Squaw Valley – California

Lake Tahoe is where California goes to play in the winter. The High Sierra peaks encircling the lake offer great skiing, and a unique style of away-from-the-slopes entertainment.

The high alpine Lake Tahoe provides a beautiful setting for a large number of ski resorts. Squaw Valley, closely followed by Heavenly is the pick of Tahoe’s resorts. The drive up from San Francisco airport is around 3 hours and the added benefit of having a rental car at your disposal means easy access to the very best of the rest of Tahoe’s skiing – a total of 6 resorts are yours to explore with the Tahoe Interchangeable Pass. It is also possible to fly into Reno (indirect flight) less than an hour away.

Originally developed as the host village for the 1960 Winter Olympics, the 21st century version of Squaw is without question one of the finest resorts in North America. Skiing and boarding is spread across six huge mountains; with 4000 acres and 33 lifts to get you there, you’ll do well to explore every option in one visit. The beauty of Squaw is its diversity – from rugged couloirs where the bad boys play, to long cruisers where you can show off your turns. Relatively few of the runs are trail-cut, allowing skiers and boarders to pick their own way down wide snowfields. Squaw Valley even offers a gentle bowl for beginners, whilst intermediate riders out for a challenge can take Headwall Express, then drop over the back to Sun Bowl. This is as good as it gets if conditions are right… as they so often are at Squaw.

Squaw is perfectly planned to maximise your time on the slopes – and your accommodation will always be ski in/ski out. Dining options and après-ski choice is again diverse and with the emphasis on quality as well as choice. The Nevada casinos are but a short drive, but try also Tahoe City and the town of Truckee – where Moody’s sets the standard for great dining options.

ARRIVAL AIRPORT San Francisco

TRANSFER TIME 3 hrs

LIFT TICKET from £175 per adult

SKI RENTALS from £110 per adult

TUITION from £45 per adult

Experience Squaw Valley from £815 per person. Price is based on 2 adults sharing a deluxe studio at Squaw Valley Lodge for 7 nights, scheduled return flights and shared transfers.