A Local’s Favorite Ski Resorts in Lake Tahoe

When I look to go skiing for the day, these are a few of my favorite mountains to explore:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
• Diamond Peak Ski Resort
• Heavenly Ski Resort
• Sugar Bowl Ski Resort

Let me share with you why I find them so special.

It would be frowned upon if I didn’t lead with my hometown hero: Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. It’s certainly the local’s “skiing hole,” and is arguably my favorite of all the mountains that I’m going to chronicle for you today. Chiefly, it’s convenient. Coming from Reno, I can be there and on the lift in 30 minutes, and easily back for work by 2 p.m. Rarely does convenience come with excellence, but Mt. Rose delivers that too!

There are two main faces to the mountain: Mt. Rose Side (which is the main mountain), and Slide Side. Both offer different styles of riding, as well as their own parking areas and lodges.

The main mountain has more of your classically groomed terrain, with serpentine routes that take you through her more attractive features. At any point, you can breach a groomed ledge and get lost in a forest of scrumptious powder, only to pop back onto trail moments later with your legs a’burning and face a’stinging!

Then there’s Slide Side, which feels like the wilder side to me. The easiest way to describe it to you is by setting the scene. Picture it, a steep mountain in one of those classic 80’s movies where there’s a “race to the death” down “Devil’s Peak” or something. “Winner gets the girl!” one of the guys shouts as he takes off before the countdown of three finishes — just as the leading lady shrugs and skis off, not really paying attention to them… Anyway, Slide Side is less contained. It has less pronounced topical features than its counterpart, but has a few rolling gullies that make for surprising drops and therefore hilarious tumbles into pockets of billowing snow. After those gullible gullies, if you're not careful, you can turn into a heat-seeking missile at 60 mph! It has an unobstructed, long descent where one can pick up so much speed, they’re liable to bend trees in their wake, rocketing past them in an opaque blur! Slide Side gets pretty raw, and I love it. It’s no wonder that you’ll hear the periodic howling of the skiers below while you ride the lift. Pro tip: Go on the weekdays — there are never any lines. Booyah!

The iconic Mt. Rose Chutes

Now, before I move on, I would be remiss in not dedicating a paragraph to the Chutes. This is what the real-deal, lifelong ski bums wake up for. It’s what they’re itching for all morning and twisting their necks like owls from the ski lift to see if the warning ropes have been removed.

The Chutes are wedged precariously between the primary mountain and Slide Side. If you arrive at the ski resort early in the day, it’s common for the Mt. Rose staff to be avalanche-testing the area to make sure it's safe to drop into. You might even hear haunting dynamite blasts that make you jump from time to time! Once they give the green light, the energy on the mountain becomes even more ecstatic! Like bell chimes, you hear the boarders and skiers all chirping the news. “Chutes are open!” they sing as they pass, letting you know that you gotta get it while the getting’s good. And, boy, is the getting good! Go perpendicular on steep, untouched lines, then surf out of them on snow that’s so light, it could start to levitate. It’s just the absolute best! (If you couldn’t tell, I adore this mountain.)

There are also a couple of secret spots you can unstrap and hike into the hills for some off-trail, clandestine powder runs — but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to spill these beans! So let’s talk about where you can chow down after burning all those calories on the slopes… before I get the Mt. Rose marshals on my ass.

Mt. Rose après-ski scene

Ready to come in from the cold? Head to Timbers Bar at the main lodge. Not only will you hear stories from the old dudes in neon recanting their races down “Devil’s Peak,” but the beer selection is awesome, and the staff is delightful. If you need more to refuel than a pint, they also serve food. Perhaps it’s just the cold mountain hands and skier’s hunger talking, but their chili is the best in the region! (Please hold while I take another bite.)

Here’s another secret gem of a mountain that many people don’t even know about. It was the first mountain I rode when I moved to Nevada, and the memory has always stayed in my heart. It’s called Diamond Peak, and as far as mountains go, it’s quaint and charming. If Heavenly Resort was a “mansion,” and Mt. Rose a “Westfalia traveler’s van,” then Diamond Peak is an “enchanted cottage,” or so to speak. It's an angelic little thing that’s surprisingly gorgeous. The sunrise view of Lake Tahoe from the summit is surreal. I don’t know if it’s the positioning of the mountain or what, but the word that comes to mind when I think of that view is “perfect”. There’s a lodge at the top called Snowflake Lodge, and it lets you drink in these views with abandon (and lots of beer). This is definitely the local spot for the people of Incline Village, and they're a fun bunch to mingle with. Say “hi” to them next time you’re up there.

As for the riding, it’s really easy to get around on Diamond Peak, and she comes replete with all the skier’s staples. Groomed riding, moguls, tree-land escapes, drops, speedways and so on — but there aren’t multiples of them. It’s definitely a smaller mountain, but when you ski here, you create a tender and natural familiarity with Diamond Peak’s trails, almost like a relationship for just you and her — or “him,” if male mountains are your thing. During the short lifts to the top, you have time to figure out what type of run you want (smooth, harrowing, etc.) and just point your skis in that direction to make it happen! It’s never super crowded and is an awesome mountain to work in some much-needed turns if you’re in a pinch. Think of it like the chicken soup mountain; you leave feeling warm, healed and ready for a nap.

I know that how I described Mt. Rose and Diamond Peak may have sounded like heaven — and for us locals, it is — but if you want a mountain truly made by the great Almighty, then head to Heavenly Ski Resort. In fact, its name says it all. Not only are the views what postcards are made of, but it boasts the highest peak in the region — one so high you pierce the clouds. From up there, you can spy Lake Tahoe — the alpine lake that inspires pilgrimages from around the entire world — on one side and the Nevadan desert that stretches on to infinity on the other. You’re in the Sierras now, and it makes you feel like both a tiny dust mite underneath it all, and a pair of massive eternal eyes, looking out forever. And then you snap out of it, reminding yourself you should probably cut back on the mountain marijuana, and rip down one of 97 runs. Yes, you heard me correctly: This mountain is massive and makes for a different riding adventure every time you visit. There are even around 30 different lifts, and by the time you think you’ve seen it all, the trees will have grown, the routes will have shifted and it will be a whole new mountain. Time to start mapping it again, I guess. Now get out there! Go!

Regardless of where I ski in Lake Tahoe, I always enjoy myself. It sincerely is my favorite winter activity. It fills my soul and my heart, and I always leave as if I went on a three-day road-trip, took a workout class, and had a spiritual moment all in one. I’d rather be nowhere else in the world than standing atop my sleek and trusted snowboard and astride any of those aforementioned mountains. Now, tell me I’m wrong.