Do you want to ski with a view of turquoise-blue waters of the lake? Go to Heavenly. This is a ski area located on the border of two states, California and Nevada. There are challenging double diamond canyons and plenty of tree skiing. The view of Lake Tahoe below makes Heavenly an incredibly unique ski resort.
Palisades Tahoe was the site of the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Games. The modern ski resort offers steep mountain slopes, brave cliffs, open bowls and chutes. There are two ski areas there, Palisades and Alpine Meadows with over 40 lifts covering an almost endless terrain with lots of black runs. The biggest vertical drop is 2,850 feet / 868 meters.
Palisades Tahoe is famous for big snowstorms up to 6 feet / 2 meters of snow in 24 hours. But you have to be lucky, such snowfall occurs only a few times per season and is often followed by long dry months. The sun is strong here. When planning your visit, expect spring conditions even in January or February.
Mammoth Ski Area in Sierra Nevada mountain range is the California’s ski resort with one of the longest seasons in North America. If you are looking for guaranteed sunny weather in winter this is a place to go. There is not only an average of almost 300 sunny days per year, but also a lot of snow. With the elevation up to 11,059 ft/ 3,371 m and vertical drop of 3,100 ft/ 940 m, the summit is high above the trees level. It gives a lot of open terrain for skiing.
Huge open areas, this is what makes this place different from many other famous ski resorts in the USA. Mammoth is large enough to ensure almost endless skiing opportunities. We liked many challenging steep chutes and large mountain bowls. While on the lift we had a moment to rest. It was a time to admire the blue sky and views of the neighboring peaks along with a few lakes in the distance.
