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Sugar Bowl Ski Resort
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- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
77 reviews for Sugar Bowl Ski Resort
Sugar Bowl is where I spent the bulk of my time learning how to snowboard. They have fantastic snow with storms tending to circle their peaks, and excellent terrain for advanced riders.
Lift tickets are not too terribly expensive, and they usually offer a discount if you are a passholder to another resort. Season pass prices were still somewhat high last year, not sure if they've dropped like everyone else has for this coming season.
The staff are very friendly here, and most of the regulars are pretty cool, aside from the occasional asshole skier that will literally try to run you over if you're on a snowboard.
For the most part, the resort doesn't get too crowded. You might wait in a lift line for a couple minutes, and maybe a bit longer for food if the weather is nasty outside. Fortunately, there are plenty of great spots on the mountain to stop and grab a meal, a snack, or a drink.
Overall, can't think of a thing to complain about here. I would absolutely do a season pass here again if they were more affordable.
Definitely a place I will be back to!
Came here Saturday with my husband and cousin for a day of snow!
Parking is easy here plus you don't have to walk a million miles to get to the main area.
The best part was Saturday they had a deal going that with a purchase of an all day lift ticket you get free rentals and a lesson! Yeah! I saved sooo much money! I was excited to get my ski rental at no cost. This deal is only going on until the end of the season which is April 28th for them.
People that work here are probably some of the nicer employees at a ski resort that I have dealt with. It's easy to get your rental and the process is smooth. They have people at all locations to help answer questions and get you out the door to hit the slopes.
It was a beautiful day so we were lucky with sunshine and great snow. The slopes here are more geared towards experienced skiers/snowboarders. They don't have a lot of lifts for beginners but they do provide lessons.
On the top of the mountain, you get amazing views of Donner Lake.
Check it out...see you there next season!
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* Does size matter? No. It is all about having FUN, especially when there is a time constraint.
Sugar Bowl Ski Resort may not be as BIG as Heavenly, Kirkwood or Squaw Valley, but I love going here simply because when I come here during the weekday, the lift lines are SHORT and that translates to more snowboarding time and more runs.
* Is it close to the Bay Area? Yes. As the first ski resort from Interstate 80 to Tahoe, the drive is about 3.5 hours to 4 hours, depending how fast I drive and how light the traffic is.
* Does the resort offer something for everyone? Yes. The overall experience is more enjoyable without the craziness of some hard-core snowboarders/skiers, which is perfect for beginner and intermediate levels AND for a great family experience. A few days ago I noticed more children are learning how to ski down the slopes than ever. Try the Crows Nest and Lincoln if you are at the advanced level.
* Is it affordable? Yes. Half-day ski pass is only $54 for an adult.
* Is the resort itself cool? Yes. Sugar Bowl also upgraded some new rental equipment. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, while the facilities are clean and well managed.
Sugar Bowl is indeed a SWEET place to snowboard or ski with FRESH powder. I count 5 stars *****.
o
/|\ TG, I didn't hit any trees!
//
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"...there's a BLUEBIRD on my shoulder, can I kill it..."
Not this BLUEBIRD - not this BLUEBIRD day!
Arrived at the resort a half hour before first chair. Group was already dressed to athletically impress, so we head into the lodge for some coffee, coco, and cocktails - no lines. 10 minutes till lift(off), we step out into a picture perfect day - Mother Nature was kind, very-very kind. Blue sky stretching as far as the eye could see. Fresh pow-pow lightly sprinkled over every inch of the mountain range. Birds were chirping, kids were laughing, skis and boards were shredding, snow was spraying, and laughter and jubilation was abound. Great moods are contagious and Sugar Bowl, this day, was radiating with glee. Epic.
It was a Friday during the President's Day week. Expecting long lines and bottle necks getting onto the lifts, I was shocked at the end of day realizing that I must of gotten 15-20 runs in; and only a handful were riddled with human obstructions. After speaking to some of the locals, they informed me that the resort never really gets to packed - that Sugar Bowl is the best bang for your buck when you factor in logistics, location, and variety of runs. I have to agree. My entire day was spent mainly on blue runs, but looking at the mountain map showed runs that can be enjoyed by all.
Sugar Bowl is a beautiful resort and mountain. In fact, it is the very first functioning ski resort in Tahoe dating back to the 1950's. If you are truly a connoisseur of the mountain, get your butt to the bowl, it will not disappoint.
*watches bluebird gracefully glide away*
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Who thought snowboarding could be so benign? There I was, trying not to feel my pulsating ass, drained of my dignity and far too many calories for my comfort, sitting in the lodge listening to a woefully well-meaning teen-aged troubador belting out mediocre renditions of mediocre 90's alternative hits, munching on a better-than-expected personal pizza (which isn't saying much. $10, btw), waiting for my friend to work off his rabbit-like personality on the slopes*. All around me some posh life-dodgers, alarmingly adjusted-looking families, and hot asians chatted unamusingly about their unamusing lives.
TAME. This place is overwhelmingly TAME.
Isn't snowboarding supposed to be hard-core and shyt?
But I DID absolutely love my personal snowboarding instruction with Eric**, and how we were both embarassingly sweaty in our t-shirts due to the 50 degree weather. (and I appreciate that there was snow despite all this). Also, the bunny slope and magic carpet ride were pretty awesome, as was inflating the egos of nine-year-olds with my lack of coordination and strength. I saw a guy older than me, who was actually worse that me (actually worse!) dislocate his shoulder in a poorly-planned meeting with a tree. Ouch!
All in all, a good place to learn. Safe, easy, "different,' as they say - perhaps. What do I know.
*By the end of the day, I think I saw him for the first time in a state I would call "mellow."
**for the price of a group lesson, due to undercrowding, due to the economy and the weather
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As mentioned before, a great place to come when they shut most of the 80 down. There is something here for everyone when the mountain is packed with snow. A local's place during the week where you can get some serious riding in if it is deep. The food is so-so, but I come to ride so that is not that big an issue. Can get some good discounts if you know where to look.
We were in North Shore for a week and were trying the local ski resorts out. Three independent people said - "you've got to try Sugar Bowl", so we put it on the list. Looking at the reviews here I wondered if it was the same place the others went.
We loved it. I'm snowboarding my sixth year and like the blues, greens, and the easy terrain - try to catch a bit of air now and then, and like to work on "feeling" my board. We spent half the day on Lincoln which is huge, and half the day on Judah, which is were the fun stuff for boards is. We didn't make it to Disney.
I loved every minute of the whole day. The midweek lines were short although there were a fair amount of people there. (First really good snow of the year that week, so I think that brought a lot of them out.) The food wasn't great, and the food prices were a bit high. The parking isn't great either, so I'm taking off a star for all that combined, otherwise I would highly recommend.
My usual favorite mountain is Sierra at Tahoe, I rate Sugar Bowl as a very close second.
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Sugarbowl is a short, easy drive on the 80 from The Bay. Basically the first resort you hit on the way up to the Reno/Tahoe area from the 80. The gondola ride can be absolutely beautiful depending on the amount of snow. The resort is clean and the staff is great, but not exactly the best resort. However, they do have some beautiful looking real estate on the resort if you're lucky enough to own one, but I digress.
They have a great terrain park, but the trails are a little on the short side and find myself getting bored here rather quick. The lift lines can be a pain in the ass depending on the traffic that day due to the scanner guns they use on the lifts at the bottom of the mountain.
Overall, this place is A-OK. Especially, if you don't want to make the extra drive and don't want to fork close to $100 at some other resorts to get some ski/snowboarding action. You can also purchase your tickets at a discount from REI, Any Mountain, Sports Basement and the likes. (whomever carries them at the time.)
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I love skiing, and I love Sugar Bowl. Went there last weekend, and I'm heading there again tonight!
It has great runs for intermediate and advanced skiers...and a bunch for beginners as well!
The food is moderately priced (for a resort), and lift tickets & rentals are not bad either. I saw a special that they have during the week, if you buy a lift ticket, you get rentals for free...pretty good...
I can't wait until I can do the hard stuff, but for now, I'm happy tackling the blues, interjecting a black every now, just to keep me on my toes...and inevitably my bum.
Lift operators are all outgoing, and I leave happy every time...and sore...oh so sore.
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While I still love this place, I have to downgrade my rating from a 5 to a 4. This comes after A) owning a season pass this season and B) boarding at Mammoth and then coming back to this place. I never realized how small this resort was and compared to other resorts, the runs are quite short.
Despite all that, it's still a great resort.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/11/2008
I have some distinct memories of this place... probably my favorite resort in the Lake Tahoe area. I… Read more »
I named my beloved orange tabby cat after you, Mt. Judah.
You are better than anyplace, for me, you are heaven.
I was blessed with a season of almost daily riding, living on the trail map. Mt. Judah has it all. A little hiking if you want to hit the freshest, a sweet drop into the trees, a pop out into the park, nice jumps, a variety of rails, and that sick creek-like stretch, with tons of natural hits. Or hitting a quarter pipe at the end of the run with enough space to gather mad speed and ride it like a wave. Ending with a tap on that tree stump.
I'm salivating. I want that lifestyle back, man!
Parking is good, prices too, buy a pass at the right time of the year and you're set. No better mountain.
P.S. I miss you, Judah Buddha Bear :(
Fresh snowfall made skiing Sugar Bowl's diverse trails my ultimate experience.
This was my first trip up to Tahoe this season and I have to say I took it pretty easy. Disney Express led to some great intermediate & diamonds and Judah Bowl was pretty relaxed w/ lots of greens but also a mix.
As someone who says, "I can get down anything on skiis" I have to admit that I ran into trouble atop the Lincoln Express. I think it was more about the 20 Brazilian guys who were looking for good jobs on a narrow, rocky double-diamond, but I was a little freaked out. Still no falls though.
I was told (but never made it over there) that Crows' Nest & Strawberry Fields would lead to "lots o' fun" - next time. There will be a next time!
I found out the hard way that the Village Lodge sucks and not to bother going there (don't they usually have the "Village" as the main lodge?
Go to Judah Lodge, order a Butterscotch Schnapps & hot chocolate and sit in front of the fire place for a while. I guarantee you'll get down anything after that.
ps. if i'm speaking a foreign language, this is for you:
http://sugar2.sugarbow...
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We went to Sugar Bowl two days before Xmas this past year and it was one of the most pleasant experiences I had at any ski resort. There was practically no one there because it was on a Tuesday before Xmas. There was a minor snow storm and quite windy, but we got fresh powder snow because of it. The instructor I had was super cool and the kids' instructors were phenomenally good. Their kids program seem really awesome and the instructors seem to truly enjoy teaching children (unlike at Squaw Valley) and are good at it.
The runs are really perfect for intermediate skiers, but I wouldn't know about the more advanced runs because I am not quite there yet. All the folks working there are friendly. It's similar in scale to Homewood but more wholesome and never the theme park feel of Squaw Valley or Northstar. If you prefer smaller ski resorts this is perfect.
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I was really impressed with this place. I came here via http://Snowbomb.com's bus tours the Saturday after New Year's. $95 bucks including bus fare, continental breakfast, and ski lift. For the sake of convenience, its the closest resort from the Bay Area if you're going along I-80.
Now I've heard horror stories how resorts tend to be uber packed on Saturdays, but surprisingly it wasn't as crowded as it was. Including this trip, it was my second time snowboarding this season. In addition, I'm still a noob. Conditions were amazing. When we got off the bus, it was overcast and it was slightly snowing.
My friends and I started off on the Mt. Judah side on the Jerome Hill Express. Since a couple of my friends were first timers, we went down the Pioneer Trail. Good beginner run until it got flat towards the end. As a beginner it would be tough to travel down the straight without any momentum. We then took the Nob Hill lift and went down Nob Hill. as short as it was, I thought it was a really good slope to go down for beginners. Its also a good place to master leafing and carving, despite the amount of beginners traversing it.
The rest of the day, my other friend and I went down intermediate slopes, which included Crow's Traverse, and all the intermediate runs at the summit via the Mt. Lincoln Express. As the guy before me mentioned, the view is amazing, but if you don't know how to stop yourself, you might find yourself flying off the mountain, so be careful coming off the lift. I really enjoyed all the intermediate trails off the Mt. Lincoln Express trail. Plenty of room to practice carving, leafing, and other non-obstacle tricks.
Beginners shouldn't go down Harriet's Hollow since it tends to have some straightaways. My beginner friends took days to get halfway through, and I felt bad for them. My only regret is using the Mt. Judah Express to go down Sunset Blvd. I took too long and fell too many times into some soft powder which took me forever to get out of. Regardless, I still had fun that day.
I love the variety in slopes, and the food at the cafe was alright, but that's not why you're there. If you have the hang of riding a board, but have only been a couple times like I have, the intermediate slopes are no problem. Its good practice and the steepness of the slopes will make it easier for you to keep moving. Just watch out for those extra soft areas where you might run off course or else you'll spend a lot of energy trying to get out. Cheerio.
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Disclaimer: I've owned unrestricted season passes at sugar bowl for 2 of the past 3 years, am friends with a large number of the on mountain staff, and averaged 40 days at sugar bowl alone per season for the two years that I called it my home resort. I also was accepted into the ski patrol program and declined to participate. I ride trees, moguls, steeps, chutes, pow, park, and everything in between.
I'll sum up my Sugar Bowl experiences in a few quick points.
1) The ski school folks are top notch. Ben is great, the CHAD is great, they're all great.
2) The park crew does a great job given their limitations set by management. Dan, Corey, and other are great and do the best they can even though their hands are tied a lot of the time
3) The ticket window people are, for the most part, nice. Justin is awesome.
4) The management, and season ticketing management in particular, is probably the worst that I've ever been in contact with.
AVOID KATE HAMMANN AT ALL COSTS. SHE IS A BITTER WOMAN WITH NO UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. Also avoid the onsite manager Mike, who is also a blithering idiot and assumes everyone is out to steal from the resort.
5) The shop is run by a bunch of fools who don't know how to move product.
This may have something to do with management's margin requirements, but really, who tries to sell equipment from 3 years ago at only 30% off, especially when places like http://porterstahoe.com (porters in truckee and the greater tahoe area) ships for free and charges no tax at 50% off by the end of the CURRENT season???
6) I like ending things on a positive note, so I'll put it out there: Sugar bowl has excellent terrain and is one of my favorite resorts to ride at on those blower pow days when they close down 80 and don't let the weirdos who are learning to ski and drive in snow up from the bay area and sac.
Sugar Bowl has been the cornerstone of my winter adventures. While going to school at UC Davis, daily trips to the Bowl were habit.
Sugar Bowl is a great resort that actually lets you escape the Disney land feel of the other larger resorts. It's a huge mountain, but you feel like you're walking into your own private backyard of white fun. (You're obviously loaded and have a HUGE backyard)
The staff is always accommodating, and giving you up to date snow reports at the lifts. The majority of people who ski here are down to earth, and just up for a great time.
If you know the mountain well you can find some great ungroomed runs most people don't know about, so you can really explore.
I can't wait until the season hits and I can rev up the jeep to the mountains. Just counting down the days.
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We did a half day with rentals, it was pretty painless (the rental part, what happens after you strap yourself to a board is another story)
Wasn't terribly crowded (on my bunny slope)
Even emptied out towards close (4:30)
Hell, it even snowed (how the heck do you see hills when it is snowing??)
I thought it was super.
I'd totally go again
well, maybe after my bum isn't so black and blue..........
This resort is close for the Bay Area folks and offers a range of runs with a terrain park, but it can be icy and very cold given the lower elevation and positioning of the peaks with the face towards the sun. Some of the chair lifts, such as Crow's Nest, are also icy to get off even for skiers. Moreover, they are still using scanner guns at the major runs, such as Disney, which slows down the lines compared to RFID passes. Moreover, the food is average with smaller portions than other larger resorts, such as Heavenly, for the same price. For example, their chili is more like tomato soup than a stew.
If you have a Heavenly pass, you can get $10 off. Otherwise, you're better off buying the discount voucher tickets for $58 at the local sports stores, such as Anymountain, REI, and Sports Basement. Overall, It's worth coming back if you want something close and cheap on a sunny, warm day after a fresh snow storm.
Sugar Bowl is a great place. Im in love with the bunny slope. The runs are really like zig zag though out the mountains so you get a longer run down like some adventure.
They have the cheapest lift tickets, but the only thing is it can be too swap up in the slopes.
When I think about Sugar Bowl, I think of 3 things, uncrowded, nice adventurous terrain, and variety. All 3 things I love wrapped into one little big resort. Sugar uses the most of the 4 peaks it's nestled on, and they get great snow each season. You're never fighting to get on the lifts like other places and people are pretty courteous to you so long as you show the same to them. Remember golden rule apply to anyone and everywhere, skiier to snowboarder, beginner to expert.
Their runs range from the steeps, long runs, and tree runs. They also offer 2 pretty good terrain parks and a superpipe. Anyone from an intermediate to expert can find something great to do, and in between beginners can find themselves pushing their progression limits and get better. Only thing that is a slight kink in the armor is while the powder days here can be epic, when our world famous "Sierra Cement" sets in it can be tragic.
The lift ticket prices are modest and so are season passes. The facility here is top notch, whether you are at the Mt Judah Lodge or the Gondola Village Lodge, you'll be treated to a nice seating area and food. Lodge, though up there in price, is quite nice. Whether you stay in their hotel style rooms or their log type cabins, you get a nice clean well keep space, with super easy access to the lifts.
Overall a great experience for all skill levels
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Updated facilities and amazing garlic fries
We cam on a Sunday Jan 11th, 2009. The resort is nicely remodeled and updated. The bathrooms are clean.
The food is resort-priced, which means it's expensive. But you should definitely try the garlic fries. THey are super tasty and even spiffy with the chopped parsley.
The staff puts safety as top priority and are very well organized.
Not too crowded and fun for the family.
I lived in Tahoe for 4 years after college and have been back too many times to count since. Out of the numerous resorts in the Tahoe area, Sugar Bowl has always been my favorite. It does not have the amenities of some of the other resorts like Heavenly and Squaw. Instead it has a locals feels and some of the hands down best inbounds skiing you're gonna find out west. Its rarely that crowded and therefore theres more fresh tracks on powder days and usually lines half as long as the other resorts.
Mt. Lincoln express probably has some of the best steeps on the hill. To your left coming down you have Silver belt, 58 and the palisades if you really feel like traversing out. Right underneath the lift are the sisters, which have some nice chutes for experts. Be careful around stelihag to the left of the sisters as theres a real easy part that leads to one of the gnarliest drops you'll find and once you are there you either go down or hike out. You'll be able to see it from the lift as it looks almost like a frozen waterfall and you'll usually see someone up there scratching their head and wishing they went another way.
Disney express is a little easier if you arent ready to stare over a cliff, but still has challenging terrain, but all within yelling distance of the lifts if you your scurred.
If you are into hiking for your turns Judah Bowl and strawberry fields are the best of the best. Just be ready to sweat a bit as it takes work to get to each, but worth it.
If you love the purity of snowboarding and skiing and like to avoid people in brightly colored one piece suits and jester hats then Sugar Bowl is that spot!
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We just got back from a half-day snow play at Sugar Bowl and had a blast! The five of us, 3 adults and 2 kids, all signed up for first time ski and snowboard lessons. The adults got the lessons and gear rentals for free with a purchase of a $56 half day lift pass as their weekday incentive. Not bad! The kids got lessons, rentals, and a half-day lift pass for also $56.
We were rushing to make the 1pm class and was a bit late but instructors took us anyways and were good sports about it. The instruction was clear and helpful. I got along with our instructor very easily and had me going down the slopes in no time. The kids also got a kick out of their lessons but were more impressed with going down the slopes on their own. Overall, we all had a great time; albeit, we're sore and achy from falling on our arses a bunch. No sweat! We're coming back!
I enjoyed riding here and was able to get in a lot of runs thanks to the quad express chairs. The grooming on Judah side is pretty good and that's coming from a guy who's very particular about groom quality. Sugar Bowl isn't big like Squaw but that appeals to me because the crowd is smaller. The staff and lifties are friendly and were always joking with me in the lift lines. Nice touch! Jerome Hill is a really great run for beginners so if you're with newbie friends or have younger children who are future world cup racers, that's the place to be.
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View at the summit TO DIE FOR, you will die to if you don't know how to stop before you ride off the mountain coming off of the lift. (jk they have safety nets)
I think sugar bowl was my more enjoyable lazy snowboarding resorts hitting trails all day doing nothing but carving and bombing down the hill.
Their progression park was pretty weak, but someone did a backflip.
In my books, Sugar Bowl is a minus one, unfortunately Yelp's ratings do not allow negative stars, hence a ONE.
I remembered to Yelp about Sugar Bowl after seeing a friend in crutches tonight, why? because Sugar Bowl induced a month of me being in crutches and attending boxing classes, whilst fighting in ONE LEG!
It is a minus one for noobs; perhaps it is a bargain and cheap fun place for those who are "Advanced" and "Gurus" of skiing.... not for me.
I tried Skiing back in early 2000. Yup, I skied from 2000 through 2003, until Sugar Bowl.
I took lessons at Squaw, albeit skii and winter sports is not my cup of tea, I thought I'd try things at least once. In addition to which, since my sister married a German and they loved winter sports, I was suckered into peer pressure to learn to ski, just in case we were compelled to do winter vacations in the Alps. My son was a natural, he could skii and snowboard with his eyes closed, UNFAIR, because he is double jointed. Not I!
So years after, I was going through a divorce and because I was in a yukky relationship, I unfortunately liaised with a European who liked to skii ( and who was a decade my junior, even before Demi and Ashton hooked up).
Well, the liaison brought us to Tahoe. We spent wonderful days at Squaw where I was so comfortable in my classes while dressed up in the perfect Euro outfit. He was such a programmer ghetto kid who ski'ed in shorts. Enroute back to Silicon Valley he wanted to go to Sugar Bowl.
Against the warnings of my kindred friends, I felt cocky enough to do a slope. Sugar Bowl was unfortunately not as noob friendly as Squaw.
They did not size my shoe well, in fact I did not feel comfortable with my gear. Yet, I wanted to be cool and maybe at my already old age wanted to fit in with my young (albeit yuk in retrospect) lover.
After a few minutes in a Blue Slope that I should not have been skiing at,, I somersaulted and in minutes the First Aid folks sled to my rescue, they were in the house!
You know what's the worse thing ( in addition to my ACL-injured left-knee for ever )?
Two things: the idiots of Sugar Bowl were not even sorry for giving me the wrong shoe (for fear of litigation), while my so called lover left me in my crutches and slalomed through the Black Diamonds for the rest of the afternoon without a pang empathy towards my condition.
Lesson of the story: Be cognizant of your territory and don't mess around with idiots that is below your standard (not of the mind, but of the breeding and look) even if you're in a bad relationship.
Yeah, I was stupid, he was not even a Richard Feynman (in mind) or a Ralph Fiennes, in look! As I told Natasha, "thinks like a geek, looks like a geek ..." and she responds, " it must be a geek!". Indeed, I ski'ed with a geek in Sugar Bowl and thereafter went home with an ACL injury.
While Sugar Bowl is sooooooooooooo NOOB-unfriendly and very careless in dispensing their for rental gear, be aware! I will NEVER be back!
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My favorite resort. its pretty big and has lots of good runs. its also close. one of the closest to Sacramento where i stay when i go snowboarding.
about an hour and a half. which a really easy drive early in the morning.
also has good fast express lifts.
What a blast my fiancee and I had at Sugar Bowl this past weekend!
With conditions looking so-so, we decided to head to the mountains and get some snowboarding in this past weekend. After a birthday party with too much beer, we go up at 5 am (!!!) and were on the road at 6am headed for Sugar Bowl.
The drive was very doable, much more than Squaw Valley, and the road was much more pleasant than heading to Bear Valley as well. Parking was great and even getting there at 9:30am there was plenty of prime parking left.
The lines were minimal and the people there were genuinely helpful and friendly. My fiancee is a beginner and she was used to the rude people at Bear Valley working the lifts. Was she pleasantly surprised! The guys on the Nob Hill lift were giving words of encouragement, tips on scooting to the lift and helping her time the lift as well.
While its true there isn't much vertical going on, I love the width of the mountain, as I try to take as long a route as possible to enjoy the mountain on the way down with BIG S's all the way down. The trails tie in nicely as well.
Sugar Bowl was impressive and fun, and I'll be sure to put this resort on the top of the list of places to return to!
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I have been to Sugar Bowl oodles of times - in snow storms, in icy warm weather, in massive crowds, in deserted days, as a novice snowboarder and as my current "intermediate" self.
I love it here - There are 2 parking lots and entrances, 2 lodges, LOTS of intermediate runs and very few easy ones ** for that reason I do not recommend this place for beginners** but rather for those really wanting to get better and challenge themselves.
Just off 80 before Boreal, exit #174, Norden - go 3 miles and you will hit the first lot - which requires a gondola to the mini lodge. Keep driving and turn right after Donner and you will get to the main lodge and closer lot.
Sugar Bowl is a sister resort to Kirkwood and personally I think SB has an equal amount of skiers and snowboarders whom, for the most part, get along. Also, SB gives lots of discounts out there so LOOK FOR THEM. Many snow shops offer discount tickets, some days there are discounts if you use a Visa card, The Tahoe Card (SnowBomb) gives you a free lift ticket.
Staff are very friendly (but aren't most resorts? I mean seriously, they are all stoned anyway). If you have not tried Sugar Bowl go check it out!!
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As many people have already mentioned, one of the great things about Sugar Bowl is how close it is to San Francisco - 3.5 to 4 hours, amazing!
I'm not a huge skier but I enjoy it. Sugar Bowl is on the small side but has a decent variety of intermediate runs - can't speak as much to the beginner or advanced runs. On the positive side, Sugar Bowl tends to be less crowded than the mega-resorts like Squaw and even the smaller ones further away from San Francisco like Alpine Meadows.
Even for being a smaller resort, there are enough places to nosh and hang out. When we were on the "Disney" side of the mountain, the smaller lodge/cafeteria area was just teeming with people - the larger lodge (which also has a greater selection of food) was much less crowded and much more chill. On a negative note, my roommate got some bad chicken fingers (very rare!), so be careful when they are really busy - seems as though the food may not have enough time in the fryer.
In addition to the proximity to SF, the lift tickets are a pretty good price compared to some of the other resorts - $60 for adults!
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the average is a bit more difficult than northstar or sierra, but come on a really great day and you'll have fun either way with good powder and fast lifts. food is still a rip.
but all in all, sugar bowl is awesome. Good snow, good long blue trails and challenging blacks. If you get powder its GOLDEN. Take a look at the trail map and take your picks because you'll be hard pressed to find something bad except maybe that it's not huge. Lines are short and the resort itself is pretty darn close to civilization [jk]. We went on a promotional ticket for some ski for schools thing - $25 at porters I think. Awesome. Last year North Star had a $35 for 35th anniv and that rocked too.
Had good weather, good snow, and lots of good boarding and THAT is what matters.
I was really expecting Sugar Bowl to be...bigger, I guess. Maybe it's that fancy Web 2.0 trail map they have, or the fact that they have 5 express lifts. And yet, it's in the smaller half of the Tahoe resorts, and its vertical is especially short, beating out only Boreal and Donner Ski Ranch, which barely count.
Still, there's plenty of good runs to check out here--my favorite is taking Crowley's Run off the Mt Lincoln chair (great views at the summit by the way), then down to Cat Walk, where I can practice my high-speed turns on the mostly flat terrain. From the looks of it, there's lots to entertain advanced skiers as well, notably the double-black insanity of the Palisades. Unfortunately the snow wasn't good enough to experience Sugar Bowl to its fullest--the lack of fresh powder made things notably crunchy, and the only crunch I like on my ski trips is in my breakfast granola.
One other notable feature is "The Village", a car-free area that can only be reached by Gondola or snow tram. It's not a ritzy commercial ski village like Squaw or Northstar, though--just a bunch of private residences and a single lodge/hotel with restaurants.
Overall, not the most memorable resort in Tahoe (even among the smaller ones), but definitely worth a visit.
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We stopped here on our way to Reno. They had free lessons (any skill level) on Friday afternoons at 1pm so that was a nice perk. The instructor was great and they had a lot of them. There was only 2 of us in the level 2 showboardng class with one instructor. My only complaint is that he had us on the blue square run which was very steep and difficult to work on turns.
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Tickets are cheaper than most resorts at $60 if bought from REI or certain websites. The lift lines were fairly short on Saturday, and trails wide. The drawbacks - the trails are pretty short. The snow higher up the mountain is icy and at some spots the rocks stick out and could ruin your board.
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I can't even count how many times I've been to Sugar Bowl. A few of my friends got fired for hot-boxing a liftie shack (Don't get me wrong big 420 NORML fan, but that was just way too obvious) Not bitter, we still go.
I think the truly unique aspect of this resort is the number of places you can hike to (or hike from). Up off the peaks there is always leftover freshies.
My personal favorite (and the reason I kept my Seth Pistols for so long), heading toward the Crows Nest gladded run, way over to the right after a few days of heavy snow. If you hang high and veer out (make sure you get to the left of the "creek" or you will really hate yourself for being so "adventurous") you can cruise some seriously deep and long untracked powder for days.
The nice part is, there is a very casual slope to it, nothing crazy, and no avalanche danger. But remember, same trick as with all powder, keep your speed.
I know, I know, lots of trees and waist deep powder but just look toward the light (to reveal spaces between the trees) and don't slow down.
The best part. All roads lead to the same Xcountry path which leads you right back to the resort. It's always smooth so you can Nordic-track your big floppy popsicle sticks straight home. I think the farthest I've ever had to "skate" back was a mile and with the ups and downs it goes quickly.
You do get some odd looks from the Xcountry guys.
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Just skied at Sugar Bowl for the first time over the weekend before Christmas. Normally I would have skied at Squaw or Alpine, but given the Holiday weekend, we didn't want to fight the chaotic crowds.
This was a pretty cool little Mountain. I never waited in a lift line more than 30 seconds. Because of the altitude, Sugar Bowl gets better snow earlier than the majority of other resorts in the area. The terrain was varied and you could find plenty of challenging runs off the Mt. Lincoln and Disney Lifts (I think it was Disney).
My 4 year old daughter went to Ski school both days and had a great time. The snow plow never goes out of style. My wife had plenty of Blue groomers to ski.
The food was better than most resorts but more importantly, you could get a table inside without fighting the crowds. The entire Lodge had visible TV's to watch the Football games with a beer in hand. Parking was easy (we parked by the ski school). Overall solid choice for a day of skiing maybe two. If you are going to be there for a week I would hit some of the biger resorts.
Sugar Bowl is now on the list.
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Sugar Bowl is by far our favorite resort to ride. It offers a wide variation of skill levels, and is quick and easy to get to. The runs are not as long as some of the other bigger resorts, but the lift lines are generally pretty short, so that makes up for it. I haven't personally had any interaction with the instructors there, but have had several friends and family members who took lessons this season and found them to be extremely helpful, which is good because one of the limitations is there are not a ton of green runs, but a lot of blue.
1 star for the lesson
4 stars for the mountain
Great mountain to try skiing for the first time ever! Rentals seemed easy and lots of green runs for newbies.
The beginner lesson was huge, really slow paced, and the instructor was full of sexist generalizations like you women pay attention when your putting on your lip gloss and stuff like that. It was also basically in the middle of the beginner kids runs, so we kept getting hit by kids in skiis and snowboards.
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I might be a bit biased because I have grown up skiing and snowboarding here, but Sugar Bowl is one of the best resorts in California, if not the entire western United States. There are virtually no lift lines, which is such a relief from all the Heavenly, Squallywood BS, and their tickets are actually affordable (Adult 54-65, Young adult 45-55, Child ?) and the food is pretty good too. I would go with either the Veggie Burger at Mid Mountain or the chili at any of the lodges.
The skiing itself is great. I recently taught a few friends how to snowboard on a beginner lift and by the end of the day two of them were ready for a larger run. If you are a beginner/intermediate skier or snowboarder, you can go up any lift and eventually get down without getting too messed up. If you are advanced, go for Disney Chair, Silver Belt (which is now called Lincoln), and Crows Nest. Crows is my personal favorite. You can hike for a loooong time and get some of the freshest powder or you can hike for 15 minutes and still get some of the freshest powder.
If you've got the cash, try renting a house up there with some friends. You can just walk out and you are literally on the slopes and the at the end of the day you can ride right up to your door and relax by the fire. If a house is not for you, check the lodge out. The rooms are not the biggest, but their restaurant is excellent, their bar is pretty good, and you can always just hike up the hills for a sweet sledding mission.
I love this place.
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Sugar Bowl is the Grande Dame of northern Sierra ski resorts. It's been around since the late 1930's and had the first chair lift in California. So much for history... how is the skiing and boarding?
As good as ever and even better since the development of Mt. Judah around the turn of the millenium. There is a lot of terrain for shredders. Beginners can learn the ropes here. For those who crave adrenaline, try Palisades or the steep chutes off Mt. Lincoln.
What makes Sugar Bowl special? Proximity to Sacramento and the Bay Area and value. You get a lot of bang for your skiing/riding buck there. It's a great place to go.
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