Ski and Snowboard News, Deals, and Events

The Grand Sierra Resort, which once went by the less grandiose moniker of the Reno Hilton, has all the accoutrements one expects of a Nevada casino establishment: 1,995 guest rooms, 200,000 square feet of meeting/convention space, health spa, wedding chapel, 10 dining establishments, seven bars/lounges, and more than a soupcon of nighttime diversions.

The Grand Sierra also is less than an hour's drive from seven North Lake Tahoe winter mountain playgrounds: Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak, Northstar, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Homewood, and Sugar Bowl.

Here's more: You can have it all in the hotel's various ski and stay packages that go for as little as $69 per person per night.

The most economical deal is the one-night's lodging and one lift ticket to Diamond Peak for $69 (you get some dining and spa credit with this and all other packages). Next up is a similar deal at Mt. Rose that goes for $79. You can get a two-night, one-lift ticket plus round-trip ground transportation option for Northstar or Squaw Valley that goes for $115. There's a kids "ski free special" (two nights' lodging and an adult and a children's lift ticket for Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows) for $109.

These packages are available only online.