re: Skiing Lake Tahoe. Need an expert...

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Can you decipher the image I posted about the Epic Pass?

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The Epic Day pass is just you buying lift tickets well in advance at a discount. They quit selling these passes after a certain date. Price goes up to normal...$200 a day or so at the Epic resorts at Tahoe... in a couple weeks.

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So you would highly recommend if we want to ski at Northstar?

Can you see the lake from Northstar?

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If you definatly plan on taking the trip then buy the Epic day passes. Can also use the passes somewhere else if you decide not to go to Tahoe.

Northstar's views of the lake aren't as good as Homewood or Heavenly but there is a good viewpoint at the top of the mountain on East Ridge. They station a photographer there if you want a pro photo. East Ridge is a blue run but not difficult and you can switch to a green run a little ways down.

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Can you see the lake from Northstar?

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Not as well as you can at Heavenly. You can really only see the lake from the top of the Comstock Chair and then going left down the East Ridge run on a clear day, and its more from a distance.

At Heavenly you can see it really really well from several places but the best places are any of the runs that go down off the Sky Express/Canyon Express lifts. However it has to be a clear day or somewhat clear - the first day I skied Heavenly I didn't see it at all, but the 2nd day I could see it pretty well.

Northstar is definitely easier to ski than Heavenly, although I disagree that Northstar doesn't have good black diamond terrain. What Northstar doesn't have is double black diamond runs, but I think its black diamond runs on the backside are pretty decent. Northstar also has some blue runs that should be black, such as the chute runs that spin off from the East Ridge run. My first ever run my first time at Northstar I thought the run called "The Chute" would be a good warm up run since I warm up on blues, and it was designated as a blue, but it might as well be a black. In fact, on Google Earth, its a black, but the resort had it as a blue.

Northstar is your place if you like groomed blue runs. Neither Northstar nor Heavenly have a lot of green runs. Heavenly has maybe 2 or 3, and Northstar has a bit more but they are all in the same area. Tahoe isn't your place if you want greens, however I don't think it takes much practice/skill to be able to ski blues, especially the ones at Northstar. Heavenly has some blues that have some black stretches in them(such as the bottom parts of Ridge Run and California Trail) but Northstar just has a lot more quantity and variety of blues.

Think of it this way, Northstar is better for less skilled skiers and has more variety of intermediate runs, but Heavenly is better for the scenery and views on a clear day. I'd do both.

My suggestion: Ski Heavenly. Stick to the Nevada side. If Stagecoach is open, park there and take the lift up to Comet and Dipper lifts, if not, Gondola> Tamarack which puts you at the top of Comet/Dipper. Yes, it’s all blue runs, but they are wide, gentle, and groomed (aside from Jacks). I have spent many days alternating those two lifts and it doesn’t get old. The Cali side has great views, but the crowds are noticeably larger.

If your wife is concerned about blue runs, tell her it’s just trading a little more incline for a lot less people. A turn on a green is the same as a turn on a blue except green runs have a shite ton more people on them.