SF Bay Area Skiing

buy a surfboard

SquirtleJust moved to the SF Bay Area a couple months ago and I’m looking for some advice.

What pass should I get? Epic Tahoe Local Pass or Icon Pass.

Also, I don’t want to spend seven hours driving every time I want to go skiing for a day, so I’ll probably try to spend weekends up in Tahoe. What’s a good strategy for staying nights in Tahoe without breaking bank?

Where in the bay area? When I lived there we had Ikon base pass and rode Squaw. If you can find a ski share at a condo/cabin/garage that would be ideal. Something close to SugarBowl would be ideal as it's slightly easier to get in and out and being that much closer to the Bay make it less likely to get stuck with a pass closure. Sierra is another option or potentially Kirkwood but there isn't much lodging near Kirkwood.

Epic resorts at Tahoe are pretty trash. NorthStar is ok if you're big into park. Heavenly is overrated, overcrowded, and generally not that great all around.

I believe ikon only gets 5 days at squaw with the base pass? Might be worth getting a specific pass for somewhere in tahoe

Skiblade420I believe ikon only gets 5 days at squaw with the base pass? Might be worth getting a specific pass for somewhere in tahoe

It's unlimited with blackout dates you don't want to ski anyway such as xmas-new years week, MLK day weekend, prez day weekend, and last I checked it wasn't even the holiday Monday, just Saturday and Sunday on those weekends.

mystery3Where in the bay area? When I lived there we had Ikon base pass and rode Squaw. If you can find a ski share at a condo/cabin/garage that would be ideal. Something close to SugarBowl would be ideal as it's slightly easier to get in and out and being that much closer to the Bay make it less likely to get stuck with a pass closure. Sierra is another option or potentially Kirkwood but there isn't much lodging near Kirkwood.

Epic resorts at Tahoe are pretty trash. NorthStar is ok if you're big into park. Heavenly is overrated, overcrowded, and generally not that great all around.

I’m right where Mountain View and Palo Alto meet. Ikon definitely looks like it has the better resorts on it. Epic local pass is a bit cheaper though, also it looks like Kirwood is on it now. I think I would rather frequent Palisades Tahoe (Squaw) with a trip or two out to Mammoth, June, and/or Bear than frequent the Epic resorts. That is, if they aren’t that great like you say.

BrightFrogbuy a surfboard

That’s my plan for next Spring :)

I’m super stoked to live somewhere where I can Get into surfing. I technically could have surfed in Lake Superior when I was living in Duluth MN, but that wouldn’t have been ideal. Some dudes are out there in the middle of winter though, but they’re wild. (Surfer Dan)

@Squirtle Are you working or in school? I’m also moving back down to the Bay from the PNW in the coming months. Going to hurt not being a 40min drive from the slopes.

CA’s Epic resorts are not awesome IMO, best bet is definitely the Ikon, and with Squaw’s peak season lift tickets at like $170+/day last season, the Ikon unlimited is for sure the way to go. Plus you get Mammoth, too.

I had actually planned to spend a good part of the season skiing Squaw, but temp housing/Airbnb’s are unbelievably expensive. Could you swing it with some bros? Probably. But personally I’d feel silly spending upwards of 2-3k/mo on a bedroom just to maybe be within 30min of Squaw. Or Palisades. Whatever it’s called now.

I got into the whole rooftop camping thing up here in WA, and I’ll probably find a way to spend long weekends down there insulating and using my setup. Short of spending thousands of dollars on a room/rooms, I don’t know of other options.

SquirtleI’m right where Mountain View and Palo Alto meet.

Like an apartment on Del Medio or something? Are you working for one of the big firms in the area? Shoot me a pm if you have questions about the area, I lived there for a long time.

What if it snowed in San Francisco

hoodratz47What if it snowed in San Francisco

Fuck you beat me to it

quit your big tech job and move to colorado, california is wack

mystery3Like an apartment on Del Medio or something? Are you working for one of the big firms in the area? Shoot me a pm if you have questions about the area, I lived there for a long time.

Holy shit 😂 You know the area well. Yeah I just graduated and landed a job at one of the big tech companies in the area.

Will do! If you know any good places to hike or camp, I’de love to hear about them.

Notaskibumquit your big tech job and move to colorado, california is wack

With remote work being mainstream now I can pretty much move anywhere I want and keep my job. They just wanted me close to the headquarters for now since I’m a New College Grad. I’ll probably move up to the PNW eventually.

SquirtleJust moved to the SF Bay Area a couple months ago and I’m looking for some advice.

What pass should I get? Epic Tahoe Local Pass or Icon Pass.

Also, I don’t want to spend seven hours driving every time I want to go skiing for a day, so I’ll probably try to spend weekends up in Tahoe. What’s a good strategy for staying nights in Tahoe without breaking bank?

just ride on the houseless people’s crystallized piss, that’s what we do in Seattle

Honestly depends on what you like to ski, your closest options are Sierra At Tahoe (if it opens) or kirkwood. both take around 3 and a half hours from mountain view. If you don't mind the extra half hour to hour of drive time Boreal, Palisades(squaw), Alpine meadows, and sugar bowl are just a bit further. I'd probably stay away from the epic if you value park or just straight mobbin however kirkwood is an exception but its park is very small and very mediocre. Boreal will have the best parks but lacks in big mountain. Sierra is an extremely well rounded resort with good parks and a decent variety of tree skiing but its still got some fires and there's a good chance they wont be open this year. Ikon is really good if you ever want to venture out to Mammoth or up to mountains like Mt. Bachelor and Squaw/Alpine meadows is an amazing resort however their new head of park doesn't really put in the effort anymore but they usually have some decent features.

hoodratz47What if it snowed in San Francisco

It’s always snowing on skid row.

Ikon pass and little pass (you got tech money bruh - do it). Little pass I would suggest Diamond Pass. Can alternate between big resorts and little depending on the day and crowds. Plus you get days at homewood, boreal, etc. with DP pass. Get a rental in North Tahoe. Get a ski lease. Many more resort options and more snow in north Tahoe and the interstate from the bay.

Im from the area. I fully suggest neither... youll never see a proper powder day at any of those places anymore (maybe if you get a lucky day in late feb or march) and it will just be a massive slog to get up 80 or 50... Maybe its just me, but man... I just got way way too tired of the absolute zoo that is Tahoe these days.

Ditch all the Tahoe places and get something like a Bear Valley or Dodge Ridge pass if you want to ever see a normal day on the hill anymore... seriously... Its become a total mess up there - especially if you have a 9-5 and are weekend warrioring... and Bear Valley gets the same storms without all the same crazy traffic hassle as the tahoe ski areas while having rad terrain.

If you HAVE to get a Tahoe-area pass, go to Homewood... You'll still have to deal with all the same stupid highway 89 traffic, but if you can go up the night before and crash out somewhere in Tahoe City, you'll be fine - and youll actually get powder days...

If I were you, I'd steer clear of Northstar and Heavenly. They're really overrated. Kirkwood is phenomenal and the best part is that you can take hwy 88 and skip the traffic on I-80 and 50. You could get a Kirkwood-only pass since there's no blackout restrictions on holidays. If you have the cash, pony up for the unlimited Epic and spend a weekend or two at Heavenly for the views. That's the only way to justify Epic imo

Palisades and Alpine are excellent resorts too, but the traffic on 89 sucks sometimes. It sucks for locals or Renoites. It's even worse after spending 3.5 hours in the car. This goes for Homewood too, since it's further down the road. If you wanna ski Squallywood (Palisadeswood?), your best bet is spending weekends up there.

Other options are indie resorts. Sugar Bowl gets the most snow in Tahoe, has plenty of gnar, fewer crowds, and has a unique base area. It's also the closest I80 resort to the bay. It's a great resort. Sierra at Tahoe is another awesome resort. It's the closest to the bay along 50. This year's ops might be a little different because of the fire though. I'd skip Rose, Diamond Peak, Tahoe Donner, Donner Ski Ranch, Soda Springs, and Boreal for various reasons.

Bear Valley and Dodge Ridge are south of Tahoe, but crowds don't exist. They get just as much snow and you can actually ski powder for longer than an hour. If you hate waiting in lines, those two are no-brainers

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/951507/What-if-it-snowed-in-San-Francisco-

Lol we tried this one time

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1012005/Chasing-Ski-Dreams-in-San-Francisco

Join a bunch of "young professionals" Facebook groups and meetup groups and go on their annual ski trips