Mountain Review: Palisades Tahoe - Alpine Meadows
MOUNTAIN SCORE
NOTE: This page only covers Alpine Meadows, one of two separate areas in the Palisades Tahoe complex. Also see our Palisades Tahoe - Olympic Valley (Squaw Valley) review.
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
8
Snow:
6
Resiliency:
6
Size:
7
Terrain Diversity:
10
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
8
Crowd Flow:
5
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
8
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: No
Apres-ski: Limited
Pass Affiliation: Ikon Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Local feel
Less tracked slopes than other Lake Tahoe resorts
Diverse, scenic terrain
Extremely demanding expert runs
– Cons
Long traverses to and from some terrain
No on-site lodging
Lack of true beginner terrain
Relatively short vertical drop
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 13
Trails: 103
Beginner: 2%
Intermediate: 43%
Advanced/Expert: 55%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
As a relatively small, local mountain compared to other destination Lake Tahoe resorts, some people only know of Alpine Meadows thanks to its incorporation into Squaw Valley a number of years ago. The resort has changed since then, with a new lift installation and renovated base facilities, but it still maintains the sparse crowds and local feel that many know the ski area for—at least for now.
Despite its modest dimensions, Alpine Meadows boasts impressive terrain diversity. The resort contains your typical tree-defined runs as well as some thinly-wooded areas and true bowl acreage. A range of both groomed and ungroomed slopes exist across each of these categories, although none are particularly long. The resort also offers especially unique woods terrain thanks to large, widely spaced trees, most notably in the Sherwood backside area, that make for perfect glade runs. This variety produces fulfilling terrain options for visitors of most ability levels.
Alpine Meadows is not for the first-time skier, however. The resort only contains two green trails, both of which are bunny hills. True beginners will either get bored quickly or have to learn fast to enjoy the rest of the mountain. Advanced beginners can find a few easier blue trails that should really be green, but they’re hard to distinguish and best explored with a guide.
The experience improves significantly once you reach intermediate proficiency. Alpine Meadows offers blue terrain ranging from wide cruisers to glade runs; these runs span nearly every mountain area and tend to enjoy good conditions. Intermediate visitors will most enjoy the Lakeview and Sherwood areas, which offer varied terrain and scenic views of Lake Tahoe. But not all blue runs at Alpine are created equal. While many are consistently groomed, and a number are fairly flat with only a few moderately sloped pitches, others are ungroomed and much steeper than you might expect—and would likely be rated as blacks at other resorts. Unfortunately, it’s really at your own discretion to figure out which blues are appropriate for your ability level—once again, if you’re unsure, you may want to explore these runs with a guide.
Where Alpine Meadows really stands out is in its advanced and expert offerings. The resort boasts an impressive range of formidable terrain, including steep mogul runs, glades, cliffs, and chutes, across the overwhelming majority of mountain areas. Despite the fact that the resort hasn’t used a double-black diamond rating since 2012, Alpine Meadows holds its own against the best resorts in the country when it comes to extreme terrain. Perilously steep drops and cliffs exist around the resort, as do a few couloirs. The Keyhole area just off the Alpine or Summit chairs, arguably the most formidable section of the mountain, features lines that can sandwich you between astoundingly narrow swaths of rock or send you off of 50 foot cliffs with a wrong turn; many require a short hike to get to, but a few gnarly lines are directly lift accessible. A number of lines off the Scott Chair feature cliffs or couloirs with little room for error as well.
But excellent terrain is nothing without snow to match, and thankfully, Alpine Meadows generally delivers. The resort receives the commendable accumulation you might expect from Lake Tahoe, and snow quality stands out from competitors thanks to fewer crowds and less exposed terrain. In addition, most chairlifts provide primary access to hundreds of acres of terrain, allowing a number of areas to stay untracked for longer than you might expect. The furthest lines off the Summit and Scott chairs frequently maintain powder for days after a snowstorm.
However, like most Lake Tahoe resorts, Alpine Meadows suffers from somewhat variable conditions. Trails generally maintain respectable powder, but on bad days, they can exhibit thin cover. Even so, it rarely gets to the point where trails need to close due to a lack of cover during peak season. To ensure a resilient base and consistent opening dates each year, Alpine Meadows employs early-season snowmaking on a sizable portion of its terrain.
While snow cover typically stays consistent, a few other factors can interrupt mountain operations. Due to its high-alpine setting, a portion of the resort’s terrain sees heavy wind exposure. It’s not quite as bad as some other Lake Tahoe areas, but a few upper mountain areas, most notably the Alpine Bowl, see uncomfortable gusts during the season. Some lifts are susceptible to wind holds, although it’s rare for the entire mountain to shut down due to wind.
It’s worth noting that Alpine Meadows’ terrain possesses a number of traits that make it especially prone to avalanches. As a result, ski patrol is generally conservative with opening parts of the mountain after snowstorms. Early morning avalanche control operations generally enable the resort to open at least parts of the mountain on time, but the most avalanche-prone runs can take a day or two to clear. The resort experienced a deadly avalanche this season despite mitigation work, manifesting the considerable risk on some terrain here after heavy snowfall.
While Alpine’s setup makes for great untracked terrain, it also causes some drawbacks when it comes to getting around. Many areas require traversing or hiking to get to, and the furthest lines take quite a while to reach. Getting out of a number of runs involves flat traverses or, in the case of a few Scott’s area runs, a ride up a bunny hill lift.
Finding your way around Alpine Meadows has never been terribly confusing, but cutoffs to a number of lifts and resort areas aren’t as clear as they should be due to less-than-ideal signage in some places. Most resort areas conveniently funnel back to the base, but if you’re in the Lakeview area, it’s especially easy to miss the frontside cutoff and end up on the flat, tedious Ray’s Rut traverse to Sherwood.
It’s worth mentioning that resort logistics have significantly improved this year with the addition of the high-speed Treeline Cirque lift, which both replaces the old Hot Wheels chair and provides new, extended lift service to a higher point near the top of the Sherwood backside area. Thanks to the liftline extension, you can immediately hit some good backside terrain instead of bearing through the previously required Ray’s Rut trek to get there.
One of Alpine’s defining features is its local feel. There’s little to no buildup at the base or anywhere else on the mountain, and even the massive, recently renovated base lodge gives off a pleasant vibe thanks to its unobtrusive design. The Sherwood backside area contains a road leading to a small parking lot there, but it’s small and rarely sees traffic. The resort’s terrain itself is quite beautiful, although calling it truly extraordinary might be a stretch. Some upper-mountain areas offer excellent views of Lake Tahoe a few miles away.
Don’t expect to wait in long lines at Alpine Meadows. Although a number of runs filter directly back to the base, the area handles crowd flow relatively well thanks to multiple high-speed lift options there. Crowds at Alpine are generally low, and outside of weekend or holiday powder days, it’s rare to see long lines anywhere.
If you’re looking to stop in for a break at Alpine Meadows, the resort offers a few options. The main base lodge contains the best resort facilities, including a large food selection, two bars, and commendable seating capacity. Two small but decent on-mountain spots—one fully outdoors on the backside, and another mainly indoors on the frontside—exist as well. All three areas provide outdoor seating that’s great for soaking in the sun during the spring skiing season.
It’s worth noting that an Alpine Meadows ticket will also get you access to Squaw Valley, a separate area a few miles down the road. Squaw is bigger, busier, and more commercial than Alpine, but it boasts similarly formidable terrain; if you’re planning to visit for a few days, you may find it worthwhile to split your time between the two. While Squaw and Alpine are currently completely separate, the resort employs free, relatively frequent shuttles between the main base areas. A gondola connecting the areas is on track for completion some time in the next few seasons.
Lodging
Really still more of a local mountain than a true resort, Alpine Meadows doesn’t have any lodging on-site. A few inns exist on the Alpine Meadows access road, although the Stanford Alpine Chalet, previously the closest hotel to the resort, has permanently closed.
Most people visiting Alpine Meadows will get the most out of their experience by staying at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village, which is a short free shuttle ride from the mountain. You can find reasonably priced inns and hotels here, but calling any of them cheap would be a stretch. A number of options feature pools and hot tubs.
The best budget options live a few miles away in or near the town of Truckee, but the Alpine Meadows access road can get backed up on powder days. The resort offers some free parking at the base of the resort, but overflow parking—inconveniently located at the base of the access road a few miles from the mountain—requires a shuttle ride.
Apres-ski
With the lack of a town, there really isn’t any nightlife at Alpine Meadows. But the resort’s base and mid-mountain bars boast a selection of drinks with excellent apres-ski vibes and happy hour deals. A short drive or free shuttle ride to Squaw Valley will bring you to their lively Olympic Village base area.
Verdict
So what Alpine Meadows best delivers is a local, less-tracked terrain experience with some serious challenges. Other competing resorts may be bigger, but the lack of crowds, diverse terrain, and relatively consistent snow here will appeal to many. However, lift tickets aren’t cheap—the resort technically now exists as part of Squaw Valley, meaning that you’ll have to pay the same relatively hefty price to access Alpine Meadows. In addition, the proposed gondola to physically connect the Squaw and Alpine areas means the days of the local feel here may be numbered.
