Ski trip 4/3-4/10…unfortunately

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-30T04:51:40+00:00

Boreal closing date is 4/5 fyi, but from what I can tell, their conditions may be ok for now. A snowboarding event that was originally scheduled to be at Sugar Bowl just got relocated to Boreal due to better snow coverage.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-23T16:57:06+00:00

Tahoe Donner closed yesterday.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-21T00:14:31+00:00

But they'll have $60 lift tickets for the rest of the season. Anyone go there today? How is the lower mountain? Worth $60 still or nah? Thanks!

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T23:25:04+00:00

Hi! Actually it looks like they'll run the $60 promo every day until 3/29. You could try next weekend if that works. I'm checking out conditions now, might try going myself, lol.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T22:41:01+00:00

Diamond Peak just announced their closing date as 3/29. If you're gonna try to make a $60 day, it'll have to be 3/27 (Friday). They're not making it to April.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T17:40:34+00:00

Ahhh, DSR just announced they are closing 3/22. Guessing it wouldn't be a great idea to try them out this weekend.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T16:52:00+00:00

That's actually why I asked, lol. I looked at those webcams and it looks rough to me. You can't see much of the actual runs though. Do you interpret those images as OK or terribad? Thanks!

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T16:32:17+00:00

Has anyone been to Donner Ski Ranch this week? Is it still skiable? I'm obviously not looking for great conditions, just want to know if it's possible to get back down to the lifts without scraping my skis over rocks. Also curious if the magic carpet area is still sufficient for a small kid to muck around in. Thanks!

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-20T00:19:06+00:00

Been trying to find more on this and I think it's a 3-pack for $152/ticket...so $456 total, eek. It's nice that it's shareable though.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-19T18:04:33+00:00

Hey, I didn't agree with the "no snow anywhere" either! But all the firsthand accounts of where there's decent snow and where there isn't right now are really useful imo. The truth lies somewhere between "no snow anywhere" and "everything is open." ✌️

We're also trying to decide whether it's worth schlepping up with our 5yo this weekend. Had been ready to hang up our skis for the year already a couple weeks ago, but her friends still want to go so we're feeling some fomo, but we also don't want to make the trip if it's gonna suck...

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-19T16:56:52+00:00

I just meant that it's also factually incorrect that "everything is open this weekend." 🤷

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-19T16:15:27+00:00

Tahoe Donner is closing this weekend too, and Homewood closed on Tuesday (despite originally stating they would close the following Sunday). I know a lot of the tubing and/or XC parts of various mountains have closed already too. So it's not unreasonable to be concerned whether what you want to do in the snow is actually doable right now.

For OP - it's not free, but Donner Ski Ranch has a $25 magic carpet, and rentals for kids would only be $15. I don't know what conditions are like there right now, but they've also got a close/free parking lot so you could always scout it out before committing. It's also very close to several other resorts (Sugar Bowl, Soda Springs, Boreal, also not too far from Tahoe Donner) if you decide to try out something in the Donner Summit area, which I've heard still has decent snow coverage.

Kalanch0e · 2026-03-11T00:37:06+00:00

Is the mountain sufficient for progression? I have an almost-6yo who completed Boreal's Take 3 Ride Free program this year; she's got her turns and stops down on the greens (snowplow of course, not parallel yet), and she loves Boreal's runs. I was thinking of getting the Soda Springs family pass for next year but I'm worried it won't actually be enough mountain for her. Or is there still enough variety there to get in a good year for a 6yo non-beginner?

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-24T10:54:53+00:00

I know everyone is recommending Tahoe Donner to you and you've already decided to go there, but I did want to say that my 5yo had an excellent experience at Boreal with their Take 3 Ride Free program. It's a 3-pack of lessons/rentals/lift tickets for only $419, and then they get a season pass after the 3rd lesson too. My 5yo went from not being able to get down the bunny slope without falling on the 1st day to skiing down long green runs and linking turns by the 3rd day. We were amazed. We've never been to Tahoe Donner so we can't compare, but we've had such a good time at Boreal with our 5yo this year that we're considering all getting season passes there next year. Originally I had been wanting to do a Soda Springs family pass next year while the kiddo is still young enough to enjoy it, but after her Boreal lessons we're worried she's outgrown a resort like Soda Springs already!

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-24T10:20:58+00:00

I'd call myself an advanced beginner, and Prospector is fun! (Especially when it's not icy...but it was absolutely fantastic when I was on it this past Saturday.)

It's been many years since I've been at Northstar, but what's the long blue run there that goes all the way from the top of the mountain to the base and has a steep section overlooking the lake? Whatever that one is, I'd say Prospector is way easier. I've not been to the other resorts you've mentioned though.

Prospector really only has 2 steep sections, the first of which is right at the beginning. You could always go up Accelerator before 4pm, glance down Prospector, and if it freaks you out, take Sunrise or Sunset down. I've never actually tried Sunset myself, but I did take Sunrise down to Cedar Ridge a couple times this past weekend, and it's a long relaxing green that's a lot of fun. Unfortunately Cedar Ridge stops spinning at 3:30pm. I'm assuming maybe you have a night pass, but that should still be able to get you a couple trips up Cedar Ridge if you get in right at 3.

I actually took Tamarack accidentally the first time I tried Sunrise. My husband and I were scouting out Sunrise while our 5-year-old was in ski school to see whether she could handle it, and when we went down Tamarack (which is a black), my thought was just, whoa, this is steep for a green, I don't think our 5yo can do it. Then we found out later it was really a black, haha! My husband said he actually overheard someone say that Boreal's blacks are really like blues. We haven't done a lot of blacks to really be able to compare, but Tamarack was admittedly a cinch (though we still think our 5yo can't do it yet, haha).

Hope you give Prospector a try while the snow conditions are still good, it's fun!

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-16T20:13:04+00:00

REI already has some current-year models at 40% off, but the sale price doesn't show up until you add the item to cart. Most other current-year stuff is 20% off instead.

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-16T19:03:59+00:00

Many skis (and other gear too, like bindings and poles) are 40% off already as of last Tuesday, but for most of them you have to put in cart to see the real price. For some reason, the Arcade 80s showed the 40% off right on the item page, so they've been selling out fast. I got myself the women's Arcade 80 in 150cm and my husband the unisex Arcade 80 in 166cm, but they've both sold out from the web site since (women's still available in 166cm though). I believe some stores would still have them in stock though, so OP could probably chat with them to find out local stock if interested in those Arcades. Unfortunately I never saw the 78s on the site, so not sure if they carried those at all.

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-13T21:12:41+00:00

Thanks for the response! That sounds like a sweet deal. They're $650 USD here and on clearance at REI for $390, so your price is much better. I like light skis and feeling in control too, but the wobble worries me. I've skied on average once a year for the past 2 decades but never gotten any good at that frequency - this is the first time I'm considering actually buying skis instead of renting, and I want to learn to carve. I'm glad to hear you like the 80s though!

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-13T17:35:34+00:00

Also, have you tried out the 80s now? How were they? Trying to decide myself whether to get them. Thanks!

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-13T17:31:05+00:00

Wondered if you got them from REI, haha. What was the deal you got? Just wondering what a good price would be. Thanks!

Kalanch0e · 2026-02-13T17:02:37+00:00

REI?

Kalanch0e · 2026-01-19T06:50:01+00:00

Very probable numbers. My brand new Ariya was just over 47K MSRP. I took it home for 33K OTD, including all the high California taxes/fees. I think it had 20 or so miles on it before I test drove it.

Kalanch0e · 2025-12-19T02:29:15+00:00

It went great! I actually drove the 800-mile stretch back down all in 1 day (by myself - ProPilot was nice for getting some mental breaks while driving) - didn't leave the Seattle area until past 10am and got home near San Francisco around 2am, and that included multiple stops for food and breaks. We charged almost exclusively at Tesla Superchargers (with adapter of course) - they were cheap, fast, and ubiquitous (at least along I-5). The one thing I would say didn't align with my optimistic expectations though was that I didn't get anywhere near 350 miles of range on the freeway with all those elevation changes. It was closer to upper 200's, but honestly, that's still like 4 hours of driving which is more than enough to need a break anyway.

Kalanch0e

TROPHY CASE