I love the autumn. The nights are colder, leaves don their colorful best before drifting down to rest among the grass and the smell of wood smoke wafts through the air. Snow is falling … well, somewhere. Not here in Danville, but it is falling. And that can only mean one thing … SKI SEASON is here.
Growing up in the Midwest, winter usually meant about six months of cloudy skies, driveways that never completely lost their coating of ice, and a really bad case of cabin fever. It wasn’t until moving to Colorado that I grew to appreciate the winter and what it means. Packing up the kids and heading up into the mountains to swoosh downhill. The first season we were there we fell in love with it and have been season pass holders ever since.
When it was decided we were moving to California, I was concerned about losing that. What a pleasant surprise it was to find that there are over a dozen resorts, big and small, all within a few hours from here. So talk about best of both worlds … 60-degree days in Danville and weekends schussing through the snow.
Since the season is here, it’s time to start getting ready for those trips to the mountains. For those who are relatively new to skiing or have kids who are just now getting ready, there are some tips to follow in order to make your lives easier.
First is to get your “kit bags” ready. The kit bag usually contains most of your outer ski apparel. We always kept our ski jackets, pants, gloves and goggles in the bag. Side pockets would be stuffed with spare socks, sweaters, sunscreen and lip balm. Pretty much the basic things you’d need to just pick up and go. Some people use bins for these items, others go with the cloth duffel bag.
We’re a helmet family so we would have a second container, a hard plastic bin, to hold our helmets and boots. Once both were packed, they’d be set in the back of our suburban to await the siren call of the slopes.
Next tip: Maintain your equipment. It’s always a good idea at the start of the year to take your skis or snowboards to a shop and get them a tune-up. For one thing, they’ll buff out all of the nicks and dings from the previous season’s activity. Then they’ll sharpen up the edges and put a fresh coat of wax on them, which will make slipping down the hill and carving up the snow a lot easier.
More importantly though, they’ll check your bindings and releases to make sure that in the event of a sudden and catastrophic deceleration (i.e., a wipeout or face plant), you won’t find your legs pointing in directions they shouldn’t be because your boots didn’t come free. All kidding aside, the difference between snow down your shorts and a trip on the ski patrol’s ambulance sled can be as simple as keeping your equipment in good shape.
If you don’t own your equipment, check around to find a shop that does rentals. Depending on how often you are planning to hit the slopes will determine what kind of rental to do. Some shops do a season rental, where you pay one price and keep the skis until the spring. I recommend this with children, as they grow so fast that you would be buying new skis and boots every few years. This way, you have a good fit and well-maintained equipment for your young ones.
Adults can go the rental route as well but if you intend to be an ongoing skier you may be better served by going to one of the ski/snowboard swaps held throughout the area and try to get a decent deal on your own gear.
Since we’re new to the area, the big question was “Where to go?” Most people on first meeting us were quick to point us in the direction of Lake Tahoe. “That’s the place you want to be” was the common refrain. Still others suggested smaller places away from the traffic nightmare that occurs every Friday afternoon on I-680 and I-80.
Fortunately, I live in a neighborhood filled with young active families so I had no shortage of knowledge to draw on as far as which resorts were more family friendly and where the best places were to go. I started with my friend and neighbor Thomas Spirgi. Thomas, a native of Switzerland has been skiing almost his entire life and has experienced ski runs around the world. With his wife Heidi and two sons Jamie, 4, and Oliver, 6, he’s tried many of the resorts in Northern California.
Thomas and his family spend a lot of time on the slopes at Kirkwood, due to its proximity, but said he most enjoys skiing at Alpine Meadows. “I like Alpine a lot because it’s very similar to Switzerland.”
Thomas said if it is just himself and Heidi skiing that is where they prefer to go. However, for family friendly skiing he suggested Northstar in Lake Tahoe, saying, “Northstar is more comfortable with the kids because they have a very good family program.” Another resort he suggested is Homewood: “That is a good place to go because it is smaller and less expensive.”
I got a different take on resorts from Michelle Mills. Michelle and her husband Glenn have a mixed marriage. In other words, she’s a skier and he’s a snowboarder. So that sets up an entirely different set of needs. Michelle said, “Not a lot of places were set up for snowboarding, so we needed to find someplace where Glenn can board and we can ski.”
For the Mills, the answer was simple. “We’re Sugar Bowl people,” she said. “It’s not as big as Northstar or Heavenly, but Sugar Bowl has a great selection of runs for everybody.” Once their son, 6-year-old Grant, joined them on the slopes, they discovered another facet about Sugar Bowl to enjoy. “I have to say, the one thing Sugar Bowl has over all the others is they size the boots and the skis for you. Most other places, you have to bring the child with their skis and boots already rented. At Sugar Bowl you bring him and they do the rest.”
Michelle said that while Sugar Bowl is their preferred resort, they have found others that are very definitely kid oriented. “My favorite places to take Grant are Boreal and Tahoe Donner. It’s really for kids. You won’t find a lot of challenges for the grownups, but you’re really there to ski with your kids.”
Lifelong skiier Lea McSweeney grew up near Yosemite so has spent a lot of her life around the mountains and the various ski hideaways. “I used to go to Dodge Ridge in high school,” she said, “Wednesday was ski day and if you had good grades, you could go up there and ski for about $3.50. That was everything, skis, boots, poles.”
To this day, she and husband Dennis return to Dodge Ridge with their children Matty, 6, and Catherine, 9. “It’s a very family friendly place. It’s one of the closest ski resorts and one of the cheapest, too.” She added, “They have a super kids program, with ski school or private lessons.” Other than Dodge Ridge, the McSweeneys also spend time at Heavenly. “It’s a good resort for all of us.”
Depending on how long you’re planning to ski, some other factors to be taken into consideration when choosing a resort include:
* Lift ticket price
* Availability of lodging and cost
* Proximity of lodging to lifts
* Availability and cost of restaurants near the resort
If you are planning to stay a few days, one way to minimize your costs is to bring your meals with you. The restaurants at the resorts are pricey so even just bringing lunch fixings is sure to save you plenty. When we go with our three children on a multi-day trip we always bring the crock pot. Mmmm, there’s nothing better than getting off the slopes and having a hot dinner ready to serve.
So, with gear packed, skis ready and plenty of resort suggestions, we’re ready to hit the road and start searching for the perfect powder. Which resort will turn out to be the best for us? No idea, but it sure will be fun finding out.
Compare resorts for family ski fun
One of the best ways to decide which resort is going to best meet your needs is to compare such things as ticket price, ski runs and size. Here’s a partial list of area resorts:
Alpine Meadows
Alpine provides 2,000 acres of skiable terrain. It has a nice mix of runs with 25 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, and 35 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults: $41 ($49 holiday rate); teens: $39; children 7-12: $15; children 6 and under: free.
Bear Valley
A mid-size resort with 1,280 skiable acres. Runs are broken up pretty evenly with 30 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, and 30 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults: $46; teens: $38; children 6-12: $16; children 6 and under: free
Boreal
One of the smaller resorts with only 380 skiable acres. The breakdown of runs favors advanced skiers with 29 percent is beginner, 29 percent intermediate, and 42 percent advanced.
Ticket Prices – adult: $38; children 5-12: $10; children 4 and under: free. Boreal also offers a reduced rate for night skiing from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Diamond Peak
Geared more toward the intermediate and advanced skiers, Diamond Peak has 655 skiable acres. Runs are broken down by 18 percent beginner, 46 percent intermediate, and 36 percent advanced.
Ticket Prices – adult: $46; teen: $36; children 6-12: $17; children 5 and under: free
Dodge Ridge
Primarily an intermediate resort, Dodge Ridge offers 550 skiable acres. Runs are broken down by 20 percent beginner, 60 percent intermediate, and 20 percent advanced.
Ticket Prices – adults: $48; teens: $36; children 6-12: $15; children 5 and under: free.
Donner Ski Ranch
Also well suited to the beginner and intermediate, Donner offers 460 skiable acres. Runs are 26 percent beginner, 47 percent intermediate, and 27 percent advanced.
Ticket Prices – (weekends and holidays) adult: $32; teen: $25; children 6-12: $10; children 5 and under: tree. Discounted prices are available for mid-week skiing.
Heavenly Valley
One of the largest resorts, Heavenly provides 4,800 acres of skiable terrain. This resort leans more toward the intermediate and advance skiers with a breakdown of 20 percent beginner, 45 percent intermediate and 35 percent advanced.
Ticket Prices – vary depending on time of the year. Consult the Heavenly Web site www.skiheavenly.com for further details.
Kirkwood
One of the larger mid-size resorts, Kirkwood sports 2,300 skiable acres. Runs are geared more toward intermediate and advanced with 15 percent beginner, 50 percent intermediate, and 35 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults: $49; teens: $39; children 6-12: $10; children 5 and under: free.
Northstar at Tahoe
Also among the larger mid-size resorts, Northstar has 2,000 acres of terrain. Runs are broken down by 25 percent beginner, 50 percent intermediate, and 25 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults: $63; teens: $53; children 6-12: $22; children 5 and under: free. Tickets prices will increase during the peak season at the end of the year.
Ski Homewood
Somewhere between the small and mid-size resorts is Homewood with 1,260 skiable acres. The breakdown of runs is 15 percent beginner, 50 percent intermediate, and 35 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults: $35; teens: $30; children 10 and under: free
Sugar Bowl
Geared toward the intermediate and advanced skier, Sugar Bowl features 1,500 acres. There are 20 percent beginner runs, 30 percent intermediate, and 50 percent advanced.
Ticket prices – adults and teens: $46; children 6-12: $15; children 5 and under: free.
Tahoe Donner
A resort almost entirely geared toward beginners, Donner has 120 acres of terrain. Those runs are broken down into 40 percent beginner and 60 percent intermediate. There are no advanced runs.
Ticket prices – adults: $20; teens: $20; children: $5
Many discounts can be found for these and other resorts. Check online and at your neighborhood ski shops and grocery stores to see what types of discounts can be found on lift tickets.
