Skiers and snowboarders living in Las Vegas or just visiting the city can get cool and enjoy a forest setting, find a family-friendly resort, avoid lift lines and have great fun on the slopes in the four ski and snowboard resorts within driving distance of Las Vegas. While some of them are not quite "near," the effort of getting there is always rewarded.
Residents of Las Vegas live in an unforgiving desert with a baking sun and harsh landscape. The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort provides a cool relief with snow and pine forests, and it's only 45 minutes away from the city. It's a comfortably intimate resort with three chair lifts and one surface lift. It has a vertical descent of a 1,000 feet, and there are 11 trails to explore. The resort is best suited for intermediate skiers and snowboarders, but there is some space on the mountain for beginners and experts. Snowboarders can use the terrain park and half pipe. It offers night skiing. The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort gets 120 inches of snow each year.
Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort
Highway 156
Mount Charleston
Nevada 89124
Telephone: 702–385-2754
http://www.skilasvegas.com/
Big Bear Mountain Resort is located in the Big Bear Lake area of the San Bernardino mountains, 213 miles away from Las Vegas. Big Bear Mountain provides areas for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. The expert will find groomed runs with snow provided by state-of-the-art snow making machines. Although ninety percent of the runs are for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders, the resort features special areas for those learning to ski. It has day and night skiing and snowboarding. The vertical descent is 1,200 feet. The resort provides a terrain park and half-pipe for the snowboarders. Big Bear Mountain has more chair lifts than any resort within 500 miles; three surface lifts, nine double chair lifts, four triple lifts, three quad lifts and four high speed quad lifts. There are 50 trails on the mountain. Natural snowfall is modest with 75 inches a year, but all of the runs benefit from snow making machinery.
Big Bear Mountain Resorts
880 Summit Blvd / POB 77
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
General Info: 909.866.5766
http://www.bearmountain.com/snowboard/
Diamond Peak Ski Resort is located just outside Lake Tahoe and offers uncrowded skiing and snowboarding. The resort provides a family experience with special children activities at the Child Ski Center. Parents can share a single pass with the resort's Interchangeable Parents Pass. Skiers and snowboarders enjoy a stunning view of Lake Tahoe. It has alpine skiing and snowboarding with three double chair lifts and three quad chair lifts. Eighty percent of the runs are for intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders. Diamond Peak is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The vertical drop is a respectable 1,840 feet. It has 30 trails and gets 300 inches of snow a year. Diamond Peak is 35 miles away from the Reno Airport and 453 miles from Las Vegas.
Diamond Peak Ski Resort
1210 Ski Way
Incline Village, NV 89451
775-832-1177
http://www.diamondpeak.com
Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe offers a history lesson as well as good skiing and snowboarding. Since 1930, residents and tourists have hiked into the area to ski the logging trails on Mt. Rose. The Sky Tavern Lodge was built after World War II to provide warmth, food and drink and is still there. Skiers and snowboarders can get a feel for the era when dedicated skiers climbed the mountain without a ski lift in the photo gallery of The Winters Creek Lodge. The resort offers skiing and snowboarding on 43 trails with a descent of 1,440 feet. It has two triple chair lifts, two quad chair lifts and one high speed quad lift. Mt. Rose has a half-pipe for the snowboarders. Seventy percent of the trails are for intermediate and expert skiers. They get 400 inches of snow every year. Like Diamond Peak Resort, Mt. Rose is 453 miles from Las Vegas.
Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe
22222 Mt. Rose Hwy
Reno, Nevada 89511
775-849-0704 in Nevada
800-SKI-ROSE outside Nevada
http://mtrose.com
