Northstar at Tahoe Run Gradings?

[Choccyaddict]

So we had a great days skiing at Northstar yesterday, it was our first time there and we were a little surprised at their runs. I normally ski mostly blues with an occasional black, but we found the blues a little too easy so we tried the blacks on the back of the mountain and they were great but seemed more like steep blues that we have skied at the likes of Sugarbowl. Anyone else think this?

 

[snow addict]

I was told that green/blue/black/etc. or, in case of Europe, blue/red/black differentiation is relative to the mountain. Thus on one mountain you may well find black just as steep or even less steep than blue on the other one. For example in Chamonix, particularly in Argentier area, pistes that are red would be black in Courchevel and many other places. Plus even in one resort you can find some blacks easier than some reds. a steep, wall-like run can be marked red if it's fairly wide and has a wide and flat-ish runouts, but a more gentle slope can be marked black if it's narrower or more exposed. There are some slopes that are easy to ski on and they don't require extra special skills, but they would be black because if for some freakish reason you fall there, then you very likely will end up dead. They are marked black to underline caution required from skiers. So there is no surprise at all that you find blacks in one resort easier or no harder than blues in the other.

 

[newshadeofblue]

Do you usually ski in the Tahoe area? The reason I ask is that around here, everyone calls it Flatstar, because of the terrain. Sugar Bowl and Alpine Meadows are much more challenging hills. As the other post mentioned, the difficulty ratings are relative to other terrain at that specific mountain. The backside of Northstar is really fun, it sounds like you found that already. : )

 

[Choccyaddict]

Ha ha, Flatstar! I'd experienced differences in between say France and Tahoe but was surprised at the difference in the same area. We are now living in the Bay area so Tahoe is a regular trip

 

[Slidergirl]

Ski run ratings are relative to each area. One area's blue could be another area's black. When someone asks me the way to one of our black runs, I always ask if they've skied here before. If they say YES, I'll give them directions. If they say NO, I'll "gently" suggest they first try some of our blues and double-blues or a Signature Run (tm) before they tackle a black. I'd really rather have them waste a run on a blue/double-blue and be safe than get in right over their heads and potentially have something go wrong. I honestly never understood the need to hit the first black run at a new resort. When the guys come up to me the lift and say "how do I get to Jupiter", I can pretty well size up whether or not they should really be going there. I do the same at the lift that serves the terrain park - if I see a family with little ones, I always ask if they can ski a blue and let them know that this is a terrain park lift. Some do turn back...

 

[Windee]

Yup, N'star is pretty flat all right, other than that way-out- back portion that looks killer to me. The food is good mountain-top, tho..
AND, the terrain park is fun to ski through and watch the amazing tricks those guys do there - one of the best parks anywhere, I've heard. It's also a bitch to finally get to the slopes.. .soooo far fr/ parking to tix to gondy to lodge...

 

[Blue Diamond]

It would be interesting if they could come up with a "resort rating" too, aside from the slopes ratings within a resort. Northstar is an "easier" resort, at least compared to Alpine or Squaw, which are more advanced. Sugarbowl would be somewhere in between. A blue run at Squaw or Alpine is definitely more challenging that a blue one at Northstar.

 

[Choccyaddict]

I agree, I think that it could be pretty dangerous, I skied all of the blacks confidently; can I ski all blacks at Alpine-no way!

 

[mahgnillig]

If you could rank the resorts in the Tahoe area for difficulty, what order would they come in? I'm relatively new to the area and love the long blue cruisers at Northstar... then again I have been skiing for all of 3 weeks. So far the only resorts in the area I have been to are Heavenly & Northstar, I'm kinda wondering how the others compare.

 

[SnowHot]

I ski Northstar a lot and Yes most of the front side is shallow grade, but Look Out and the back side have some nice stuff.

A good friend of mine said, Northstar is a blast for powder days and tree skiing on the back side especially since they are protected from high winds.
But Alpine Meadows and Squaw have the terrain that can make your a$$ pucker!

Rankings from my experience so far:
Squaw
Alpine Meadows
Kirkwood
Mt Rose
Sugarbowl
Northstar
Heavenly

Not sure about Homewood or Sierra at Tahoe

 

[marzNC]

I ski Northstar a lot and Yes most of the front side is shallow grade, but Look Out and the back side have some nice stuff.

A good friend of mine said, Northstar is a blast for powder days and tree skiing on the back side especially since they are protected from high winds.
But Alpine Meadows and Squaw have the terrain that can make your a$$ pucker!

Rankings from my experience so far:
Squaw
Alpine Meadows
Kirkwood
Mt Rose
Sugarbowl
Northstar
Heavenly

Not sure about Homewood or Sierra at Tahoe

Homewood is a great little place to go on weekends. I'd put it down as easier than Heavenly. Has great views of the lake. Need to arrive early because the parking lots are tiny.

 

[Blue Diamond]

Tahoe Resorts

According to my experience/perception, I would rank the Tahoe resorts as follows, from the most difficult/challenging to the easiest:

1. Squaw
2. Alpine Meadows
3. Kirkwood
4. Sugarbowl
5. Mt. Rose (the Chutes are very steep, though)
6. Heavenly
7. Northstar
8. Homewood

My list is similar to Snowhot's, but I moved up a little Sugarbowl and Heavenly. Of course this is based on personal perception so, it can vary.

I have not skied the following: Sierra at Tahoe, Donner, Diamond Peak and Boreal, therefore, I cannot rank them.

 

[ChgoSkier]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who noticed that. A friend and I went to Northstar two years ago. I ski mostly blue runs, but can do some easy black runs. I was thinking to myself that some blue runs at other resorts were harder. My friend had explained about the "Flatstar" nickname beforehand. I'm not complaining, I had a great time & I was able to say that I did some black runs. It certainly boosted my confidence!

 

[Blue Diamond]

I'm not complaining, I had a great time & I was able to say that I did some black runs. It certainly boosted my confidence!

I agree with you, ChgoSkier. It absolutely boosts your confidence! I did my first black one at Homewood two years ago and I felt soooo proud of myself. Then last year I did my first black one at Squaw....and I felt soooo proud again. Even though both were blacks, it was like reaching a different level.

However, I must say that I can confidently do any black one a Homewood, whereas at Squaw I can only do a couple of their easiest black ones and when the snow conditions are almost prefect.

 

[B.E.G.]

I definitely noticed this at Homewood yesterday. Great little resort and stunning, but many of their blues would be greens at my home hill in Montana. The hardest part for me was dealing with spring skiing conditions for the first time - that slush gets tiring! Next season I am definitely getting a pass and in thinking Squaw or Alpine (just because I'm definitely hoping to keep improving).

 

[litterbug]

Plus even in one resort you can find some blacks easier than some reds. a steep, wall-like run can be marked red if it's fairly wide and has a wide and flat-ish runouts, but a more gentle slope can be marked black if it's narrower or more exposed.

Aha! I've wondered about this. There are some blues at Alta that are generally great but contain a few very steep icy headwalls that seem steeper than the black runs I see from the lift or neighboring slopes--but they are pretty wide and have nice runouts. The few times this year I got confused and ended up on a black run I found myself on narrow bump fields or ice--which I did OK on because I was already surviving those on the blue headwalls. And there's one hill I've been skiing where I thought it was a blue but recently noticed is marked black!

Yesterday I skied blues at Brighton and I found them a bit easier than Alta's, probably because they were better groomed than Alta's, but we may have missed more advanced blues.

 

[Blue Diamond]

Next season I am definitely getting a pass and in thinking Squaw or Alpine (just because I'm definitely hoping to keep improving).

Good choice, B.E.G. You can always go back to Homewood for the views from time to time (hopefully with better snow conditions), but you will definitely find a lot more challenging terrain at Alpine and Squaw. Those three resorts are my favorites.

 

[drjoyous]

I think the ranking of areas is a bit hard to do--you have some really easy stuff at Squaw and (especially) Kirkwood; you have some very difficult stuff at Heavenly and Alpine. Another issue is whether or not you remain on the runs--the off-piste at Heavenly is very challenging, for instance. Sierra has mainly easy runs, but their off-piste tree runs are some of the most challenging in Tahoe. Heavenly tree runs are the best in the area; cliffs are great at Squaw if that's your thing.

So i think rankings are odd--the best thing to do is look at trail maps which (admittedly) don't give you an idea of how steep a blue in a particular area might be.

Just ski, have fun, and enjoy the scenery. What we DO have at Tahoe is the ability to go to a variety of snows, a range of difficulties, and a plethora of kinds of skiing, all within a very small area.

 

[B.E.G.]

Blue Diamond - Stanford had a great student pass deal this past year - $259 for Alpine and Homewood, with the exception of some blackout dates (Christmas, NY, MLK and Pres. Day weekends). Not too worried about that as I'll be in Montana for Christmas/NY and the other weekends, I figure I can explore the other Tahoe resorts I feel like that's such a great combination of challenging serious skiing and more laidback easygoing days for a great price. Really hoping they have something similar next season too! But I do have to say - Homewood was just one of the most beautiful resorts. Wow, those views!

Drjoyous - no kidding! I figure a good way to figure out the relative hardness of a resort is to work your way up in runs (we started with greens and started moving up). All the blues off the main lifts were super easy, and then we went up the quad and the blues there were much more equivalent to my home mountain so even then the mountain surprise you!

 

[mountaingal]

I've been to Northstar several times, but never heard it called "Flatstar"...that's great! I would have to agree that it's easier than most other resorts around Tahoe, but still fun. Like Windee, I just have had a hard time getting over the parking situation. (Especially when my DD was younger...hauling a tired kid and gear across the village to a shuttle is not a great way to end the day!)

I agree with Blue Diamond's ratings...I find Heavenly and Kirkwood more challenging. I haven't made it to Squaw yet, but I'm dying to try it out based on everything I've heard about it! I keep looking for good deals on lift tix. I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go!