December 24, 2010
Most well-rounded: Truckee, California
Keeping a low-pro just 13 miles north of Life List-worthy Lake Tahoe is this unritzified ski town — despite the swank Ritz at Northstar up the street. The historic main drag can please teenagers and grandparents alike, with a Blue Bottle Coffee-loving cafe (Elijah Bleu’s), jazz lounge (Moody’s) and a growing number of tasting rooms (the Pour House, Truckee River Winery).
Slopes: The closest of the big guns is blue square-saturated Northstar (check the website for lift prices), but black diamond skiers come for the chutes on its Lookout Mountain. Laid-back powderhounds prefer Alpine Meadows (from $71), while the extreme skier-scenesters stick to Squaw Valley ($86; squaw.com), aka Squallywood. Beginners head to Tahoe Donner ($39) and Soda Springs ($35).
Sleeps: Something for everyone: just-gimme-a-bed at revamped Truckee Tahoe Lodge (from $159); eco-chic-boutique Cedar House Sport Hotel (from $170); and Northstar’s chichi Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe (from $399), with 2 outdoor pools, a restaurant by celeb chef Traci Des Jardins and a concierge who unbuckles your ski boots, for crying out loud.
See the whole piece from CNN Travel by clicking here:
Well deserved. I liken Truckee to a “Sun Valley” – world class skiing, fly fishing and golf, but mellower, and a heck of a lot easier to get to.