(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nevada) – With the economy in flux everyone’s looking for a deal, but skiers and snowboarders don’t need to look far to save at North Lake Tahoe ski resorts. With a little flexibility in travel and willingness to explore new terrain, snowhounds can hit the slopes without the financial guilt.
It’s worth it to take a mental health day and take advantage of midweek specials. Homewood Mountain Resort offers $39 lift tickets Monday through Thursday, compared to $53 on the weekends. Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe entices guests with Weekend Xtenders (Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday tickets for $128); Two-for-Tuesdays (two-for-one tickets); Over the Hill Wednesdays (when guests over the age of 50 ski or ride for $35); and Ladies Day Thursdays ($29 lift tickets for women). The Runs ‘n’ Roses special ($128 for two adults and two children) is available everyday.
Northstar-at-Tahoe saves its guests money with Value Shop Lift Tickets. Travelers need only pick up a free voucher at one of Northstar’s partner shops, which can then be redeemed for a discounted lift ticket at the mountain. Vouchers can be picked up at sport and rental shops throughout Northern California and the Bay Area, including REI.
Northstar’s Vertical Plus Program is a year-round loyalty program that allows guests to accumulate vertical feet each day they ski or ride. Vertical Plus members then exchange their feet for rewards, which can include parking passes, lockers, lessons, rentals, gift certificates, discounted lodging and rounds of golf. Members also receive discounts and use of members’ only lift lines.
Squaw Valley USA offers a Frequent Skier Program, which allows members who ski four days to ski the fifth day for free.
Diamond Peak keeps families together for less with its Family Ski and Ride Packages, which start as low as $67 for one adult and one child. Avid skiers and riders holding current passes to other resorts can check out Diamond Peak for a mere $35 when they show a current season pass from any other resort.
Snowbomb.com continues to offer its Winter Tahoe Card, a membership discount program that pays for itself almost immediately. The $49.99 card comes with one free SugarWood ticket (valid at Sugar Bowl or Kirkwood), one ticket to Donner Ski Ranch, one ticket to Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area, one ticket to Royal Gorge Cross Country and a subscription to Freeskier or Snowboarder magazine. The card also accesses discounts at more than a dozen Sierra Nevada resorts and several lodging properties.
To expand your snow experience for less, Tahoe Cross County Ski Area offers free skate skiing lessons every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and every Saturday and Sunday morning throughout the season. Beginning cross-country skiing lessons are offered Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Guests can also get a $12 trail pass every Tuesday, and those presenting a cross country season pass from any other Lake Tahoe resort, ski Tahoe Cross Country all day for the afternoon rate ($16 adults).
Great deals aren’t limited to the slopes. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureau recently put together an electronic kiosk of current vacation packages and limited-time promotions. The site, www.gotahoenorth.com/cool-deals, is updated frequently.
North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.
