California

Alterra Debuts 2023-24 Ikon Passes With Significant Base Plus Price Increase; Taos Leaves Base Pass

The company has increased the cost of its mid-tier Base Plus Pass by more than 14% versus last season, making it a tough sell against the full Ikon Pass.

Visiting Tahoe During A Record Snowfall Year: What to Expect

Tahoe's recent storm patterns have resulted in accumulation levels not measured in decades—and in some cases, ever. In this piece, we’ll go through the wildest aspects of heading to Tahoe for a ski trip this season—both positive and negative—and how they might impact your ski vacation.

Epic Pass Buyer’s Guide: A Breakdown of How to Hack the Full, Local, and Day Pass Products

Epic Pass Buyer’s Guide: A Breakdown of How to Hack the Full, Local, and Day Pass Products

Sierra-at-Tahoe Fire Recovery: A Forced But Incredible Ski Resort Transformation

An in-depth analysis of Sierra-at-Tahoe's recovery from the Caldor Fire, which caused significant damage to the resort in August 2021.

Palisades Tahoe Base-to-Base Gondola: Hotly Anticipated, Imperfectly Executed

This massive four-stage lift finally connects the Palisades and Alpine resort sides, but wind and ride time circumstances limit its practicality.

2023 PeakRankings Mountain Score and Rankings Adjustments: Full Changes

Dozens of mountains see score changes reflecting on-mountain improvements, while we’ve made a few category tweaks to better reflect overall resort experiences.

Mount Shasta Ski Park

The only decently-sized California ski area north of Tahoe offers limited lift lines and stunning views of the Southern Cascades, but it’s hurt by uncompetitive infrastructure and a bizarrely-integrated recent expansion.

Dodge Ridge

The closest ski area to the Bay Area offers lower traffic than Tahoe, but it’s hurt by limited snowmaking and outdated lift infrastructure.

Homewood

While this Tahoe hill can’t hold its own overall against the destination resorts, it boasts an astonishing, one-of-a-kind mountain aesthetic.

China Peak

While it’s no substitute for a true destination ski resort, this Central California mountain offers admirable terrain variety within a convenient driving distance of Fresno.

Sugar Bowl

This California resort can’t match the acreage and vertical drop of competing Tahoe mountains, but it stands out with trails for all ability levels and an extremely demanding expert footprint.

Bear Valley

This Northern California resort has interesting terrain for skiers and riders of all ability levels as well as a unique and isolated feel, but it lacks the infrastructure to fully compete with the best resorts in the state.

Northstar

This family-friendly resort offers excellent grooming and a top-tier terrain park, but expert and above-treeline terrain is lacking.

Sierra-at-Tahoe

While it can’t boast the same crazy lake views, striking terrain, or expansive base village as some other Tahoe areas, this moderately-sized resort offers reasonable prices and a local feel.

Kirkwood

This relatively undeveloped mountain isn’t for everyone, but its striking aesthetic, local feel, and extreme terrain are tough to match.

Heavenly

This Lake Tahoe area offers some of the most beautiful slopes we’ve seen anywhere. A few logistical problems diminish the resort’s size advantage.

Mammoth

This massive resort offers a highly competitive experience only hours from Southern California, although variable weather patterns may not make it the best place to fly to.

Palisades Tahoe

Two of Tahoe’s best ski areas have now been linked as one continuous lift-served destination, but the resort still functions as two separate mountains in many ways.