Lake Tahoe, with its breathtaking mountain vistas and pristine powder, offers a plethora of skiing options for all abilities, if you are wondering which Lake Tahoe ski resort is best for beginners, turn to Northstar for an exceptional experience.
Nestled in the natural beauty of Mt. Pluto, Northstar is synonymous with a warm, inviting, and family-friendly atmosphere, making it the ideal choice for those new to skiing. From its top-notch ski school to the carefully crafted beginner terrains, there are countless reasons why Northstar stands out as the ideal starting point for your skiing adventure.
Read on to explore what exactly makes Northstar the go-to North Tahoe ski resort for novice skiers.
1. Excellent Ski School
Northstar boasts a world-class ski and snowboard school where you'll find experienced experts ready to help take you from 'never before skied' to 'skiing pro' in no time. Private lessons are available, along with a wide range of small group lessons for adults.
Northstar also offers child lessons where kids join others their age to have fun on the mountain while learning to ski with experienced instructors trained specifically to help kids master the art of skiing and snowboarding.
Northstar is so confident in the ability of their instructors that they offer an innovative Green Run Guarantee, which guarantees you will be able to ski a qualifying green run by the end of your third lesson. If you can't, your fourth lesson is free!
2. Perfect Terrain for Beginners
There is a wide range of terrain that is ideal for beginners and families at Northstar. A variety of options in green runs and wide runs gives those who are just starting out on their skiing and riding journey plenty of choice in perfectly groomed terrain, and these are some great beginner runs at Northstar to test your abilities:
- Village Run: New skiers love being able to take the Big Springs Gondola Express mid-way up the mountain and then take this 4,000-foot mellow run right back into the village before riding the gondola back to mid-mountain.
- Upper Main Street: Beginners can extend their route even further on perfect green run terrain by taking the Arrow Express chair from mid-mountain up to the start of the Upper Main Street run. At the end of this green run, skiers are spoilt for choice - they can continue down onto Lower Main Street or opt to try for 'The Gulch' before taking the chair back to the start of Upper Main Street or continuing onto Village Run.
- Skid Trial: This green run is slightly faster than Village Run and Upper Main Street, but it still offers the perfect mix of slight challenge and beautiful scenery, making it one of the best green runs at Northstar. Take the Vista Express chair from mid-mountain, and then at the end of Skid Trial, you can join onto another of Northstar's green runs — Lumberjack, and then Lower Main Street to take you back down to mid-mountain.
Many of Northstar's green runs link together, enabling beginner skiers to create a range of different loops to add variety to their skiing adventures.
Once you've mastered the green runs, Northstar has a plethora of intermediate blue runs to progress onto — in fact, over 73% of Northstar's terrain is rated beginner or intermediate making it a great Tahoe destination for new skiers and riders.
3. Excellent On-Mountain Amenities
Northstar offers an unmatched all-around ski vacation experience, from a lively and fun village to great family lodging and easy lift access across the mountain. When it comes to the best Tahoe ski resort for beginners, a visit to Northstar will make your skiing experience memorable and fun filled.
Northstar Resort excels in creating a fun Village atmosphere. With an appreciation that you're here to have fun, relax, and leave with a life's worth of memories, there are many on-mountain amenities catering to beginners and their families. Some of the top amenities that make Northstar great for people learning to ski include:
- Great lodging options. From the luxury of the Constellation Residences at the mid-mountain Ritz Carlton to Timber Creek Lodge, located right in the center of the village, there is no shortage of high-quality lodging options at Northstar.
- Affordable equipment rental. You can hire a range of high-quality skis, boots, and other essential equipment right within Northstar Village. Rental specialists will help ensure you have the best skis for you, and in-lodging delivery and fitting are also available.
- Extensive networks of lifts. Northstar makes getting around the mounain easy with 13 lifts and 3 gondolas ready to take you to the runs you want to explore.
- Scrumptious on-mountain dining. Numerous on-mountain dining options provide the perfect place for you to refuel during and after your skiing adventures. Why not start the day with breakfast at The Lodge At Big Springs, take lunch at 8,610' elevation at Summit Smokehouse before heading to Wild Pine Kitchen & Bar for a sophisticated, modern mountain fayre for dinner?
- Retail therapy. A wide range of outlets are located in Northstar village. Stores, including The North Face, Oakley, and Patagonia, are the perfect location for a which are perfect for a spot of shopping once you've finished on the slopes for the day.
- Great activities. From ice skating and tubing to snowshoe adventures and flat-tire biking, there is a plethora of winter adventures for you to explore when you are taking a break from skiing.
- Amazing Apres. Northstar's Apres venues are ready for you to recount your on-mountain adventures to friends new and old.
4. Freedom and Rewards with Epic Day Pass
An Epic Day Pass is ideal for first-time skiers. With this pass, ahead of season you can pre-purchase 1-7 day passes to be used when you want through the season, you'll not only save considerably over the cost of a lift ticket at the resort but you enjoy unlimited lift access during its validity period, and benefit from on-mountain Epic Rewards, including 20% off group lessons, rentals, and on-mountain dining. Plus, you can also access the lifts at Northstar's partner Lake Tahoe Ski resorts - Heavenly and Kirkwood. But, after your first taste of skiing on Heavenly's slopes, you're guaranteed to want to come back again and again — and the great news is if you opt for an Epic Pass you can access Northstar's and its partner resort's lifts all season long!
Is Northstar Good for Beginners?
With its great terrain, world-class ski school, and amazing on-mountain amenities, it's safe to say that if you're taking your first tentative steps (or slides) into the world of skiing, there's no better place to start skiing or riding than Northstar. Why not begin planning your Northstar skiing adventure today?