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Best epic pass tahoe resort
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i’m planning a trip to tahoe in december and wanted to ask around for suggestions. based on the epic pass website, it looks like i can choose from heavenly, kirkwood, and northstar.
just looking for any advice or info on the terrain at each of them and how they “feel” as ski resorts, personal preferences like maybe why you prefer one over another, stuff like that. appreciate any feedback
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Northstar - nicknamed “flat star”. Rich people and park rats. Lots of great groomers and the parks are expansive with lots of options. Backside can be very fun on a powder day.
Heavenly - phenomenal views. More of a party place. Sometimes feels like a giant traverse. Terrain is more interesting and varied than Northstar. Parks are kinda “blah”.
Kirkwood - No view. Best terrain, hardest to get to. More of a big mountain and slack country resort.
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After visiting the area I would ski Kirkwood. Didn’t ski anything other then palisades but saw the others. I’ve heard tons of good stuff about Kirkwood too and it seems like one of the best epic options available on the entire pass. Someone told me midweek is empty as well compared to other Tahoe mega resorts.
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Northstar has a really good park. Only reason to go there. The rest of the mountain is super corporate. There's a Ritz-Carlton on the resort and one of the base areas has a members-only lodge for multi-millionaire homeowners. That's the vibe
Heavenly has picturesque views of the lake. California base area can be fun if you want a party vacation vibe. I'd probably stay in South Lake if I planned an Epic Pass trip to Tahoe. Crowds are a nightmare in busy times.
Kirkwood is my favorite mountain in Tahoe. It's a 30-45min drive from South Lake, (Northstar is an hour away since it's on the other side of the lake). The terrain is bonkers. Check out Squid and Friends on YT/IG for examples. No view of Tahoe, but the summit views are amazing. Even when parking is an ugly mess, lines are never as bad as busy days at Heavenly/Palisades. If skiing is the priority on your trip, that's where I'd go.
Unless you're dying for a good park, I'd spend your days at Kirkwood and maybe one or two at Heavenly
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