Tahoe winter activities
January 6, 2012 7:01 PM Subscribe
What can I do in Tahoe/Truckee/Northstar with kids (6-9 year olds) in the winter if there's no snow?
We'll be staying in Northstar in the first week of February. The idea, of course, was to ski, but so far the snow situation looks grim. This might change, of course, but assuming there's no snow between now and then, what might we do? Since my kids haven't really seen snow before, and assuming the resort is making snow, we'll probably still try to ski one day. But what else? Rent bikes? Go for a hike?
Also, any suggestions for a good place to eat in the area for a big (13) group?
We'll be staying in Northstar in the first week of February. The idea, of course, was to ski, but so far the snow situation looks grim. This might change, of course, but assuming there's no snow between now and then, what might we do? Since my kids haven't really seen snow before, and assuming the resort is making snow, we'll probably still try to ski one day. But what else? Rent bikes? Go for a hike?
Also, any suggestions for a good place to eat in the area for a big (13) group?
I was just in Tahoe with a 6 and 9 year old. I think we spent about half a day just playing with the old dirty snow on the side of the road. They had a blast.
posted by allseeingabstract at 8:23 PM on January 6, 2012
posted by allseeingabstract at 8:23 PM on January 6, 2012
Northstar's got that ice skating rink, too.
I can't imagine the lack of natural snow to be a problem for beginners, actually. Northstar has very extensive snowmaking.
posted by trevyn at 8:39 PM on January 6, 2012
I can't imagine the lack of natural snow to be a problem for beginners, actually. Northstar has very extensive snowmaking.
posted by trevyn at 8:39 PM on January 6, 2012
Both Northstar and Squaw had a lot of blown snow. I was just there with a kid near your age range and she had a blast taking lessons and tubing. My favorite restaurant in the area is Plumpjack in Squaw's village, but Moody's in Truckee is also very nice. At Northstar Manzanita at the Ritz Carlton is probably the best bet. For foot at a lower price point, my favorite was Bite in Incline Village.
posted by Lame_username at 1:41 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by Lame_username at 1:41 AM on January 7, 2012
Best answer: Today's SF Chronicle has a whole article about Tahoe recreation without snow.
posted by Nelson at 8:00 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by Nelson at 8:00 AM on January 7, 2012
Best answer: You can ice skate at Squaw even in the summer.
Most (all?) ski resorts have tubing/sledding.
Your kids are young enough (and I'm guessing inexperienced enough skiiers) that that they won't know how crappy the snow is. All the bunny runs will have enough fake snow to make it fun for them. I used to do spring skiing at Northstar as a kid. I remember them having a fun kids camp.
If you're down for a day trip, I'd highly recommend Virginia City. I went several times as a kid and it's so fun!
The article that Nelson mentioned has some good ideas. I spent a lot of my summer evenings at the mini-golf course in Kings Beach.
posted by radioamy at 9:19 AM on January 9, 2012
Most (all?) ski resorts have tubing/sledding.
Your kids are young enough (and I'm guessing inexperienced enough skiiers) that that they won't know how crappy the snow is. All the bunny runs will have enough fake snow to make it fun for them. I used to do spring skiing at Northstar as a kid. I remember them having a fun kids camp.
If you're down for a day trip, I'd highly recommend Virginia City. I went several times as a kid and it's so fun!
The article that Nelson mentioned has some good ideas. I spent a lot of my summer evenings at the mini-golf course in Kings Beach.
posted by radioamy at 9:19 AM on January 9, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:02 PM on January 6, 2012