrott]

I see another person's comment here, stating that Homewood is going private, and will not be selling day tickets. You may want to check if this is true, and so, when this transition will occur, and if there will be some 'work-around'.

[@dhenschel4]

Thanks for putting this together, great reviews for what I would assume was a one or two day experience at each resort. I can only recommend to have reviews for snowboarding as that is a completely different experience. It appears you are only skiing, and snowboarding has its unique challenges, mostly maneuvering the terrain to get to and from lifts and runs, and it makes some resorts difficult to a snowboarder.

[@PeakRankings]

Thank you! We aim to factor ease of navigation into our rankings, which is intended to capture some of the difficulties snowboarders may face while spending time on the mountain.

[@dhenschel4]

@@PeakRankings Yes, I did notice the different factors in your ratings, navigation included, so that is great. However I have found some of the mountains nearly unusable to snowboarders and thus I haven't returned. Although a horizontal traverse is somewhat difficult on ski's, one doesn't give it much of a thought. On a snowboard it is a much more difficult undertaking. Also the areas near lifts can require some horizontal requires little effort on the part of a skier however can become tiresome for a boarder when having to do time and time again.

[@JiananLi]

@@dhenschel4 Which mountains would you recommend for snowboarding?

[@dhenschel4]

@@JiananLi Jianan I hope I can direct you to some good boarding, best to ask the locals I would think. I learned at Boreal and that has proved the best for me as I can just stay on the highspeed lift and get a day of short runs in to tire me out. I stay away on weekends because of the crowds and inexperienced folks on the slopes. Mammoth is also good for boarding. Northstar has a lot of the horizontals that I mentioned although the slopes are great otherwise. Mr. Rose also has some horizontals as well as steeps and really wasn't fun enough to go back, but skiing is great. I haven't been to any others as I don't want to take the chance, but will hopefully make it someday. Have you found any good boarding in CA?

[@marcusjulii]

If you're a snowboarder avoid Homewood like the plague. At least 1/3 of the runs lead down to a very long flat called Orecart which is virtually untraversable on a snowboard.

[@jayzg60]

Heavenly is number 1 for me because of the on mountain facilities, the glades, and the ease of access via the gondola if you are staying in the village. They only have one real bowl on the mountain (milky way bowl) but go to the rockies if you are looking for that

[@LostLk2hi]

If you can't outrun the avalanche don't air drop off the cornice. (big grin)

[@HowToHaveFunOutdoors]

Great video. We do a lot of ski videos also and we would have ranked them the same way.

[@louiecao4690]

As a Palisades skiier, I can completely agree with these rankings

[@DC-et4li]

Good review. As a former Tahoe local having ridden every resort in the Tahoe basin, I agree with your ranking order. Just want to add a couple of points. You say Kirkwood doesn't have very long runs. But I have videos of me doing 20-30 minutes non-stop runs. I consider that pretty long. Certainly long enough to burn the legs of even the most seasoned skier or rider. You also mention the you have to down-lift to get off the mountain at Heavenly. But that's not the only option for accomplished riders. There are three gates where you can legally exit and ride all the way down the mountain. One of them , Stateline Gate, is right next to the Gondola. So when the Gondola line are ridiculously long as they tend to get, you can ride all the way down the mountain instead of take the Gondola.

[@PeakRankings]

Are you sure you're not talking about Heavenly?

[@DC-et4li]

@@PeakRankings I was referring to Kirkwood first; regarding the 20-30 minute runs. And then Heavenly regarding the gates. I failed to differentiate between the two.

[@dphotos007]

I used to live in Homewood. Homewood was even smaller years ago, the southern part was a resort called Tahoe Ski Bowl. Then both resorts merged into Homewood. I only liked it right after a heavy snow storm. I grew up in Los Angeles and learned to ski at Mammoth in the early 70’s. Mammoth is even better than Squaw Valley. It’s my favorite California resort. Mammoth is a large ski area with plenty of open bowl skiing. They have a good race department too and an excellent terrain park. At Northstar you get the very wealthy folks who own homes in the Martis Camp development. I would agree Palisades (Squaw Valley) is the best in the Lake Tahoe region.

[@Gary-np7hl]

it's a really good list and as said at the beginning "even the one's at the bottom are still really good resorts". when i go on my snowboarding vacations i prefer the buffets. they include tahoe, slc, and summit/eagle/front range. find your favorite resort for 2-3 days and explore the others on other days. tahoe is probably my favorite. i prefer overrated/underrated when referring to these resorts and i think he really hit the hammer on the nail with some of these. northstar overrated and sierra tahoe and alpine meadows really underrated. like a buffet, everyone has some they prefer over the others, but it's a good list. btw.... i'm hearing weird things about homewood going private. that's a real shame as even though it's 10 on this list, i'd move it up to about 8. great for pow days and even a day or two after.

[@PeakRankings]

Thanks Gary! Really appreciate your thoughts here.

[@bogwin9621]

I worked at Sierra at Tahoe. 1988 season.

[@robertbeightler7356]

Been skiing at Tahoe for over 60 years now. agreed that Squaw / Alpine totally rocks. I would rank Mount Rose number 3 though for it's awesome long steep chutes. I think Kirkwood is nice but overrated as an expert ski area. Most the steeps are very short. Don't even think about going to flatstar.

[@bman6502]

Just to give Boreal another shout out. I know it’s small but one Friday each month, they sell $25 tickets… they limit ticket sells so it’s never been crowded on those Fridays… runs are short, but for the price I can take my family of four for less than one ticket to any of these other resorts…

[@kudase]

😂😂the kid sitting in front of the Homewood sigh at the on hill bar was me 3 years ago

[@dc_wallets]

Headed to the Palisades and Alpine Meadows in a few days!

[@Kitkatdaddywhack]

Heavenly is lower on my list simply because of the type of people it attracts. I’m always astonished just how many people don’t follow simple slope etiquette and can completely ruin a whole run. Northstar can be similar but luckily not nearly as bad when skiing on the backside with more advanced slopes

[@p146boo]

this.

[@UncleWiley]

Missing Soda Springs, Donner Ranch (cheap places where Bay Area folks take their kids to learn), and Boreal (only place with night skiing). Also note that Palisades and Alpine Meadows don't allow snow skating

[@kusotare9559]

Hard pressed to think of Soda or Donner as "resorts". They are ski areas that fill an important niche (often better than their larger brethren), but there's more to a ski resort than a few lifts and a base lodge.

[@RickStalkerG55]

Lifelong Tahoe skier I think you nailed it. Could go into some nuances, like palisades ( so hard not to say squaw valley) is a hard mountain to get knowledge on at first particularly for beginner/intermediates, but it’s terrain and amenities has to ranked first. Quite often I will choose to ski alpine over palisades mainly due to crowd size. Sure wish sugar bowl would join them with Ikon pass but sugar bowl likes to keep it more simple.

[@danchen6783]

Sugar Bowl is coop owned by the local community and they will never join one of the consortiums. For better or worse.

[@travisburton2948]

I'm sorry, but it will forever be called Squaw to me.

[@kenmunn4421]

Living in Tahoe,your pretty spot on…