Lake Tahoe
 

My buddies and I are headed to Lake Tahoe in February to ski at Squaw Valley. In order to keep costs down we are going to stay in a cheap hotel (it won't be ski in/ski out like we have had in the past). Who here has frequented Tahoe? I here that Tahoe City has better nightlife, but there are more cheap motels in Truckee?

Any recommendations?

For a buddies trip you should definitely be staying on the south shore. Squaw Valley closes when the sun goes down. Stay near Heavenly, and drive to Squaw once or twice to ski the mountain. Hit the steep stuff if your abilities are appropriate. The night life around Heavenly will help make your trip. There are some smaller inexpensive motels down the street from the casinos. Have Fun!!

South Shore would be cheaper with more night life. (Nevada casinos) But it's quite a drive to Squaw. Heavenly is good, but Kirkwood is awesome, and not too bad a drive.

Tahoe City has some night life, but it's a local crowd.

Are you flying into Reno and renting a car?

South Shore will be relatively cheap with an actual night life, it is a long ass drive to Squaw from there though, do you want to ski at Squaw in particular? Tahoe City Nightlife? Who told you that.

Heavenly is pretty huge, varied terrain, Kirkwood has better snow though. How long are you staying and how many guys? You might do okay renting a condo

This trip is definitely more about the skiing then the nightlife. We are all going to be flying into Reno (3-4 guys) and renting a car on a wednesday night. We will ski Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, then take late flights home on Sunday night so we can all be at work on Monday morning.

From reviews online and in magazines, it seems like Squaw Valley has the biggest and best terrain in Tahoe, so that's where we planning on skiing. It will make more sense to stay closer so we have a short drive each morning. If anything, one of the nights we would drive down to South Tahoe to hit the bars/casinos.

The Tahoe city nightlife comment was in comparison to Truckee.

Thanks guys, and let me know if you see any huge flaws with my game plan or general thought process.

Tahoe Ski areas
 

I went back a few years ago, really liked the updated Northstar. My favorite is still Alpine Meadows. Heavenly is huge with great variety, south shore very commercial.

Definitely stay in s shore best deals are at Harveys plan on skiing kirkwood and heavenly. Squaw gets skied out quickly after a big dump. Let me know when you are coming ill show you around

Ha you said "big dump."

I have an in law from Truckee. Never heard much about any night life. Cowboy bars.

Tahoe City can be fun. It is a short drive from Squaw. I would recommend avoiding South Shore. It is good for nightlife, but skiing on the North Shore is much better. Not only do you have Squaw, but you have Alpine and Northstar.

There are a number of smaller towns around there (Carnilian Bay, Kingsbeach, etc.) but Tahoe City seems to have the most going on.

After a full day of skiing, there are good rustic grub places (Reds or Jason's as examples) where the food is good, the ambiance is typical Tahoe and while they close reasonably early, you are burnt from skiing so it is OK.

Should be a great trip.

Lots of great advice here. I've been to snowmass, Aspen, vail, Breckinridge, keystone, Jackson Hole, highlands... I liked Jackson hole the best by far. What's the most similar in tahoe to Jackson?

Jackson Hole is the steepest well know ski resort in the US. Far steeper then the others that you listed. Squaw Valley is going to be the steepest in CA (and top 5 in the US), followed by Kirkwood (but a much smaller mountain and 30 minutes outside of Tahoe).

Squaw, while a great mountain for skiing steeps does not have the best protection. If you experience weather, Squaw is a tough mountain to be on. This is where Alpine and Northstar really shine. They have great weather protection (narrower runs and lots of tree skiing).

There is so much to choose from in Tahoe, you will have a blast.

If your plan is to ski primarily at Squaw Valley, you might save some dough with a multiday pass. Alpine Meadows is relatively close to SV, Kirkwood is a bit off the beaten path, gets a lot of snow and generally is not as skied out as SV in the afternoon. Maybe SV on weekdays, AM or Kirkwood on weekend.

If you stay in Truckee, SV and AM are not too far, also true of Tahoe City.

From Reno, if you take Hwy 431, Mt Rose Hwy, it comes out right at Incline Village, with a stellar scenic view of the Lake. Be advised, this road can be brutal in bad weather. Try renting 4WD vehicle, to obviate need for tire chains.

+100
That time of year, highly recommend 4WD. No telling what Mother Nature will bring. And if the weather is bad and chains are required, CHP will NOT let you get on I80 without them (unless you have 4WD).

If you a level 8 or 9 skier you definetly want to hit Squaw. Alpine and Northstar are alright for level 6-8.(shorter runs and not as challenging on a whole). Also the weekened crowds at Nortstar are crazy. In my opinion they've overbuilt the facilities for the amount of skiers they can accommodate. (all weekend skiing is heavy, but Northstar is exceptionaly heavy)

During Feb the hotels really jack up the rates. Expect to pay $130-$200 per night in Truckee. (this will get you a two or three star rated room) Tahoe City is about a 45-60min drive in winter conditions(25-30min if roads are clear) If the focus is skiing I would stay in truckee and maybe head to Cal-Neva one or two nights for some gambling/entertainment at night....(heck if the roads are clear you could drive to Reno for a nights entertainment...Pepermill or Atlantis.

PS last piece of info...get a place with a hot tub. Nothing feels better after a day of skiing than a brew and a soak!
PSS South shore is hell and gone from Northshore. Especially in winter conditions. I would forget Southshore unless you decide to stay and ski there.
Truckee: typical chain hotles
Holiday inn express
Best western
hampton inn
mom and pop hotles..cheap(relative to the rest) no frills bed and shower

We don't call it Flattstar for nothing

There is a new, nice Hampton Inn right next to the Truckee airport. Northstar is 10 minutes away and SV is @ 30 minutes..

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This was just in local fishwrap, pretty extensive list of area resorts, with links.
Sierra ski guide: Time to get your snow on - Outbound - sacbee.com

Thanks for the info.

Due to travel logistics for my friends and I, we ended up booking a trip to Park City instead of Tahoe. Hopefully I will make it to Tahoe sometime in the near future.