Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Guest Blogger Steve Talks Skiing at North Lake Tahoe

Monday, February 4th, 2013

Steve with PhotoFly Travel Club recently visited us in North Lake Tahoe and shared his take on the adventure with us. Check out the post below or the original post here. 

 

“I’m not a huge skier. In fact, I never understood why so many people wait eagerly for the frigid winter to spend thousands of dollars only to drive 5 hours back and forth every weekend. On top of that, they have to deal with the whole process of skiing or snowboarding (it’s really a lot of work: getting rentals or stuffing the equipment in and out of the car, putting it on (not as easy as you think), walking a ton in uncomfortable ski boots, getting muscle cramps and inevitable minor injuries). I should also say I’m from New England which has some good mountains but nothing like the type of snow and quality trails out west. THEN I was invited by the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Board to spend a weekend exploring the area and skiing at their top resorts. To sum the weekend up I have to say they proved me wrong; Skiing at North Lake Tahoe is awesome and now I totally get why millions of people go through all the effort and money to ski or snowboard as much as possible each winter.

 

The weekend started off typical for Tahoe enthusiasts by leaving early on Friday and driving 5.5 hours in traffic for a drive that should only takeSquaw Valley Resort 3. But once we arrived we were graciously welcomed at the Ritz-Carleton with food and drinks to go over the adventure. This place is brand new and it does the Ritz brand justice with an awesome restaurant and huge lounge area full of warm fires and comfortable couches and chairs. The view of North Star Resort is pretty stunning too. We had the pleasure of staying at the Resort at Squaw Creek. This place was perfect for a ski weekend with an awesome lobby view of Squaw Valley and very comfortable rooms with huge flat screen TVs. The view from our room was absolutely beautiful with a huge mountain and the steaming outdoor swimming pool below it.

 

Lake Tahoe in winter

The fun began on Saturday morning with my first ride to the top of the mountain at Squaw Valley. Staying at the resort is perfect because they have a designated chair lift right in front of the hotel. No need to lug everything to the crowded ski entrance 2 miles away. From the first run down to the bottom I realized what I’d been missing the past 2 years since I had last skied. These mountains and the quality of snow and skiing are awesome. We skied two full days and were pretty sore but it was so fun I didn’t care. Squaw has some excellent trails for average and expert skiers with some of the most vertical runs in all of North Lake Tahoe. On Saturday night we ate at Rocker Bar and Restaurant which had some amazing mac n cheese & beef brisket skillets. Excellent comfort food that really hit the spot after a good workout skiing all day.

 

Overall, we can’t thank Lake Tahoe North enough for having our travel club up for the weekend. They have rejuvenated our love and interest in skiing and we’ll be looking at planning a group trip to Lake Tahoe for next year! ”

 

CHECK OUT MORE FROM STEVE’S TRAVELS HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Tahoe Ranked “Best Lake in America” by USA Today

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

 

Another accolade for Big Blue.

 

Lake Tahoe was recently ranked the “Best Lake in America” in a survey by USA Today having garnered 5,000 votes via Facebook and Twitter.

 

There were 15 finalists selected by regional magazine editors. Lake Tahoe was nominated by Peter Fish of Sunset, who described the lake as “a summer escape hatch.”

 

“Lake Tahoe resonates with people,” said Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association. “The crystal clear waters, pure mountain air and miles of trails – it just encourages you to unplug from the office and unwind with family and friends. It’s a slower pace of life that recharges you.”

 

Writer Laura Bly of USA Today will be visiting Lake Tahoe this week, where she’ll be researching what makes Lake Tahoe so unique and why visitors have such a connection to the region whether they’re a weekend warrior or a first-time sightseer. Her article, along with a series of photos, will appear in the newspaper’s August 10 edition.

 

Lake Tahoe has also been honored as the #1 ski destination with Rand McNally and Orbitz, and #1 travel destination with TripAdvisor.

Vote Lake Tahoe as the Best Lake in America

Friday, July 20th, 2012

So if you haven’t heard, we are up against 14 other lakes in USA Today’s Best Lake in America social media contest. What do we win? A feature in an August edition of USA Today!

 

So we’re asking  you to vote for us  by July 27.

 

Just post a comment under the USA Today Travel blog story about the contest, or tweet to @USATODAYTravel.

 

Need more convincing? Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America: 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, with 72 miles of shoreline and an amazing water clarity of about 70 feet. It’s a favorite spot for water fun — from boating to fishing to swimming — and sightseeing. Really a beautiful gem in the Sierra Nevada.