If you live in the Bay Area and love to ski but have a hard time getting to the mountain, or just can’t seem to find a friend to go with, SnowPal’s may be exactly what you need.

SnowPals’ core mission is to bring Bay Area residents together to enjoy Snow Sports; specifically working diligently to bring awareness and encourage people to pool resources to ride-share to Lake Tahoe Area resorts to reduce impact to our environment.

SnowPals’ has built a snow sports community in the Bay to help connect skiers and snowboarders to the Tahoe mountains. They serve a wide range of people, from singles to families and beginners to experts.

The Tahoe Fund has teamed up with SnowPals’ to encourage more ridesharing and sustainable recreation in the Tahoe Basin. Ridesahring programs like this are a great way to get to Tahoe while reducing congestion.

Ridesharing

SnowPals’ gives winter sport enthusiasts the option of hitching a ride with another community member in an effort to expand your circle of ski buddies and limit your carbon footprint. The ride-share program has been around for 21 winters and is now includes over 8,200 skiers and boarders. Rideshare buddies do split expenses, but SnowPals’ does not charge for the service.

Deals

Who doesn’t love a great deal? Snowpal’s has great deals and discounts like bus fair savings, festival tickets, REI deals and many more.

Ski Leases and Rentals

Visit ski leases and rentals made available to SnowPals’ by those in their community.

SNOTEL it on the mountain! There are 85 SNOTEL sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin. These sites, operated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), use climate and snowpack related sensors to measure the amount of snow and precipitation for a given area. The methodology used worldwide for taking snow measurements was developed by Dr. Church at UNR and tested on Mt. Rose.

Did you know that sleds were invented more than 100 years ago by vacationers in Switzerland? Sledding is a great family pastime, especially when traveling for the holidays. All you need is a sled, winter gear, and lots of Tahoe powder. It’s no wonder we love sledding! Here are some of our favorite sled hills around Tahoe.

Below is a list of important things to remember before you go:

• Dress warmly! Gloves, hats, and waterproof pants are all highly recommended.
• Be prepared. The sled hills tend to be on public lands with no managed restrooms during the winter season.
• Be aware of nearby cars and traffic. It is easy to sled into traffic if you aren’t paying attention.
• Take your sleds home! Every year we see thousands of pieces of broken sleds left scattered across sled hills. If you bring your sled to the mountain, please bring it home with you. (Even if it’s in a few pieces)
• Always have a game plan and know where you are heading. Roads can be dangerous during the winter season, use this map to plan your way before you go: sled hills map
• Practice good slediquette and have fun!

SLED HILLS

Click on the image, or the blue text on the sled hills below to see a full interactive map.

McIver Dairy Sled hill (Truckee)

• Location: Just off of I-80 and Donner Pass Road, across from the Village Nursery. Sledding will take place on the eastern side near the historical buildings. The old hill will be fenced off for a clear boundary.
• Parking: Located in the downtown parking district, a short walk from the hill. Do not park in front of businesses near the sled hill.

Spooner Summit

• Location: At the intersection of SR 28 and Highway 50.
• Parking: There is a free lot located at the bottom of the hill where watercraft inspection occurs during boating season.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe

• Location: Directly behind Lake Tahoe Resort running parallel with the California-Nevada border.
• Parking: Parking can be found in the parking lot behind Harrah’s casino.

Tahoe Meadows (Mt. Rose)

• Location: Just off of the Mt Rose summit on the Northern side of the road.
• Parking: Free parking located on the shoulder of the SR 431 at Mt. Rose summit.

Ski Run Boulevard (South Lake Tahoe)

• Location: At the intersection of Pioneer Trail and Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe across from Heavenly Valley Lodge Bed & Breakfast.
• Parking: Free parking is located along the shoulders of Ski Run Boulevard.

Fallen Leaf Lake

• Location: Just off of Hwy 89 at the Intersection of 89 and Fallen Leaf Road.
• Parking: Fallen Leaf Road closes during the winter, so parking will take place on the shoulders of Hwy 89.

Granlibakken 

• Location: Ski Hill, 725 Granlibakken Rd, Tahoe City, CA 96145
• Parking: Granlibakken parking lot can be used.
• Cost: Tickets cost $20 for the full day and $25 dollars during holidays.

Sled Corrals:

Many of the sled hills feature Sled Corrals. These corrals are temporary receptacles for the plastic debris left over from broken and discarded sleds. The initiative is organized by various Take Care Tahoe partners. In the past few years, thousands of pounds have been cleaned from the hills at the end of the season. Do your part, take your sleds and trash home.

In the last month, 12 billion gallons of water was added to Lake Tahoe. That is equivalent to more than 18,000 olympic swimming pools!

Mother Nature is in the giving spirit. Tahoe Ski Resorts are reporting over 100″ of snowfall for the year as of December 12th. Keep those snow dances coming!