Lake Tahoe Ski Areas (Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Boreal, Homewood, Kirkwood, Heavenly, Squaw) – A Comparative Review (Deals, Packages, Vacations):

The ski areas selected for this comparative review are those we have frequented with the exception of Boreal. Despite being the closest resort, we never managed to ski there, during our residence in the Bay Area. Below is a summarized spreadsheet detailing the features and pricing:

	Granlibakken	Tahoe Donner	Boreal	Homewood	Kirkwood	Heavenly	Squaw Valley
Hours	Ski/Snowboard Hill – Fri-Sun and holidays only. Snow Play Area – All Season.	9:00 AM to 4:00 PM	9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Night Operations starts 11/28 thru 3/27/2010.	9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.	9:00 AM to 4:00 PM	9:00 AM to 4:00 PM	9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Base Elevation	6310 ft	6750 ft	7200 ft	6240 ft	7800 ft	10067 ft	9050 ft
Summit Elevation	6610 ft	7350 ft	7700 ft	7880 ft	9800 ft	6540 ft	6200 ft
Vertical Drop	300 ft	600 ft	500 ft	1640 ft	2000 ft	3527 ft	2850 ft
Skiable Area	10 acres	120 acres	380 acres	1260 acres	2800 acres	4800 acres	4000 acres
Lifts	1 rope pull 1 T-bar.	1 Quad, 1 Double, 2 Conveyor lifts for bunny hills.	1 Quad, 3 Triples, and 4 Magic Carpets.	1 Quad, 2 Triples, 1 Double, and 4 Surface Lifts.	2 Quads, 7 Triples, 1 Double, and 2 Conveyor lifts.	1 Aerial Tram, 1 Gondola, 2 six-person chairs, 7 quads, 5 triples, 4 doubles, 8 conveyor lifts, and 2 magic carpets.	34 lifts of different kinds including a high-camp cable car and a funitel.
Runs	Two runs. 50% Green, 50% Blue.	14 runs – 40% Green, 60% Blue.	42 runs – 30% Green, 55% Blue, and 15% Black.	60 runs – 15% Green, 50% Blue, 35% Black.	65 runs – 15% Green, 50% Blue, 20% Black, and 15% Double Blacks.	96 runs – 20% Green, 45% Blue, 35% Black.	170 runs – 25% Green, 45% Blue, 30% Black
Pricing	Click for Details.	Click for Details.	Click for Details	Click for Details.	Click for Details	Click for details.	Click for Details

Granlibakken is the smallest of the ski resorts – the entire ski area can be summarized as a solitary run down a petite hill. The crowd comprises by and large of families with young kids with emphasis on absolute beginners. The helping mentality of the parents is laudable and well appreciated at the rope pull and the bunny hill. This makes for a relaxed air all around. A T-bar lift is the available lift option. Though easy to familiarize with, in our opinion is unsuitable for kids under 5 or under 40 pounds. Once the kids master the basics, it is indeed the time to step up to resorts with better lift options.

Tahoe Donner is a lesser-known resort on the smallish side with just 120 acres of skiable acreage and a total of 12 runs. The positives with this resort are its family orientation, proximity, and good deals on certain dates. However, there are some downsides as mentioned in our review.

Boreal is the closest of these ski resorts from the east Bay Area and Sacramento. The feedback we have on the resort is that though family oriented it tends to get crowded.

Homewood with breathtaking views has a very sizeable mountain and skiable acreage. The location of Squaw Valley in close proximity may explain why Homewood is not listed high among premium resorts in Tahoe. A downside worth mention is the bottleneck in getting to the summit via Ellis chair – the lift takes forever to get there and the line is invariably large. One alternative is to negotiate Tailings (blue run) from Madden Triple Chair drop-off area and then use the high-speed Old Homewood Express chair to reach the summit.

Kirkwood involves a little more drive compared to the other resorts mentioned in this review. The majestic Kirkwood was in our radar since our first year (2003) with kids, but we are yet to assess how accommodating it is for families with young kids – they sometimes have good deals for kids and that can make it a tempting option worth checking out…

Heavenly is the biggest and by far the most crowded. Ticket pricing that tends to be towering along with the additional traffic time made it not too appealing to us. The silver lining for frequent skiers is that the season pass is a good deal – specifically, the restricted pass has just eight blackout days – undoubtedly fine value.

Squaw Valley is the most famous of the ski resorts in Northern California having hosted the 1960 winter Olympics. Wonderful resort but again pricing is steep. Deals for kids are sometimes on offer and that can make it much more affordable for families. Further, the all-day ticket price applies for night-skiing as well and that can make it a deal for some that have the energy to ski for 12 hours.

Related Posts:
1. Introducing Kids to Snow Sports (Sledding/Skiing) in the Lake Tahoe Area.
2. Tahoe Donner Skiing – Family Experience/Review.
3. Frugal Living – Skiing Story.
4. Lake Tahoe Ski Areas (Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Boreal, Homewood, Kirkwood, Heavenly, Squaw) – A Comparative Review.


Last Updated: 03/2012.

Frugal Living – Skiing Story

Downhill skiing is a winter sport our family enjoys. We got started on skiing in the latter half of the 90’s but took a break for about five years until our youngest turned two. In 2003, we introduced the kids to snow starting with sleds and saucers. We went to Lake Tahoe five to six days a year during the period through 2010.

The obstacle to skiing is the lofty costs associated with almost everything connected to this sport starting with getting to the mountains. From the Bay Area, it is still over three hours to the nearest mountain.

Below is a rough estimation of the costs involved for a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids) to ski in the Bay Area:

Service	Cost per day
Equipment rentals	$120 ($30)
Lift Tickets	$200 ($70 adults and $30 for kids)
Food	$160 ($10 average per meal)
Lodging	$200
Transportation	$25
Total	$700

An expense total of $700 per day for a family is pricey from any angle! Adding to this is the one time expense for the rudimentary items such as ski-gloves, goggles, bib, thermals, helmets, etc. and operating cost spiral out of control very quickly.

When weighing skiing as a wintertime family entertainment option, we were well aware of these costs and started looking into ways to ease it. A sports store provides a sticker shock at well over $1000 a set explaining why a good percentage of skiers tend to rent them at the resort ($30 average per person per set). An alternative is to rent them at a retail store for $15-$20 per person per set. For a family of four, $60 to $80 per day on equipment rental is still expensive. We purchased complete sets (skis, boots, and poles) through a combination of sources such as Craigslist and eBay – most of the items were used and that kept the price in check. All said and done, the four of us ended up with full sets for just over $600 – obviously, a far cry compared to over $4000 for brand spanking ones. Additionally we purchased new ski-gloves, goggles, bib, and thermals for kids (the parents chose to use theirs from seven years back) – from after-season sales for a significant discount. Altogether, the entire purchase including the ski-carrier for the car came in at just under $900 – not an insignificant amount by any measure. Below is a summary of our expenses to purchase ski equipment:

Equipment	Type	Condition	Price	Source & Description
Head Skis (with Bindings), Nordica Boots, and Kerma Poles	Kids	Used - Good	$100	Craigslist.
Atomic Skis (with Bindings), Tecnica Boots - no Poles	Kids	Used - Good	$90	Craigslist.
Tomic T5 Poles	Kids	New	$15	Amazon.com
Rossignol Skis (with Bindings)	Women’s	Used - Good	$120	eBay.
Nordica Ski Boots	Women’s	Used - Good	$50	Craigslist.
Salomon Poles	Women’s	New	$20	Amazon.com
Rossignol Skis (with Bindings)	Men’s	Used – Good	$110	Craigslist.
Rossignol Soft Ski Boots	Men’s	New	$125	eBay.
Scott Poles	Men’s	New	$20	Amazon.com
Roof Rack – Base Carrier – Honda CRV – OEM	NA	New	$150	eBay.
Ski Attachment for Car Carrier Honda CRV - OEM	NA	New	$90	eBay.

Availing of lift ticket coupons and deals add up to a significant amount in savings. During the 2005 to 2010 seasons, our lift ticket expense per person averaged about $15, made possible by pursuing deals whenever possible and skiing at areas with a family friendly policy – kid’s lift ticket prices are free or substantially lower than adult prices.

Food, lodging, and transportation are the other potential money guzzling areas. To minimize in this arena, we did day-trips and brown bagged our own food – if willing to leave before 6 AM it is practical to reach most of the resorts in the North Lake Tahoe area before lifts open (tough initially with the kids, but amazingly possible once they buy into the idea of a fun day ahead). Being early birds have several fringe benefits: lesser traffic, shorter ticket and lift lines for an hour or so, and fresh snow. By around 2 PM our energy level dips and we depart. This strategy has a few benefits: avoids having to ski when the snow has gotten harder and you reach home in good time.

A summary of our average costs of skiing using this strategy follow:

Service	Cost per day
Equipment Rentals	None
Lift Tickets	$60 ($15 average per person)
Food	$10 (coffee, snacks, etc.)
Lodging	None
Transportation	$50
Total	$120

Naturally, the total expense of $120 per diem for the whole family ($30 per person) is much more palatable. Below is a summary of our strategies that enhanced our skiing experience while minimizing expenses:

• Avoid renting equipment at the resort. Instead, opt to either rent them from a near-by retail location or invest in a set (preferably used purchased at a large discount). The biggest bang for your buck is the time saved by not having to wait in line, with kids in tow, for the equipment – the wait-times can vary but is inevitably long as each set has to be individually adjusted to fit you. There are caveats: 1) for first-time skiers it is best to rent initially and figure out the various sizing details you will need. That will definitely enable you to make an informed purchase decision, and 2) the biggest discounts are usually available on outdated equipment. For example shaped skis were a big improvement and smaller improvements on this has been coming out every year. So, older skis that are not shaped are completely outdated and so do not buy them even for a throwaway price as you will end up being the only one in the slope using those.
• Avoid reaching the resort well after the lines open – the first two hours after the lifts open are the busiest and enough can’t be said of the early bird advantage. This has the benefit of being able to enjoy skiing in fresh snow in addition to avoiding the lines both at the ticket booth and the lifts.
• Scope out the deals available – vanilla ticket pricing at the counter is usually much higher compared to the price after discounts with coupons or other deals. Nosing around for what is available and making use of them are indeed worthwhile.
• Minimize food and lodging expenses by opting for day-trips if such an option is possible.
• Avoid storms and if snow is expected during the day. Although people tend to rave about powder snow, with kids overnight snow is just as good and for most of us that is what you really want…
• Locate ski resorts that are geared towards families.

In summary, it is possible with a little effort for families to ski on a budget. Before our relocation to the South of India in the Summer of 2010, we managed to get rid of almost all our ski equipment for a slight discount from our purchase price through Craigslist, thus completing the round-trip of recycling ski equipment…

Related Posts:

1. Frugal Living – Ten Great Gift Ideas for Frugal Families (Christmas Holiday Shopping Tips).
   
2. Frugal Living – Skiing Story.
3. Frugal Choice On Gifts - Giving Stock Certificates.
4. Frugal vs Cheap – A definition to go by.
5. Frugal Living - Top ten frugal living tips for families.
6. Reducing Expenses.

Last Updated: 07/2016.

Tahoe Donner Skiing – Review

Tahoe Donner offers one of the better deals for families with children 6 years or younger:



Background:


Tahoe Donner has one quad chair, one double chair, and two conveyor lifts for the bunny hills. The whole mountain is centrally served by the single quad-chair lift. There is one green run served by the double chair lift. The lift operating hours are from 9-4 with ticket windows open from 8-3. Parking is off-site and a free shuttle service drops you at the ticket window. Pricing is as follows:

	Full-Day	Half-Day (starts at 12:15PM)	Unrestricted Season Pass		Morning-only Credit	Ski-Equipment
Adults 18-59	$47	$39	$329		Yes	$44 and up
Junior 13-17	$42	$34	$224		Yes	$44 and up
Child (7-12) or Senior (60-69)	$22	$16	$169		Yes	$34 and up
Child 6 and under or Senior over 70	Free	Free	Free		NA	$34
Parent Interchangeable	$47	NA	NA		NA	NA

The beginner lessons are excellent for those who want to get started. Lesson options are as follows:

Program	Schedule	Cost	Ski Equipment Included?	Lift Ticket Included?
Snowflakes (3-6 years only)	Session1: 9:30-12:00, Session2: 13:00-15:30	$84 per session	YES	YES
First-time ski and snowboard lesson package	Full-day (10:00-15:50)	Adults (13-59): $94, 7-12: $124 (includes lunch)	YES	YES
Private Lessons	1-hour, Half-day, or Full-day	1-hour: $98, $20 each additional person, Half-day: $236 for up to 4 people, Full-day: $405 for up to 4 people	NO	NO

They also have a couple of season-long programs for kids who really want to take it to the next level.

The Best:

The facility is geared more towards kids making it very palatable to families with children. The lines at the quad chair were non existent especially in the morning hours. The deals get better if one can do mid-week trips. Every Tuesday (certain exclusions apply) is Parent's Day special and is a great deal (free lift ticket).

The Better:

The location is easily accessible from Bay Area. It is about 5-10 miles further than the closest resorts but the trade off is it is less crowded. It was good to see the bunny slopes being catered by conveyor belts an upgrade from T-bar lifts and rope pulls.

The Average:

The off-site parking is a disappointment as it invariably wastes about an hour, a minimum of 30 minutes one-way. Needless to say, you have to lug everything you need as accessing the car for short breaks is not an option as in other resorts. The green mile run has less slope in many areas making it hard and time-consuming for younger kids without poles.

Summary:

The mountain is on the smallish side with 120 acres of net ski-able area and14 total runs. Our kids had a blast and were very proud to proclaim they could do the single-blacks “without falling down even once”.

Related Posts:

1. Introducing Kids to Snow Sports (Sledding/Skiing) in the Lake Tahoe Area.
2. Tahoe Donner Skiing – Family Experience/Review.
3. Frugal Living – Skiing Story.
4. Lake Tahoe Ski Areas (Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Boreal, Homewood, Kirkwood, Heavenly, Squaw) – A Comparative Review.


Last Updated: 01/2015.

Introducing Kids to Snow Sports (Sledding/Skiing) in the Lake Tahoe Area

The right gear is essential to enjoying winter sports. Snow accessories are easier to come by for kids above three in Bay Area stores but stores closer to Tahoe stock for all age groups. The Internet is a good resource too.

Sledding

There is a universal appeal in going down the bunny slopes on small saucers and sledding is a good stepping-stone for kids five and under. The two options are

• Sno-Park
• Groomed Private Sledding hills

Sno-Park’s availability is on a first come first served basis. You are responsible for your gear and rental options are non-existent, since there is not much convenience offered unless otherwise mentioned at these places. Sno-Parks are crowded on the weekends and the biggest negative is that the slopes are not groomed. An annual pass is all one needs to access most of the Sno-Parks in the country. On groomed sledding hills employees are available to monitor the activity in the place. Boundaries are generally roped off. Most of the slopes require that sleds be rented from the facility. The rental fee is separate from the entrance fee but is generally nominal. Most sledding hills do not offer the convenience of a lift. A hint is to hit the slopes early since that translates to freshly groomed snow when the sun is not intense. After around 11:00 AM the hills turn icy making the ride bumpy.

Skiing

Granlibakken helped our kids make the transition from sledding to skiing. The bunny hill sported a rope pull that is very easy for kids to get used to. The T-bar lift was a hurdle, especially for the kids. Help from parents is valuable to keep the confidence level up and to get the core skills embedded in them. Another option is to take ski lessons from instructors. Advanced reservations are recommended for the lessons. A number of the slopes around Tahoe offer ski lessons for kids tailored to varying skill levels and age groups.

From Granlibakken we moved onto Homewood where the kids tried the green and the blue runs. Compared to the T-bar lift, the lift chair was welcome rain. The green runs are fairly easy, but the blue runs can be harder for younger kids. We could however see very small kids enjoying the black runs with ease.

Deals

A few years ago, Costco had a prepaid ticket purchase program that offered two adult lift tickets for Homewood at $54 (regular pricing is currently $44 online), which included free passes for two kids as well. That deal was excellent and we used it a number of times. Occasionally, similar deals become available and the sizable discounts make them very worthwhile.

"Kids ski free" deals are hard to come by for children above six. For children five and under, there are some such deals.

Related Posts:

1. Introducing Kids to Snow Sports (Sledding/Skiing) in the Lake Tahoe Area.
2. Tahoe Donner Skiing – Family Experience/Review.
3. Frugal Living – Skiing Story.
4. Lake Tahoe Ski Areas (Granlibakken, Tahoe Donner, Boreal, Homewood, Kirkwood, Heavenly, Squaw) – A Comparative Review.


Last Updated: 01/2015.