It’s easy to call Lake Tahoe the last unforked pea on the plate of American snow riding. More and more Tahoe resorts might be mirroring the mainstream, painting a canvas of haves and haves more, but don’t kid yourself: No other resort destination in North America encompasses such a wide array of world class slopes, abundant snowfall, pristine vistas and sparkling amenities. Moreover, there are more chair lifts to ride in the Tahoe Basin than in the entire state of Colorado and four out of five days are sunny. Winter temperatures average around 29 degrees, and when it snows, which is often this early season, the flakes fall thick and fast, piling into soft mounds on the upper portion of discolored mountain peaks and setting the stage for exceptional skiing and snowboarding.
 
Boreal Mountain Resort
(530) 426-3666
Snow Phone: (530) 426-3666
www.borealski.com
380 skiable acres
 
In mythology Boreas was the god of winter. He must have been a snowboarder. After 40 years of operation, Boreal has grown into a bastion for serious riders.  Boreal's improved and redesigned terrain parks feature hits for all snowboarding levels.  Serpentine in design, Jibassic Park consists of huge wave hits and radical tabletops. The Night Terrain Park contains a double barrel halfpipe for serious jamming.
 
A snowball’s toss from the Interstate and only 80 miles driving from Sacramento, Boreal’s ideal proximity and 7,200’ base elevation have been a welcome sight to early season boarders and riders since it opened in 1965.
 
Today the resort offers nine lifts over 380 acres on 41 trails. With only a vertical drop of 500 feet and a slope difficulty rating of 20 percent advanced, the resort has always emphasized beginning skiers, families and laid-back fun. Much emphasis has always catered towards the area’s ski school, rental and lodge facilities. Several years ago, Boreal reconfigured the Discovery Chair, formerly the Gold Rush Chair, into a beginner chairlift to help ease lift lines and congestion in the beginner area. The resort also unveiled a redesigned third level in the base lodge with increased seating for diners and special events. The Boreal Bar, located on the second floor, was renovated into a sports bar complete with six TVs.
 
What’s New: The new Castle Peak Quad replaces the existing Gunnar’s and Claimjumper chairs and increases the base area capacity on beginner runs and evolution parks.
 
Best Event: Sponsored by Snowbomb, the Boreal Friday Night Expression Sessions area hit with the youth jam crowd looking for great prizes and an always changing venue.  Series runs January through March every other Friday.
 
Best Deal: Boreal iRIDE card allows the visitor to ride any 2 days and get a 3rd day free.
 
Best Place To Take A Screaming Pottie: The Lost Dutchman Boardercross run is a natural gully and is full of dips and valleys and sharp corners to help air it out.
 
Don’t Miss: The sunset at Boreal is always spectacular from the top of the Accelerator lift.  Night skiing and riding at Boreal offer a mystique all its own, with crisp temperatures making for great snow conditions and a freshly groomed superpipe each night.
 
Insider Tip: One way to avoid rental shop bottleneck is to hit the demo shop in Boreal's parking lot. You will get better equipment and have very little weekend / holiday waiting in line.
 
Best Place To Take A Screaming Pottie 2: Serpentine in design, Jibassic Park consists of huge wave hits and radical tabletops. The Night Terrain Park contains a double barrel halfpipe for serious jamming.

More of Tahoe Resorts: A-to-Z

Alpine Meadows
Boreal
Diamond Peak
Donner Ski Ranch
Granlibakken
Heavenly Mountain Resort
Homewood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Mt. Rose
Northstar-at-Tahoe
Sierra-at-Tahoe
Soda Springs
Sugar Bowl
Squaw Valley USA
Tahoe Donner