Coming to the USA December/January 2015/16

[karrie lou]

Well it appears that I am hooked. Just did my first season learning to ski here in Australia! I've managed to get up to the snow every 10 days for the past couple of months. I've got one more day left I reckon. And I'm totally in love!! So, we're coming to the USA this winter

It's me (still relatively timid but have good control and parallel about 80% of the time), my husband (expert skier) and our youngest child (8 years - fearless and learning new skills quickly. He's just starting to learn parallel). We can get cheap accommodation at South Lake Tahoe so we're spending Christmas there - not sure if there will be much snow, but it should be a pretty place to look around and I'll be doing snow dances and offerings to every snow god for the rest of the year!

After Tahoe we want to go to another mountain over New Years and into the first week of January.
Thinking of either:
Taking a couple of days to drive to Mount Bachelor and ski there. Or...
Dropping in on Mammoth Mountain

I guess the choice is drive up and see some of the country and lose a couple of days skiing or go straight to Mammoth. We're fine with driving - regularly do 12 hour drives here to see family.

OR something else you would suggest?

We have our own business and close for two weeks over the Christmas/New Year time which is why we have to come at that time instead of later in the season.

Can't believe the level of addiction that has come on so quickly!

 

[VickiK]

What city are you flying into?

 

[karrie lou]

We're thinking of going into LA and driving up to Tahoe. OR we can fly into San Fran.

 

[karrie lou]

I know that no one can predict the snow completely but could some locals please tell me if there's likely to be any chance of skiing at Heavenly for the week from 20 -27 December?

 

[marzNC]

We're thinking of going into LA and driving up to Tahoe. OR we can fly into San Fran.

I know that no one can predict the snow completely but could some locals please tell me if there's likely to be any chance of skiing at Heavenly for the week from 20 -27 December?

In general, there are better places to choose for early season trips than Tahoe or Heavenly. Meaning before the first non-holiday week of January. At least that's my impression from reading online forums for several years.

One resource to get you started on options is the Family Skiing webpage on Tony Crocker's website. Tony enjoys compiling snow statistics. He has been doing it long enough to provide good info for trip planning although of course every winter is different. On a scale of 1-5, he ranks Mammoth snow conditions at 4 for Christmas and 2-4 for Tahoe depending on the ski resort. He assumes people are interested in skiing on natural snow, as opposed to being happy with relatively few trails that have snowmaking installed.

 

[DeweySki]

Hi, @KarenDriscoll! So exciting to hear that you are hooked on skiing and planning a trip to the States! I have been skiing out of South Lake Tahoe for the last two years mostly skiing Kirkwood and Heavenly. We like it so much we just signed on for a cabin for this coming season. Just a few notes that you may (or may not!) find helpful as you plan your trip:

-There will definitely be snow when you come. We started the '13/'14 season the 2nd weekend of December and started the '14/'15 season the 1st weekend of December. Last season we had a really good December and then a dry January. I've only been skiing Tahoe for two seasons but @santacruz skier has been doing it for 30 years, so she may have more info.

-Heavenly is a great option for families because of its size, amount of beginner and intermediate terrain, and snow-making capabilities. It's size can also be a liability though because it's kind of confusing and takes a long time to get from one side of the mountain to the other. I've never skied there, I've heard that Sierra-at-Tahoe is a another great family-friendly option. It is at a lower elevation and doesn't make snow, so I don't know what it would be like in December/January.

-Fly into Reno if you can, it's the closest. Alternatively, I would fly into LA, take a few days at Mammoth and then drive up the back route to Tahoe. It's an easy drive and the likelihood that you will need chains is slim. DO NOT fly into San Francisco. I do this drive every weekend on Friday after work and it's terrible. I would not wish it on anyone If there is any amount of snow coming down on route 50, you will need snow chains for your tires...which you can't put on rental cars. People have done it, but I personally think that the car rental people at SFO are super picky and you will get charged extra $$ if they notice you have used chains. I think I mentioned this in the Road Trip thread here.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. THINK SNOW.

 

[VickiK]

Flying into Reno is a great idea--it would save a lot of driving time. L.A. to Mammoth is about 5.5-6 hrs. Mammoth to Tahoe area via the back route, Highway 395, takes about 3 hrs. There are several spots for worthy sightseeing, too. You will want to carry chains, just in case.

I was stuck on the Eastbound I-80 heading to Tahoe once--horrendous.

 

[santacruz skier]

Hi,

Have to agree with @VickiK and @DeweySki about flying into Reno being a good option. I often do that from San Jose airport -just b/c I don't want to drive and is a very short flight. You can ski Tahoe resorts (all within an hour) or go to Mammoth (about 3 hr drive?). Unless you had a reason to go to San Francisco I would not fly into SFO to go to Tahoe (unless way cheaper)
Regarding winters in Tahoe - well we have had 4 mediocre to bad ones, but many, many good snowfall years. I have photos of our cars being covered with snow after big dumps. Also, early season is iffy in the Sierras, but I can remember skiing before Thanksgiving with 3 ft of fresh snow. @DeweySki mentioned both Heavenly and Sierra. Sierra is a wonderful family friendly resort and even has a 3 mile long beginner run from the top called Sugar and Spice. And, its base elevation is over 7,000 ft (higher than Heavenly) and snow is pretty darn reliable there. However, there is no real lodging @ Sierra and is about 45 min from South Lake Tahoe. Kirkwood also has a 7,000 ft base elevation as well, and an excellent ski resort - also 45 min from SLT.
Hope this helps and I would love to get together with some No Cal divas to ski.

 

[santacruz skier]

Also @KarenDriscoll , Heavenly is one of my favorites.. Has great runs, something for everyone and LOTS of tree skiing.... Shh... don't tell anyone.

 

[karrie lou]

Thank you everyone! @santacruz skier , @VickiK and @DeweySki Thanks for the great advice and ideas about Tahoe! @marzNC Thanks for the great family ski resource. I'm not wondering if I can squeeze and extra week away from our business so that we can go to Grand Targhee. It's an obsession!!

I think we'll do Christmas at Tahoe just because we can get a place for a great price, there's some Christmas activities and (I think) if there's not enough snow for my husband we'll be able to find lots of lovely places to see to fill in our time. Also we will have a car so we can drive to which ever resort has enough snow. Definitely will be making a trip to Mammoth too.

We do have to go to San Francisco to pick up our skis - got some great specials in the Labor Day sales which weren't allowed to be shipped to Australia so we got them shipped to a friend in SF. But maybe I can bribe her to come to Tahoe for a couple of days and bring them with her....hmmm, must think of an awesome bribe! lol

Will keep you all updated on the plans - it's so exciting!!

 

[VickiK]

Stop by Mono Lake on your way down to Mammoth, a landlocked salt water lake. Gorgeous setting, fascinating tufa formations, and a short, easy trail on the southern end off the 395 highway.

 

[karrie lou]

Stop by Mono Lake on your way down to Mammoth, a landlocked salt water lake. Gorgeous setting, fascinating tufa formations, and a short, easy trail on the southern end off the 395 highway.

Ooh that sounds lovely! Thanks! I'll add it to my file!