Heavenly certainly has a lot going for it. At 4800 acres, it’s one of the biggest ski resorts in the United States. It also stands above two unique landscapes — Lake Tahoe and the Nevada desert — which makes for beautiful views unlike those found anywhere else. Heavenly is a Vail Resorts property, and as such the mountain has photographers stationed strategically at particularly beautiful spots to take visitors’ photos, which are then sent to them via the Epic Mix app.

Do those qualities make Heavenly the best ski resort in the United States? 

Beyond the slopes, visitors to Heavenly also reap the benefits of staying in South Lake Tahoe, one of the most popular vacation destinations in the United States, where one can gamble in the casinos, dine in 5-star restaurants, and party until dawn in the Nevada nightclubs.

For all of the reasons that I mentioned above, Heavenly provides it’s visitors with a ski vacation experience that can’t be had anywhere else.

Personally, I can only see three drawbacks to visiting Heavenly.

First, while the experience at Heavenly is unlike any other, you do have to pay for it. Heavenly’s lift tickets are among the priciest in the country. And, as a busy tourist destination, accommodations in South Lake Tahoe are also more expensive than those that can be found near smaller and more out-of-the-way resorts. This makes Heavenly a bit of a tough destination for ski vacationers trying to get by on a small budget.

Second, with an average annual snowfall of 360 inches, Heavenly certainly has it’s share of powder days. It’s not, however, a powderhound’s dream, like Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, and Sugar Bowl, all of which often receive 500 inches in a season.

The last drawback is more of a personal preference than a deficiency of the resort. Heavenly is a huge, corporate-owned resort. This isn’t a problem for many people. I, however, find that I prefer the character and small-townish warmth of smaller resorts. But, that’s just me. I’m a small town kind of guy.

Heavenly has several qualities that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. There’s a massive amount of terrain, you can basically ski right into a casino and hit the tables without taking off your boots, and, in the words of longtime local Mike Frye, “the views definitely don’t suck.”

On the other hand, it’s pricey and doesn’t get as much powder as some other notable ski areas.

What do you think? Could Heavenly be the best ski resort in the USA.

What do you think? Could Heavenly be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote for your favourite ski area now!

The post Is Heavenly the Best Ski Resort in the USA? appeared first on XpatMatt.

We’re traveling to ski resorts in the western U.S. trying to decipher which will provide the best vacation experience for skiers and snowboarders like you. We spent a few days at Heavenly interviewing locals, shooting local skiers and boarders tearing up the hill, and then compiling what we learned into this micro guide.

The video above contains lots of useful information, but, if you want to carry have this information on the hill where it will really come in handy, bookmark this guide on your phone.

Heavenly Micro Guide Part 1: The Hill

Whenever I show up at a hill, I never know where to go. The map doesn’t tell you enough. So, we’re created annotated maps of each hill explaining the terrain, so that you know where to go. Here’s our annotated map of Heavenly.

Download a full-sized version of this map to your desktop or phone (11.1 mb)

For the hardcore:

On the Nevada side of Heavenly, thrill-seekers traverse left from the top of the Dipper Chair to numerous double-black diamond runs and pitches over 40 degrees.

Mogul lovers absolutely must try  Gunbarrel. With moguls the size of Volkswagons, the run is home to Glen Plake’s (in)famous Gunbarrel 50, which is a race to see who can do the run fifty times consecutively the fastest. Riders who don’t care for the bumps will enjoy the well-spaced trees that flank the run.

For the park rats:

Park lovers will want to set up camp at the Sky Deck Lodge on the California side of the mountain. From there you can take the Sky Express or Canyon Express to access the High Roller Park (large features) and the Player’s Park (medium features).

For the groomer cruisers:

The Olympic Chair is intermediate heaven. It’s 3 -5 miles of cruising with lots of widely spaced trees along the sides.

Comet, Orion, and Dipper, are all also great chairs with intermediate terrain and lake views.

For the snowplowers:

The Boulder Chair is an excellent place to learn. The chairs move slowly. There’s lots of gentle, rolling terrain as well as a very nice lodge and a rental shop that caters to the needs of beginners.

Heavenly Micro Guide Part II: Where to Eat

The following restaurants came highly recommended by the locals we spoke to:

Sushi Pier Tahoe

A pleasant family-owned sushi joint with all-you-can-eat seven days a week.

177 Lake Tahoe Blvd  Stateline, NV 89449

(775) 588-8588

View a Map

Off the Hook Sushi

Another great casual sushi spot popular with locals.

2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd  South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 544-5599

View a Map

Riva Grill

A large upscale eatery with a lake view that can’t be beat.

900 Ski Run Blvd  South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 542-2600

View a Map

Fire + Ice Grill+ Bar

Cold drinks, hot food, and tables around large outdoor fireplaces make for a unique dining experience just steps from the base  of the Heavenly gondola.

4100 Lake Tahoe Blvd  South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 542-6650

View a Map

Heavenly Micro Guide Part III: What to do Off the Hill

Even without Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe is a destination unto itself. South Lake Tahoe has world class dining, shopping, and plenty of bars if you’re looking to party. There are casinos if you want to get your gamble on. There’s also plenty of hiking, snowshoeing, and even winter kayaking on the lake (if you’re brave enough!).

The post Heavenly Micro Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.

So, I despite time constrictions, and thanks to Mike, my snowboard did make contact with a very large portion of that mountain.

This is what it looked like.

Special thanks to Bryon of Exploring Elements for contributing some of his photos to this post. If these pics aren’t enough for you, then you should check out his photos from Heavenly.

The post Heavenly Eye Candy appeared first on XpatMatt.

Heavenly is one of the best-known ski and snowboard destinations in the United States, and for good reason. With Lake Tahoe sprawling below the California side of the gargantuan resort, and the Nevada desert below the other, Heavenly has some of the most beautiful and unique scenery of any resort in the country.

At 4800 acres, this behemoth resort offers something for everybody on the slopes and, with a gondola that drops visitors in the heart of South Lake Tahoe‘s shopping, dining, and gambling, there’s also something for everyone off the slopes.

Here’s what locals and visitors at Heavenly told us they thought of the resort.

What do you think? Could Heavenly be the best resort in the USA?

Make your voice heard!

Vote for your favourite hill in the Best in the West Showdown

The post Sh*t People Say About Heavenly appeared first on XpatMatt.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is a medium-sized ski resort in South Lake Tahoe. It’s not nearly as well-known as other resorts around the lake — like Squaw Valley, Heavenly, and Kirkwood — which would seem to make it a bit of an underdog in our Best in the West Showdown.

On closer inspection, however, the idea may not be so strange.

The Best in the West Tour is different from other projects that have attempted to crown the best ski resort in the USA.

While others look toward giant mega resorts with large villages full of expensive condos and extreme terrain for expert skiers and snowboarders, we have been focusing more on the qualities that appeal to a large and diverse proportion of the skiing and snowboarding population.

Those qualities include value, atmosphere, and terrain that appeals to the average skier or snowboarder. In those categories, medium-sized resorts like Sierra-at-Tahoe are often just as qualified as — and sometimes better qualified than — their big-budget counterparts to take the title of Best in the West.

Here’s why Sierra-at-Tahoe stands out from other resorts in the area.

1. Locals told us that Sierra-at-Tahoe is more family-friendly than the average resort. With four interactive Adventure Zones for children there is a lot of there is a lot of fun to be had for the little ones.
2. The mountain has a very comprehensive terrain park system (check out some photos here) that includes 5 parks, that gradually increase in size so that aspiring freeskiers and snowboarders have all the tools they need to progress without having to take big risks. A rare year-round boardercross course and Top Ten Superpipe also add to the appeal of this hill.
3. Sierra-at-Tahoe makes skiing and snowboarding very affordable with inexpensive season’s passes ($379 for an adult) and day pass 3-packs that work out to $55/day for visitors.

An annual snowfall of 480 inches places Sierra-at-Tahoe among the top 20-30% of hills in the country for snowfall. And, although big-mountain terrain isn’t the primary feature of this resort, it definitely holds its own with the steeps, cliffs, and chutes accessed by the Huckleberry Gates.

What do you think? How important is having a ton of big-mountain terrain compared to having a large proportion of sculpted and clearly-marked terrain that enables beginner and intermediate snow sport lovers to improve their skills easily, safely, and efficiently?

Make your voice heard!

Vote for your favourite hill in the Best in the West Showdown

The post Is Sierra-at-Tahoe the Best Ski Resort in the USA? appeared first on XpatMatt.

We’ve been traveling to ski resorts in the western U.S. trying to decipher which will provide the best vacation experience for skiers and snowboarders like you. We spent a few days at Sierra-at-Tahoe interviewing locals, shooting local skiers and boarders tearing up the hill, and then compiling what we learned into this micro guide.

The video above contains lots of useful information, but, if you want to carry have this information on the hill where it will really come in handy, bookmark this guide on your phone. 

Sierra-at-Tahoe Micro Guide Part 1: The Hill

Whenever I show up at a hill, I never know where to go. The map doesn’t tell you enough. So, we’re created annotated maps of each hill explaining the terrain, so that you know where to go. Here’s our annotated map of Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Download a full-sized version of this map to your desktop or phone (8.4 mb)

For the Hardcore:

If you’re looking for the steeps and trees you’re going to spend most of your day on the Grandview Chair. Preacher’s Passion, Castle, and Preacher’s Street — as well as the surrounding trees — are all excellent runs. For serious big-mountain sidecountry action, grab a friend and head for the Huckleberry Gates. You won’t be disappointed.

For the park rats:

With five parks, one snowboard cross course, and a superpipe, Sierra-at-Tahoe has way more features than can be listed here. The biggest features are built in different parks at different times, so if you’re looking to go big you’ll have to ask when you get there, but at the time of writing the The Alley (accessed by the Short Stuff Chair) had two monster kickers — one of which was around 50 feet.  Smokey Boardercross — one of the few full-time snowboard cross courses in the country — is also worth checking out. It can be reached from both the Grandview Express Chair and Eldorado Chair.

For the groomer cruisers:

If you’re looking for good groomers you’ll find plenty at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Several can be accessed from the Grandview Chair, but the best place to be is in the West Bowl off the West Bowl Express Chair where the sun hits early and softens things up nicely.

For the snowplowers:

Sierra-at-Tahoe is very family friendly and has ample terrain for beginners, including Easy Street — 11 acres of terrain customized specifically for beginners — which is accessed by the Broadway Chair.

Beginners who’d like to try something a little longer should definitely check out Sugar n’ Spice off the Grandview Express Chair, which is 2+ miles of easy cruising.

Sierra-at-Tahoe Micro Guide Part II: Where to Eat

The following restaurants came highly recommended by the locals we spoke to:

 Sprouts Cafe

All fresh and natural vegetarian. Super healthy.

3123 Harrison Ave South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150‎

(530) 541-6969

View a Map

Artemis Mediterranean Grill

Reasonably priced delicious Mediterranean fare popular with locals.

2229 Lake Tahoe Blvd Suite A, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 542-2500

View a Map

Paseretties 

A classic Italian bistro and 30-year staple of the South Lake Tahoe dining scene.

1181 Emerald Bay Rd., South Lake Tahoe, Ca 96150

(530) 541-3433

View a Map

Freshies

A local surf-style restaurant with a focus on fresh, organic food, micro brews, and fine wines.

3330 Lake Tahoe Blvd  South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 542-3630

View a Map

The Divided Sky

Good food and a great beer selection in this local Meyers watering hole, between Sierra-at-Tahoe and the city of South Lake Tahoe.

3200 U.S. Route 50 in California, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

(530) 577-0775

View a Map

Sierra-at-Tahoe Micro Guide Part III: What to do Off the Hill

Sierra-at-Tahoe is a great area for alternative outdoors activities with both snowshoeing and snow tubing at the hill. There’s also excellent cross country skiing in the area.

A little further afield in South Lake Tahoe there are all manner of diversions, such as bowling, shopping, gambling, and shows at the casinos.

The post Sierra-at-Tahoe Micro Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.

We got a few pictures of each during our trip.

Special thanks to Bryon of Exploring Elements for contributing some of his photos to this photoessay.

The post Sierra-at-Tahoe Snowboarding Porn appeared first on XpatMatt.

After Sugar Bowl we packed up and headed over to Sierra-at-Tahoe. I’d never heard of the resort, so I didn’t know what to expect.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is the South Lake Tahoe locals’ resort. It’s the place where most of the average working people from town will buy their lift ticket, so that’s who we met on the mountain. A lot of them told us that they like the chill vibe and the family-friendly atmosphere.

Strangely, the forgot to mention the epic tree skiing (thanks to selective logging during the 1900’s), the amazing terrain park system (I’ve never seen one so well-planned and extensive), and the views of Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain.

Those things all warrant a mention as well.

The post Sh*t People Say About Sierra-At-Tahoe appeared first on XpatMatt.

Sugar Bowl is not as well known as other resorts around Lake Tahoe, like Squaw Valley, Northstar, and Heavenly, but that may be to its advantage. Personally, I’ve found throughout this tour that usually I enjoy visiting small resorts more than large ones because the atmosphere tends to be more friendly and homey and fresh tracks are easier to find.

I know that many other people feel the same way that I do. If the majority of skiers and snowboarders agree with me, then Sugar Bowl is a good contender for the title, Best in the West.

If here’s one thing that Sugar Bowl does well, it’s maintain an excellent on-hill experience. Sugar Bowl is a bit out-of-the-way. It’s a longer drive to reach Sugar Bowl than Squaw Valley or Northstar from the nearest airport and cities. So, the crowds at Sugar Bowl tend to be thinner and lift lines shorter than at other nearby ski areas. In fact, Marketing Director John Monsens even told me that Sugar Bowl keeps their lift ticket prices intentionally high to prevent the resort from ever getting too crowded and to maintain a top-tier experience for those who visit the hill.

This may sound like a strange strategy from a business point of view, but I was very happy with it.

Our first day in Sugar Bowl was two days after the last snow, yet we easily found a great steep run right beside the Mt. Lincoln Express that was basically untracked. Brian and I rode that run all day with out crossing another person’s tracks.  That kind of experience is virtually unheard of at larger, more accessible resorts.

Sugar Bowl is not without it’s drawbacks. It’s not as accessible as other hills in the area. Unless you stay in their on-mountain accommodations (which happen to be the only snowbound lodge in North America (there is no way in or out except for a gondola) you’re looking at a minimum 20-minute drive to get there. It’s also not as inexpensive as some other resorts, though it’s far from the most expensive I’ve been to.

But, are those drawbacks balanced by the on-hill experience that so many skiers and snowboarders visit Sugar Bowl for?

A lot of unpredictable factors have to come together to make a great ski trip. You have to have snow, meet the right people, and find the right spots on the mountain. You can’t predict those things, and nobody can guarantee them.

That being said, my experience at Sugar Bowl was among the best that I’ve had on the trip so far.

What do you think? Could Sugar Bowl be the best resort in the USA? Vote for your favourite ski area now!

The post Is Sugar Bowl the Best Ski Area in the USA? appeared first on XpatMatt.

We sat down with several locals and visitors at Sugar Bowl to find out what made the hill special to them. We found out that the lift lines are short, there’s a lot of snow, and the hill has a lot of history. It is, after all, home to the first chairlift in California.

We also asked the locals about where they liked to ski, snowboard, and eat, as well as what else is fun to do in the area. This is what we learned.

Sugar Bowl Micro Guide Part 1: The Hill

The Map

Below is an annotated map to show you where to find the best terrain for your riding style at Sugar Bowl.

Download a full-sized version of this map to your desktop or phone (6.2mb)

For the Hardcore

Serious powderhounds will want to head to either the Mount Lincoln Express or the Disney Chair, both of which access Sugar Bowl’s most serious terrain from opposite sides. From the Mt. Lincoln Express you get an excellent view of the Palisades, which will make even the most experienced ripper hesitate before dropping in.

For the Groomer Cruisers

Both the Crow’s Nest Double Chair which loads at the Village Lodge, and the Jerome Hill Express, which loads at the Judah Lodge, have a variety of fast blue groomers where you can get your carve on.

For the Park Rats

You’ll want to spend your day on the Mt. Judah Express lift by the Judah Lodge. Below and beside the Mt. Judah Express is an area they call The Switching Yard. It’s a series of parks all right beside each other, including one FIS super pipe.

For the Snowplowers

Sugar Bowl has two base areas and one beginner area at each. While Knob Hill by the Village Lodge is a good spot, I’d recommend heading over to the Judah Lodge, where there are two beginner-only lifts, as well as two other lifts that access lots of beginner and intermediate terrain.

Sugar Bowl Micro Guide Part 2: Where to Eat

Pianeta Cucina Italiana
High-class atmosphere, extensive wine list, and top-tier Italian food.
10096 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA 9616
530-587-4694
View Map

T’s Mesquite Rotisserie
Amazing Mexican and BBQ and good prices. A favourite of locals and visitors alike.
901 Tahoe Blvd
Incline Village, NV 89451
(775) 831-2832
View Map

Moody’s
An upscale bistro with a unique menu, frequently featuring live music.
10007 Bridge St.
Truckee, CA 96161
(530) 587-8688
View Map

Cottonwood Restaurant and Bar
This historic restaurant and bar a permanent fixture in the North Lake Tahoe dining scene with a menu that mixes classic American favourites with unique takes on old dishes.
10142 Rue Hilltop Rd.
Truckee, CA 96161
(530) 587-5711
View Map

Blue Coyote Bar & Grill
Family sports bar with pizza, wings, burgers, and a full bar for the grown-ups.
10015 Palisades Drive, Truckee, CA 96161
530-587-7777
View Map

Sugar Bowl Micro Guide Part 3: What to do Off the Hill

The area around Sugar Bowl is remote and undeveloped, which makes it ideal for a variety of outdoors activities. Whitewater kayaking in the area is said to be amazing, while Donner Lake and Lake Tahoe are offer more relaxing environments for amateurs to enjoy the sport. Stand up paddleboarding is also very popular in the area.

On-snow kiteboarding and kiteskiing lessons are available in the winter, and the area is also excellent for kitesurfing in the summer.

Donner Memorial Park is an out-of-the-way park with numerous trails and roads for hiking and mountain biking.

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