Lake Tahoe

During the week of Christmas, with Miloni spending time with us on her break from Singapore, we spent 5 days in Lake Tahoe. While this is not a new vacation location for most of us, the whole experience with enjoying the snow and having a good stay was different this time around and worth sharing.

Getting there: Make sure you always carry chains – I have used the original metal-link version for almost 4 years and that has served me well. Carry a pair of nose pliers with you to snap-in the links. The setup takes 5-10 minutes – make sure you practice it at home at least once before leaving – if you have never done this before.

Ski-Snowboard: We have tried skied at Heavenly and Siearra-at-tahoe (as well as Dodge Ridge which is not in the Tahoe area). Our recommendation is to go to Siearra-at-tahoe as opposed to Heavenly whether you are a first-time beginner or a repeat beginner. I cannot comment on the advance levels of the mountains since we have not reached that level yet. Our reason for this is that the bunny hill at Sierra is much better and so is the teaching. If you have never skied or snow-boarded I would recommend you to learn snow boarding. If you do take lessons, do plan to take 2-3 days back to back lessons – that way you will only need to buy lift tickets on your future trips. There are teaching programs available for kids from 4 years onwards. Close to Sierra is a good sledding area as well – the fee of $10 is well worth it if you spend 2 hours there. The name escapes me right now, but I will update this entry when I get a chance to talk to Kalpa later during the day.
Water proof pants would be useful to keep you dry during the learning process – although not a must, I would highly recommend it. Thermals are a must – don’t compromise on this. You will need sunglasses (ski-goggles for the kids) on the slopes – it is amazing how much sunlight reflects off of the snow. Sunblock would be good on a bright day.

Don’t be taken aback from the fact that Sierra-at-tahoe is about 40 minutes drive from the So. Lake Tahoe city per se. All the ski resorts have buses to pick up skiers and snowboarders at regular intervals. You should be able easily get information about the time and place of pickup and drop offs.

Place to stay: Highly recommend Economy Inn and Suites at 966 LaSalle St, So. Lake Tahoe, CA 96510 – (530) 544-2912. This run by a very nice Gujarati couple Jitendrabhai and Champaben. He loves to talk and socialize (invited us to their room for dinner and drinks). They are located a couple of blocks from the stateline and right across from the 2-3 year old shopping area. Their daughter works at Super 8 Motel which is also a value-for-money place to stay with family.

Equipment: Carry your own sledding equipment. For ski and snowboard, a good place to rent is Don Cheepo’s at 3349 Lake Tahoe Blvd, So Lake Tahoe, CA 96156 – (530) 544-0356. Besides providing all gear for cheap, it is run by very nice people. If you are not taking classes, I would highly recommend to rent from here – it will save a lot of time and $$. You can also rent equipment from the bay area as well – although we have not done this yet.

Other considerations: Keep kids well hydrated when on the slopes. If couples do plan to take classes the same day – do make sure you are in separate batches to be able to focus on the learning. That way, you will be able to go up the slopes together quicker :).

Other activities: There are places to drive snow-mobiles as well – we tried this last year and it was not as much fun as we had thought it would be. You can also go horse-back riding on trails in the mountains. We have done this last year from a place at Zephyr Cove across the road from the place where you can take the cruise of the lake. Of course there is the casinos – with arcades to take the kids to as well. There is the Gondola ride with a snow park at the top.