Lake Tahoe

Any advice and info would be appreciated. Planning on 3 days in San Franciscoe follwoed by 7 days ski-ing in February next year

For Feb, check your travel dates carefully. There are Public Holidays, and resorts can be rammed! Presidents' Day is one IIRC.
It's a good 4 hour drive from San Francisco to Heavenly, but the lake view is pretty spectacular. If you fancy Heavenly, then be aware that it straddles the state line, which gives the resort base a split personality. California side is low rise and laid back (by US standards), Nevada side is 24 hour Casino's and neon lights.

Here's a link to a very old photo of me and the lake...

http://picasaweb.google.com/bandit2106/OldSkiStuff#5248922738168360434

bandit wrote:For Feb, check your travel dates carefully. There are Public Holidays, and resorts can be rammed! Presidents' Day is one IIRC.
It's a good 4 hour drive from San Francisco to Heavenly, but the lake view is pretty spectacular. If you fancy Heavenly, then be aware that it straddles the state line, which gives the resort base a split personality. California side is low rise and laid back (by US standards), Nevada side is 24 hour Casino's and neon lights.

Here's a link to a very old photo of me and the lake...

http://picasaweb.google.com/bandit2106/OldSkiStuff#5248922738168360434

Some cracking photos Bandit 8)

We did it a few years back, flew up to Reno and picked up car. In San Francisco we were told not to go south of Market Street (Soma).And if you go on the paddle steamer across to South Lake Tahoe Squaw Valley,dont go drinking and miss it we were standing on the quay watching it paddle of across the lake.
The guy in the bar phoned the office in Heavenly and they turned it round came back picked us up.Seemed everyone on the boat cheered us up the gang plank :roll:Still gave everyone more partytime :lol:
a great day out.
Goff

We have done a similar trip a couple of times. Skiing at Squaw Valley.

For San Francisco I can highly reccomend the orchard garden hotel near chinatown.

For Squaw Valley, the Resort at Squaw Creek is a great place to relax.


Northstar is a reasonable drive from Squaw and is well worth checking out.
If you fancy a good meal at Squaw then Plumpjack is the place to go (owned by the Mayor of SF).

The skiing is great at squaw, especialy if you like interesting and varied terrain. There are some realy good avi-controlled, lift accessible pseudo-backcountry areas (Silverado & Granite Chief). There is loads of gladed skiing in Squaw with the majority of the slopes below the tree line.


I didn't feel unsafe in SOMA by the way.