When you hear talk about the state of Nevada, the first thing that will pop into your mind is probably Las Vegas, world-famous for its casinos and stage shows. Or Reno, almost as famous for its gambling resorts, but also known as the place for making quickie divorces. Very few will consider Nevada as a destination for winter sports, but do you know that the 1960 Winter Olympics was held in Lake Tahoe, Nevada? Actually in Squaw Valley, at the northern end of Lake Tahoe.
Within a very short two-hour drive from Reno can be found several world-class winter sports resorts, notably skiing, snowboarding and skating. At southern Lake Tahoe is a popular resort appropriately named ‘Heavenly’, situated as it is at 10, 067 feet high. It has 15 ski lifts on California side and another 15 at the Nevada part of Lake Tahoe (which straddles the two states) so there is very little waiting time before one is brought to the slopes for the day’s fun. (The number of lifts is also indicative of the resort’s popularity.) an aerial tram and 8-man gondola are also available for those afraid of riding on ski lifts.
The winter sports season in Heavenly begins by the middle of November and ends around April, with average snowfall of 360 inches annually. Thus anyone is assured of fresh snow almost any time to enjoy the sport. The resort boasts of numerous ski trails for the experts and advanced skiers (35% of the slopes), as well as intermediate-level enthusiasts (45%) and the rest for neophyte or beginners in skiing. Any skiing enthusiast will therefore have a slope for his competence not matter his level of expertise. Furthermore, he can proceed to more difficult slopes right away once he has mastered the easier ones, without leaving the resort.
But the resort is not just for skiing. It also contains amenities for lodging, shopping, dining, recreation and entertainment, and even fitness facilities to help you limber up for the sports. As such Heavenly has something for everyone, even the non-skiers. Situated at the 10,000+ feet elevation it also offers a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe amidst snowy fields, a site to enjoy endlessly. Snowboarding is also an option at Heavenly resort.
For those who do not really ski, Squaw Valley nearby can offer a bowl skiing. Acres and acres of deep snow for bowl skiing are regularly available to new skiers as yet unprepared in terms of physical skills and mental state to tackle the slopes. As a site of a previous Winter Olympics, it has the facilities and the amenities for annual skiing tourists.
Arid Reno, Nevada is therefore not simply for gamblers and gamers. Though very famous for the casinos rivaling Las Vegas, it has resorts nearby for winter sports, something Las Vegas does not have. Reno also has Lake Tahoe, where water sports facilities may be available almost any month of the year. And of course, then frozen, Lake Tahoe can be a very good venue of skating and perhaps ice fishing. And of course there are the gambling places, shopping emporiums, luxury hotels and restaurants. Any one of them is reason enough to enjoy Reno and Nevada.
So if you are thinking of going on a winter sports vacation, do not forget Nevada, that ‘desert’ state abutting California. It can offer you many winter sports facilities and other methods of enjoyment you may be pleasantly surprised. As point of fact, anytime you want sports, look first to Nevada: it may have what you want more than just gambling your time away.
