Sierra Ski Resort
The Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort in California is often just shortened to “Sierra” by the locals that frequent the ski area. The Sierra Ski Resort has an easy-going atmosphere that sets it apart from many of the fancy Lake Tahoe ski resorts. Sierra Tahoe has no village or on-mountain accommodation, everything remains reasonably simple, and it is well known for being very family oriented.
Pros and Cons of Sierra California
Pros
- Sierra CA is a fantastic first-timers and beginners’ mountain.
- It is super family friendly.
- Relative to the big boys of Lake Tahoe, this ski resort is inexpensive.
- Sierra Tahoe has a lovely laidback atmosphere.
- It has phenomenal tree skiing and is well known for the pillow skiing, although the off-piste areas need a lot of cover to get started.
- Experts like the gnarly terrain in Huckleberry Canyon, but this area needs even more snow cover to open.
- Sierra at Tahoe can be good for storm riding because the resort is fairly protected from the winds. If Heavenly Ski Resort is on wind-hold, it’s worth checking out Sierra.
Cons
- It is quiet relative to Heavenly Resort but it can still get a little crowded, especially in the day lodge.
- Sierra doesn’t provide as much terrain variety compared to some of the high profile Tahoe ski resorts, and intermediates in particular will find much better neighbouring resorts.
Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective
- There is no slopeside Sierra at Tahoe lodging and a daily commute is required to get to the resort. Some folks may enjoy the combination of the chilled out vibe of Sierra and the vibrant evening activities of South Lake Tahoe and Stateline where you can party and gamble to your heart’s content.
Sierra Tahoe Ski and Snowboard Terrain
With 2,000 acres (809 hectares) and 46 trails, the Sierra Ski Resort is a little smaller than the average Lake Tahoe resort. The resort has 9 chair lifts as well as a handful of surface lifts. The
Sierra at Tahoe Resort terrain is separated into different regions (such as Grandview that offers views of Lake Tahoe) as well as a frontside and backside.
Beginners have a dedicated learners area near the main base lodge with multiple magic carpets and chairlifts nearby serving green trails. Officially, fifty percent of the trails are for intermediates and West Bowl in particular offers some great cruisers. A few of the supposed “advanced” trails are also good for intermediates.
For advanced riders, Sierra at Tahoe has great tree skiing thanks to nicely spaced old-growth forests of red fir trees that weren’t attractive to the loggers of days gone by. Some of the treed areas have an abundance of boulders that can provide awesome pillows on a powder day.
Sierra Tahoe is also renowned for Huckleberry Canyon, a 320 acre gated backcountry-esque area that’s inside the resort boundaries. This experts-only area has an abundance of steeps in the form of bowls, chutes, rock drops, pillows, cornices and some cliff hucking too.
Sierra at Tahoe Snow
The Sierra Ski Resort receives an average annual snowfall of 480 inches (12.2 metres), and whilst this is very impressive, keep in mind that Tahoe seasons can be inconsistent. And like other
Lake Tahoe ski resorts, the powder tends to be somewhat heavy relative to the likes of Utah, Colorado and
Japan skiing.
Where is the Sierra Ski Resort?
Sierra at Tahoe is located in Twin Bridges California on US Route 50, near the south end of Lake Tahoe. The resort is 16 miles southwest of
South Lake Tahoe (ie
Heavenly Ski Resort) in California and the adjacent Stateline in Nevada. The drive from South Lake Tahoe takes about 30 minutes, and if you don’t want to self-drive there are complimentary South Shore Shuttles between South Lake Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe.
Sierra at Tahoe Lodging
There is no on-mountain lodging at Sierra Ski Resort, with most visitors staying in
South Lake Tahoe lodging (or Stateline).
Nevada side:
Stateline Casinos and Hotels Listings
Ski Resort Facilities
The Base Lodge contains most of the ski resort amenities including restaurants, a day care facility (children aged 18 months to 5 years), ski and snowboard school, a retail shop, and ski and snowboard rentals. The 360 Restaurant at the top of the ski area is popular for the great views it affords.
Activities
The Sierra Ski Resort has an activities spot called Blizzard Mountain. Whilst this sounds pretty hardcore, it’s quite the contrary with a child friendly snow play area, tubing and snowshoeing.