There’s both too much and not enough to say about downhill skiing in California. Obviously it’s an important sport or there wouldn’t be so many resorts. You could write an entire book describing every single California ski resort in endless detail and people would probably line up to buy it, but this isn’t it. I’ve tried to give you a feel for the personalities of some of the various resorts in each area, but I don’t presume to be writing a comprehensive encyclopedia. If you want that, California City-Sports magazine publishes an annual ski preview issue every November with the latest prices, rules, snowmaking equipment, number of lifts, trails, new programs, vertical drop, and phone numbers, plus special tips on each mountain. You can contact the magazine at 214 South Cedros, Solana Beach, CA 92075 (Z 619/793-2711) or find it in any California ski shop.
Here’s a list of my favorite skiing/ snowboarding hills:
Squaw Valley:It’s a little big and glitzy for my taste, but Squaw has unarguably the most radical terrain in the Tahoe area. Tons of steeps and moguls. Also miles and miles of easy cruising runs.
Northstar-at-Tahoe:This north-shore resort is one of the best-managed in California. Tons of high-speed lifts whisk you up the mountain. Coming down is generally a well-groomed intermediate run. Good familymountain.
Kirkwood Ski Resort:Kirkwood is just far enough outside of the Tahoe area to avoid the crowds. Much of the mountain is above the tree line. A clear day here is striking; a stormy one is awful.
Bear Valley Ski Area:I grew up skiing Bear Valley and went from stem christies to gonzo cornice drops here. The view into the Mokelumne River Canyon is one of the best anywhere. The back side is intermediate heaven. Below the lodge are two little-known and incredibly steep bowls served by the Kodiak and Grizzly lifts. A very diverse mountain.