The Top 6 Kid Friendly Ski Resorts in Lake Tahoe
by: Anirban Bardalaye of Zaranga
If you’re planning a trip to Tahoe and looking for a perfect ski resort for your kids, here are a few that we like. We researched all the ski resorts in Tahoe to determine the best facilities for kids and in our opinion, these ski resorts stand out from the rest.
1. Soda Springs
Soda Springs Mountain Resort is designed with kids in mind. In fact, their website will make you think they’re only for kids! Unlike other ski resort kids programs, Planet Kids designed for kids 8 and under allows parents to be with their kids as coaches get them started on skiing or snowboarding. For older kids, more traditional lessons are available. If tubing is your kids’ thing, Tube Town is a tuber’s paradise!
2. Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl Ski Resort is the most accessible ski area if you are coming from Sacramento or from San Francisco Bay Area. Although the site only measures 1,500 acres, the resort is complete with all the amenities you will need. They offer kid-friendly ski programs and a range of fun indoor activities. The resort also has a California-licensed day care setting for kids aged 3 to 5, which provides lunch, games, movies, and even arts and crafts.
3. Kirkwood Ski Resort
Kirkwood is very kid-friendly even though it mainly targets the black diamond crowd. It offers a wide range of ski programs for kids aged 3 to 12. It also has snowboarding lessons for kids using the latest Burton technology designed for quicker skill development among the youngest riders.
Although the resort is located 30 miles south of South Lake Tahoe, it sees more snowfalls than any other resort in the area. Your kids will love playing in the light, powdery snow when they are not riding the slopes.
4. Alpine Meadows
Alpine Meadows is the best if you are looking for a classic ski and snowboard experience for your kids. Although its variety of terrains is great for black-diamond skiers, it has slopes and groomed runs that are great for beginners.
The resort takes pride in offering one of the finest ski and snowboard programs for kids. Its school is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and boasts top level instructors trained in the latest techniques.
Enroll your tots in Kids Camp to make the most of their stay. Apart from the lessons, they also have an indoor space for games, movies, and other fun activities.
5. Heavenly
Heavenly offers the highest elevation and the most vertical feet in all of the West Coast Resorts. Its name, however, refers not only to its height but also the quality of experience if offers. Enroll your kids in one the resort’s full day skiing or snowboarding lessons and you can expect them to have a blast. The coaching will give your kids basic skills and ignite their passion for snow sports.
There are plenty of activities to keep your kids busy. They can go snow-biking, snowshoeing, and tubing. If there is one thing you and your kids can look forward to, it’s the Heavenly Gondola. Enjoying the breathtaking views from this fully enclosed lift is a perfect way to start or end your adventure for the day.
6. Northstar California
Finally, Northstar Ski Resort is definitely worth trying. This top-rated resort has been featured in several magazines because of the excellent skiing experience for kids.
The resort’s Adventure, Guiding, and Learning Center offers private and group ski coaching. If your kids are serious about snowboarding, you can enroll them in the Burton Snowboard Academy, which provides a customized experience for kids aged 7 to 12.
The resort offers other activities like ice skating and sleigh riding. It also provides access to snow toys like the snow-bike, the snow-skate, and the snow-scoot. Child care is also offered for kids aged 2 to 6. Your little ones will enjoy riding the “magic carpet” lift or playing at the Paw Parks obstacle course.
You really can’t go wrong with any of these ski resorts. So, I would recommend that you choose a resort closest to where you are staying to minimize driving around in the snow and getting the most out of your time there!
Anirban Bardalaye is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zaranga, which is the only online marketplace for vacation rentals that allows users to make offers by naming their price. Zaranga is focused on professionally managed properties in getaways around metros and currently has properties in vacation destinations around San Francisco Bay Area. Zaranga has over 300 Lake Tahoe vacation rentals in locations around the above mentioned ski resorts.