Northstar Ski resort is a charming resort located near North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County in the state of California in the United States. The resort, which covers part of extinct volcano Mt Pluto, is spread over an area of 3,000 acres and features a cross country centre, new village at Northstar and on-site lodging facilities. Northstar ski resort was first opened in December 1972.
Huge investments have gone behind the resort in recent times for developing it into one of the best in the USA. Mountain expansion plans have also been undertaken with new slopes and lifts being fitted in, widening of existing roads and building of new ones besides enhancing parking facilities for the day skiers. Northstar is particularly known for its tree skiing and fall lines. Tahoe City, Truckee and Reno are the nearest cities to Northstar at Tahoe.
A unique point of Northstar is that it does not have steep slopes like those of Squaw Valley Ski Resort and Alpine Meadows are known and has been labeled as ‘flatstar’ for that very characteristics and hence making it popular destination for families.
In February 2009, Northstar played host to the final stop of the first ever Winter Dew Tour.
Skiing at Northstar at Tahoe:
The resort features 2,280 vertical feet of downhill terrain accessed by 19 lifts, which include 8 express lifts and a huge extensive snow-making system.
The resort has 92 runs in all, of which 60 percent belong to the intermediates, 27 percent for the advanced and the rest for the beginners. The longest run of the resort is 2.3 km long. There is also 220 acres of off-piste terrain on the backside of Mt Pluto.
Lookout Mountain has advanced terrain of 443 acres while the 344 acres of backcountry terrain on sawtooth Mountain is opened for experts’ skiing when conditions stand favourable. Northstar at Tahoe has 1 Superpipe, 1 halhpipe, 8 terrain parks besides 7 adventure parks. The resort base is 1,929 metres while the top elevation is 2,624 metres. The resort gets an average annual snowfall of 350 inches.
November to April is the time to visit the resort.
Activities:
Winter:
Ice Skating (the resort has a 9,000 square foot skating rink)- Cross-Country skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Telemarking
- Tubing
- Geocaching
- Bungy Trampoline
- Biathlon
- Adventure Parks
- Wine tastings, jewellery and candle making
- Pools, Spa + Fitness
Summer:
Mountain biking- Golf
- Mountain Biking
- Hiking
- Roller Skating
- Outdoor movie watching
- Tahoe Star Gazing Tours
- Horseback riding
- Live Music
- Fly-fishing
Apres ski/eating out:
- Baxter’s Bistro & Lounge
- The Chocolate Bar
- TC’s Pub
- Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
- Village Bars
- The Overlook Bar
- The Rock Bar
- DJ Parties at Butterbox or Rubicon Pizza Company.
Reaching Northstar at Tahoe:
By air:
Northstar at Tahoe can be reached from the airports of Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose or Oakland airports. The Reno/Tahoe International Airport is connected to 23 cities daily by as many as 182 flights. Reno/Tahoe International Airport is 40 miles from the resort.
Sacramento International Airport located at about 114 miles offers flights from 15 major carriers while Oakland and San Francisco International Airports are 196 and 204 miles, respectively. Shuttle and carpool services are available from the resort.
Accommodation:
Ritz-Carlton Highlands- Village at Northstar
- Northstar-at-Tahoe – Condominiums, Hotel Style Rooms and Studios
- Great Bear, Iron Horse, Catamount and Big Horn: New, luxury villa, townhome and condominium rentals located in The Village at Northstar
- 8050 Northstar
- Tahoe 4 Season Resort Vacation
- Northstar Lodge-Hyatt Residence Club
