Northstar continues to be an enjoyable resort with wonderful ski runs for cruising. But, it is experiencing growing pains which I hope will be addressed in the future.

We stayed at the new village at the base of the resort which made it extremely convenient with underground parking and easy walking distance to the gondala. In fact, we stayed at the western end of the village where you can see the gondala as soon as you step out the door. Very convenient! I feel sorry for the skiers not staying at the village however. They are short-changed with inconvenient day parking. I hope Northstar has plans to provide better parking or improve the shuttle service. (I prefer the later, i.e. a resort that emphasizes the pedestrian environment over cars, which is done nicely here.)

Northstar is attempting to turn itself into a high-end overnight resort, which is both good and bad. I miss the low-key family feel from years past, but appreciate the desire to create an distinctive village centered around a vibrant "village square" (represented by the popular skating rink). The village is still taking shape with many vacant storefronts, but a good assortment of shops and restaurants are starting to emerge. They need to fill up the other storefronts to create a stronger retail mix and better apres ski environment. It still has a ways to go, but seems to be getting there.

I agree with some commenters that the recent emphasis seems to be on real estate development with the high-end condos and homes and future high-end hotels. They should make sure that the ski slopes remain their top priority, however, as isn't that why skiers might want to stay at Northstar? I was there this past weekend and I have to agree that the grooming seems to have taken a back seat to the resort. The backside was icy and could have benefited from better grooming. The good news is that the crowds were manageable with minimal waits.

Northstar is targeting the high-end market, but because the slopes are primarily intermediate, they have converted many runs to terrains parks to attract teenage snowboarders. So one wonders if Nothstar is marketing to upper-crust families with their bratty teenage kids. Quite frankly, not the most appealing combination. But, to be fair, Northstar have a good mix of skiers with many families. And you can't beat the convenience of the skating rink for kids with boundless energy, while parents can watch rinkside with drinks in toll by the outdoor fireplaces.

All in all, I would keep my scorecard open on the resort, but it is definitely a "thumbs up" recomendation if you can afford to stay at the village, even if it means a spurge ski trip.

Northstar. $74 dollars for a lift ticket and no parking. That pretty much sums it up. Northstar has always had a parking problem. The solution? Eliminate parking lots and replace them with condos.

Now, if you are an affluent "skier" who cares more for shops, restaurants, and luxury accomodations than the actual sport itself, then Northstar may be for you. They have an ice-skating rink, fake natural gas fireplaces, baby sitting service (aka ski school), outdoor bars, etc.

However, if you are attuned to the soul of skiing/riding and annoyed at the attitudes of the narcissistic Bogner attired rich folk then consider a real Tahoe ski resort such as Mt. Rose, Sugarbowl, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, Bear Valley, or perhaps Homewood.

Somewhere behind the condos and stupid "village" are ski slopes. (The slopes can be seen from the highway.) But don't expect to park, board the lift, ski, eat a brown bag lunch, and have a good time on a budget at Northstar. Northstar exists to attract those of means and separate them from as much of their money in as short an amount of time as possible. Thank you, Booth Creek Corporate Management.

Northstar (Flatstar) represents another former ski resort turned into a real estate development. Fat wallets welcome, persons who wish to ski and enjoy themselves on a budget - Stay Away.

And let's not even get started on crowds.........

Northstar is a resort winter wonderland. Compared to most places in Tahoe it has a lot of focus on its village-which is beautiful-and establishing a high end feel. As for skiing it has a fair variety of terrain an 8600 foot summit, and excellent wind protection. On windier stormier days this season you can expect guss to be 20 or 30 mph slower than Sugar Bowl and Boreal which shield the mountain from wind and unfortunately some snowfall as well.

None of Northstar's terrain is truly expert but can be extremely fun for a creative rider nonetheless. Early morning get a couple warm ups off of Vista where it is sun exposed early and the groomers are wide and fast. On a powder day the connection to lookout generally opens at 9 and provides spectacular views and some long pow runs. They generally groom Martis and Prosser if you want something mellower to check it out. Off the east and west ridges there are several runs that start with short steeps followed by rolling terrain with lots of hits, rolling grade changes and gladed areas to cut through. The backside offers some long runs. When it hasn't been snowing stay towards the left side (facing down the mountain) as it gets more sun and tends to have less ice when those are the conditions. Otherwise the right side can be a blast too. It is a popular mountain so if you can manage it go for a weekday. There will be virtually no waits and the people are a lot more courteous with there trail etiquette. I can see that most posters here are weekend warriors who complain about everything and make everybody's time less enjoyable.

When its packed on the weekend. Rendevous opens up which takes you centrally to the East Ridge. There is a ton of fun stuff over there especially in the gladed areas right after it has dumped. Rendevous almost never has a line and its a slower and shorter lift. The runs will be shorter but I have done 10 runs in an afternoon with no wait on a pakced Saturday before. Creativity will be your best friend on a day like that. Again leave your crappy attitude at home and come ready to shred.

To avoid ice use common sense and stick to runs that get more sun. This hasn't been an icy season but it happens even to the best mountains. If it is icy stay away fromthe furthest east side of the mountain. You'll have a lot more fun.

Everybody complains about the parking. Count on taking a shuttle. Its not that big a deal and it drops ytou off at the entrance to the village. Its a short (1/4 mile max) walk to the gondola through the beautiful village which provides for a nice leisurely way to warm up the muscles before you shred. Seriously people skiing/boarding is a high exertion activity. A little walk is not a big deal. Stop crying already.

For a more expert mountain, go to Kirkwood or Squaw. Howver after a big dump Hwy 88 is the first to close down so Kirkwood can be tough to get to. Squaw is then your best choice for more expert terrain and it is off of 80 which rarely shuts down. But for cruising family fun Northstar is a great choice especially if you're a fair weather skier because it doesn't get hit as hard. However for the same reason it is very popular. Expect long lift lines on weekends. But if you're willing to brave the crowds and look for the little stretch of mountain to call your own, it can be done quite easily. Just quit your crying and do what you went there to do. That is get some turns on their excellent extensive system of groomed trails or bomb their beautiful gladed areas for some adventure.

Happy Shredding!

User Photos (click to enlarge)

I made a visit to Northstar, Jan 3rd, shocked by the parking fee $30, year before $20. I have never paid a parking fee to ski and have been skiing for 20 years, only at Northstar. I have small children and they complain the whole way to the lift and back to the car. Mt. Rose was much cheaper and chose to ski at Northstar due to windy conditions at Mt. Rose. I noticed there was chaos in the lift line on the Vista chair, people continuously cutting, 4 lanes merge to 1...what's with that. Northstar is never my first choice, it's the last when there are windy conditions at the other resorts.

It has been a great year for snow in Tahoe and coming from the east coast- it is hard to say anything bad re: the snow and trails. Nothing compares--- My only complaint about Northstar were the lines. We skiied day 1 at a smaller resort and then on Saturday hit Northstar and the lines were moderate. The skiing was great and the back side of the mountain was beautiful.

The one thing missing is at the top of the mountain was a sub par place to eat for lunch that was way too packed and dirty.