During the 2007/2008 season I took the Bay Area Ski Bus (bayareaskibus.com) - great operation by the way, and no, I don't work for them - with the intent of skiing a day at Squaw. However, there was too much snow on the road and traffic was barely moving, so the bus decided to divert to Boreal instead of continuing two hours longer to get to Squaw.

Basically, I thought Boreal sucked. I am an Advanced skier and not a single run at Boreal was challenging enough for me. Most runs were extremely short with the exception of one ok tree run. I will give them credit for their good terrain park, but I honestly don't think it's any better than the parks at Northstar or any other major resort.

While some people say that Boreal is a good place for novice skiers/boarders, I'd have to disagree. The short runs become repetative and the lifts are slow. Because there are so many novice skiers/boarders, you can expect having to dodge them as they fall in front of you. In addition, the food is edible, but not nearly as good as other resorts I've been too.

If I were you, I'd drive the extra hour or so (road conditions permitting, of course) to a better resort such as Squaw, Sugarbowl, Bear Valley, Kirkwood, Alpine, etc. Sure, you'll end up spending $10-20 more per lift ticket, but it's well worth it for the more interesting runs and faster lifts, nice lodges, food, etc...

Even if you're a beginning skier, I really don't see the point in going to a crappy, small ski resort. And if you're going for the terrain park, don't get your hopes up. It really isn't better than others I've seen.

Basically, unless you're stuck in a snow storm, resist the urge to pull over at Boreal. While it's more convenient, it's a sad waste of your time considering it's so close to Tahoe's world class resorts that only cost a few bucks more. If you want a cheap season pass, check out Heavenly! If you're still stuck on the small resort idea, I'd recommend Bear Valley, Kirkwood, or Sugarbowl.

It was good for the most part.The only complaints I have is that the runs are somewhat short and NO ONE was scaning passes.I realy did not have to pay because no one was checking.The dudes running the Accelerator lift did not pay close attention either.I loaded up with a family I thought was only three but turned out to be four people,getting off was a little hairy but it worked out..

The best ride I found was to the far left of the mountain.Take the Accelerator up and take the cedar trail.Its long and not very crowded at all.When you get to the bottom just take the Cedar lift up and ride the trail again.I rode it probably six times.Not very many people and lots of room to bomb down.

The Pub was great.The food was good.Prices were very good.Beer5$.Corn Dog 3$.Fries 2$....

To sum it up it was a very good deal for the price.If you are in your first year like me this is a great place to learn.Lots of friendly people on the slopes as well as some stupid teenagers.But the families far outnumber the lames.If you are into parks this place has a ton of terrain and lots of lifts to get you there...

i am the only trucker i know that carries skiis.
boreal is a typical east coast style-jam packed mountain.short and sweet with some rough terrain.Packed with younger gen.("green") boarders on Saturday, friday morning was a ghost town... must be a local thing.
Had a great time- skiid hard till 915pm; affordably.
noticed many teens disregarding the rules and if you don't like wise ass remarks maybe don't ski/ride here...overall the terrain was great for the size.
great insense.

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My, this season was too short....it just ended and i felt like i didnt quite get my boarding fix for the year....can't wait for next year and here's to hoping its longer and has more powder dumps then this year!!!

anywho....

Boreal is a great place to learn how to ski/board and its $10 college fridays are aresome! it is pretty small though (boarded from summit to base in about a minute.) the snow is pretty good there, not the best, but not the worst eather. also Boreal stays up late....with large stadium lights, they do a great job lighting up the main runs so they are skiable untill they close (9 PM) lines are not short, but they are not long eather and the accelarator lift line goes quickly. rarely are the lifts stopped so the lift time is kept pretty short.

over all Boreal is a small place. fun, but small. however the inexpensive lift ticket and the fact that they open from 9 to 9 makes it pretty good and their snow blowing is awesome! (near the end of the season watch out near the top, it can be a little rocky.)

They've really nailed the urban snow scene. Their Friday Night Expression Sessions are a hit with the youth jam crowd looking for great prizes and an always changing venue. Fun to watch in an oddly mesmerizing way. Series runs January through March every other Friday.