Posts Tagged ‘lake tahoe’
Multi-Resort Ski Passes – Winter 2013/14
If you’re looking for the best value for money pass or planning more than one ski holiday this year, a multi-resort ski pass is your ticket to huge savings and fantastic resort choices. There’s a wide range of tickets to choose from for Winter 2013/2014, including the Epic Season Pass which not only covers some of the most popular resorts of North America and Switzerland, but continues to impress with new additions topping the already extensive list.
Canyons Resort in Utah is the latest addition to become Epic, very exciting news for skiers who want to try out one of the four largest ski areas in the US. The good news is the Epic Season Pass is just one example of the many multi-resort ski passes out there offering great value. Read the rest of this entry »
The BA Sale
If the festive period has left you exhausted and in need of a winter holiday, now has never been a better time to book your 2012 ski holiday. The British Airways Sale is now on and we have some fantastic savings to our most popular USA and Canadian destinations. These amazing deals are available on Economy, World Traveller Plus and Club World flights where you can save up to £1,000 on the regular flight price! Read the rest of this entry »
Resort Review: Squaw Valley
John Henwood travelled with Ski Independence in February 2011, here is a review of his stay:
At the approach to Squaw Valley the Olympic rings are proudly displayed alongside a plinth on which the eternal flame that epitomises sporting achievement permanently flickers. At first one could be forgiven for thinking that the Winter Olympics were a recent event here, but no fewer than thirteen Olympiads have come and gone since that flame was ignited for the 1960 games.
There is a sense that Squaw Valley is living and trading on former glory, a feeling that is perpetuated with photographic displays of those games and the remnants of last year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the event. It is a rather odd phenomenon because Squaw Valley has plenty to recommend it today and there is surely no need to continue promoting the past when there is so much to enjoy in the present.
Canada's Anne Heggtveit (centre) celebrates her gold medal win in the slalom ski event at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.
Let’s start with access. Squaw Valley is one of a ring of ski resorts that surround Lake Tahoe, which lays half in Nevada, half in California; it is about six miles west of Tahoe City. An easy 45 minute journey from Reno airport in all but the most difficult of conditions (when it can take up to half an hour longer) the roads are good, well signed and kept open through the severest of winters. Of course that’s the last lap of a long journey from the UK, which for us involved a ten-hour flight to San Francisco, some marking time and then an hour flight on to Reno.
On the shores of Lake Tahoe…
Last week I was lucky enough to visit South Lake Tahoe, compliments of our partners at Vail Resorts. If like me, you’ve never been to Lake Tahoe, it is quite unlike other ski resort you’ll have ever visited. Here’s an account of my trip which I hope will provide you with a good insight to what lies on the shores of Lake Tahoe…
There are a couple of travel options for Heavenly – you can either fly with United Airlines to Reno, via San Francisco and then take a 1 hour bus transfer to Heavenly or you can fly to San Francisco with British Airways, and hire a car. The drive from San Francisco to Heavenly is about 3 ½ hours. To allow for maximum flexibility when in resort I opted for the latter option and hired a car. The drive was much easier than I had anticipated. When you leave the airport, heading north on the 101, you aim for the Bay Bridge, then keep on the I-80 East and that is all there is to it. Just keep an eye out for the signs/lanes for South Lake Tahoe and there you are. It was a very easy, and an enjoyable drive.
