California/Nevada Sierra at Tahoe vs Sugar Bowl

[luliski]

It turns out that my city has a group of skiers organizing for carpooling to ski. Many of them are going midweek, which is great for me. It seems there are quite a few going to Sugar Bowl, and then at least one person (and I actually already know her from swimming) going to Sierra at Tahoe. I have an Ikon Pass, but now I'm considering a Sugar Bowl midweek pass or a Sierra at Tahoe Value Pass, as both of these places are under 2 hours from home, and I would also be able to carpool.

I have only skied at Sierra at Tahoe once, and that was a while ago, when my daughter was quite young. I didn't get to know the mountain. It sounds like they might be bigger than Sugar Bowl, and their restricted pass is less than even Sugar Bowl's midweek pass. I think there's only one person so far from the group who has a pass there, but I know her, and she has three weekdays off for skiing, so a flexible schedule.

I have skied at Sugar Bowl more than once, but not since my daughter was a kid and I was limited by her abilities. So I don't know the terrain that well.

If I do this, I'm leaning towards Sierra-atTahoe. Does anybody have more information to sway me either way?

 

[Eric267]

Pretty sure a Sierra pass gets you days at sugar bowl via powder alliance. Not sure what level pass you need but could be to your benefit.

I used to go to Sierra quite a bit when I lived in south lake. Trees for days and huckleberry canyon has some really rad terrain. Sugar bowl is decent but I hardly ever make it up there anymore. It's kind of a slog from kings beach and if the conditions are stormy it can take forever. Easy in/out from the flatlands as its probably 30min closer than squaw or Alpine

 

[luliski]

Pretty sure a Sierra pass gets you days at sugar bowl via powder alliance. Not sure what level pass you need but could be to your benefit.

I used to go to Sierra quite a bit when I lived in south lake. Trees for days and huckleberry canyon has some really rad terrain. Sugar bowl is decent but I hardly ever make it up there anymore. It's kind of a slog from kings beach and if the conditions are stormy it can take forever. Easy in/out from the flatlands as its probably 30min closer than squaw or Alpine

It turns out Sierra at Tahoe and Sugar Bowl are about the same driving time from Davis. I knew that about Sugar Bowl, but had forgotten about Sierra at Tahoe's location.

 

[oldfashoned]

Think about the drive: 80 vs 50, clear and stormy conditions. Traffic....

 

[textrovert]

As @Eric267 mentioned- Sierra and Sugar Bowl are both part of the powder alliance. So one pass gets you 2 to 4 days at the other, depending on the level of your pass.

Coming from Davis, although Sugar Bowl and Sierra look the same distance, there is one big difference that kicks in on storm days.

Sugar Bowl requires you to go up Donner Pass on 80. In recent seasons, 80 has be very quick to close due to whiteout hazard. Also is you have chain control, look for potentially 40-60 miles of slow moving, depending on how low the snow level is that day.

Sierra is before Echo pass and in most storms has about 10 miles of chain control on 50 leading to them from Davis. The last 25ish miles is single lane undivided. But as long as you are not stuck behind someone who is not used to taking mountain turns, moves along quickly. Normal time from Placerville is about 45 mins. This can double in a storm. Still much better than a closed or 60 mile crawl on 80.

Terrain wise-

Sugar Bowl has more standard access terrain. 3 peaks - Judah, Lincoln, Disney + the more recent crows nest chair. Lincoln & Disney being the ones I usually gravitate to.

Sierra has a front side, a small back side, and a mostly blue cruiser West Bowl. But when conditions permit -- really enjoyable tree skiing everywhere. And the gates to Huckleberry are super fun when open. The other nice thing about Sierra is- they don't do much in terms of grooming after a storm. Unlike some resorts that groom runs regardless of storms, Sierra crew let the power hounds have their day and only groom Sugar N Spice (long top-to-bottom green) and Broadway (bunny) on those days.

I like both. I'm biased to Sierra since I ski there so often every season

 

[textrovert]

Think about the drive: 80 vs 50, clear and stormy conditions. Traffic....

Exactly

 

[Tony]

As @Eric267 mentioned- Sierra and Sugar Bowl are both part of the powder alliance. So one pass gets you 2 to 4 days at the other, depending on the level of your pass.

Coming from Davis, although Sugar Bowl and Sierra look the same distance, there is one big difference that kicks in on storm days.

Sugar Bowl requires you to go up Donner Pass on 80. In recent seasons, 80 has be very quick to close due to whiteout hazard. Also is you have chain control, look for potentially 40-60 miles of slow moving, depending on how low the snow level is that day.

@textrovert has some good info, but I have to question a couple of things (and I did not quote his whole post).

1. Only Unlimited Sierra pass gives you Powder Alliance benefits. It was $399 if bought early or at ski shows. The 2 and 4 days are how many discounted Bring a Friend discounted non-holiday tickets you get depending on pass level. Unlimited pass also includes bring a friend for free on select Fridays so if your friend already has a pass, you may get to try Sierra for free. See https://www.sierraattahoe.com/season-passes/

2A. I've been stuck on 50 more than 80 mostly because I take 50 more often. While 50 has trees to the top of the pass which reduces closures due to blowing snow, those trees can fall across the highway and take down power lines which can close road. Highway 50 also can close for avalanche control are on Meyers Grade past Sierra and Echo Summit. They often will hold traffic further down the hill which means even if they let you talk your way past held traffic since you are only going to Sierra, you will be delayed at best. Highway 50 does not get the heavy cross-country truck traffic or gamblers going to Reno not expecting snow which are both big problems with 80.

2B. If snow level is low enough to have 40-60 miles of chain control on 80, chain control on 50 may start between Placerville and Pollock Pines, elev. 4000 and 32 miles before Sierra turnoff. And chains are sometimes required to get past Pollock Pines, then you drop to American River and either have to take them off and put them on again or drive with them when not needed. Even if you have 4WD, you can get stuck behind people driving slow with chains on snowless road (although it's 4 lanes almost until you cross the river).

I like both places and see some similarities including both having problems when storms are warm. One difference is that most of Sugar Bowl's greatness is easily found, especially with Crow's Nest lift. (I have not skied there since it has been put in.) Sierra's greatness is more hidden and can require a lot of work to get out of as exit from Huckleberry has a few uphills and if you go too low or into the wrong gully in many places you will get to experience what snowboarders face - wallowing through the snow to get back to a packed run. Another difference is lift capacity which should make Sugar Bowl a better place on busy weekends. Sierra only has 3 high-speed lifts and one is short beginner lift. While there are parallel low-speed lifts, I'm not sure they run them often. Sugar Bowl has 7 high-speed lifts that all have decent to great terrain. So on a busy weekend, assuming 80 is not a problem, Sugar Bowl would be a better choice.

 

[luliski]

Sierra is before Echo pass and in most storms has about 10 miles of chain control on 50 leading to them from Davis. The last 25ish miles is single lane undivided. But as long as you are not stuck behind someone who is not used to taking mountain turns, moves along quickly. Normal time from Placerville is about 45 mins. This can double in a storm. Still much better than a closed or 60 mile crawl on 80.

Terrain wise-

That's been my experience driving on 50 in storms as well. It would be nice to have the option to go that way instead of heading up 80.

I'd get the restricted pass, so (I think) no Powder Alliance benefit.

 

[luliski]

@textrovert has some good info, but I have to question a couple of things (and I did not quote his whole post).

1. Only Unlimited Sierra pass gives you Powder Alliance benefits. It was $399 if bought early or at ski shows. The 2 and 4 days are how many discounted Bring a Friend discounted non-holiday tickets you get depending on pass level. Unlimited pass also includes bring a friend for free on select Fridays so if your friend already has a pass, you may get to try Sierra for free. See https://www.sierraattahoe.com/season-passes/

2A. I've been stuck on 50 more than 80 mostly because I take 50 more often. While 50 has trees to the top of the pass which reduces closures due to blowing snow, those trees can fall across the highway and take down power lines which can close road. While 50 closures for avalanche control are on Meyers Grade past Sierra and Echo Summit, they often will hold traffic further down the hill which means even if they let you talk your way past held traffic if going to Sierra, you will be delayed at best.

2B. If snow level is low enough to have 40-60 miles of chain control on 80, chain control on 50 will start between Placerville and Pollock Pines, elev. 4000 and 32 miles before Sierra turnoff. And sometimes you need chains to get past Pollock Pines, then you drop to American River and either have to take them off and put them on again. Even if you have 4WD, you can get stuck behind people driving slow with chains on snowless road (although it's 4 lanes almost until you cross the river).

I like both places and see some similarities. One difference is that most of Sugar Bowl's greatness is easily found, especially with Crow's Nest lift. Sierra's is more hidden and can require a lot of work to get out of as exit from Huckleberry has a few uphills and if you go too low or into the wrong gully in many places you will get to experience what snowboarders face - wallowing throw the snow to get back to a packed run. Another difference is lift capacity which should make Sugar Bowl a better place on busy weekends. Sierra only has 3 high-speed lifts and one is short beginner lift. While there are parallel low-speed lifts, I'm not sure they run them often. Sugar Bowl has 7 high-speed lifts that all have decent to great terrain. So on a busy weekend, assuming 80 is not a problem, Sugar Bowl would be a better choice.

[/QUOTE]
Ok, thanks, @Tony . I mostly ski during the week, so not too worried about weekend crowds.

 

[textrovert]

I like both places and see some similarities including both having problems when storms are warm. One difference is that most of Sugar Bowl's greatness is easily found

Completely agree! That's what I meant when I wrote that Sugar Bowl has more "standard" terrain. I e. Great terrain variety in any condition.

Sierra really opens up in good conditions only. Otherwise you are left with blue cruisers on West Bowl and a few nicer long runs on the front side (Eastabout, Castle, Preachers, Upper Dynamite). Some of the best areas- Jack's bowl, Avalanche bowl, Christmas tree valley, daylight chute, etc. are no longer even marked on their map anymore. These are accessible only in good coverage and conditions.

Chair traffic backup is a real issue at Sierra on busy days. I get fast pass every seasons just to avoid long lines on busy days. By contrast, I don't think I've ever waited long at any line at Sugie. Midweek is empty at both.

@Tony After they put in the crows nest chair, definitely more traffic than how it used to be when it was hike-to only. They also made a couple of trails there- so it doesn't feel as wooded. The couple of times I was there with the chair, the conditions weren't good enough for going off the new runs. So I ended up so staying on Disney the most.

 

[Jim Kenney]

I have a grand total of one day at each ski area , but had a great time at both! This is a tough choice and might come down to best ride-share situation. They are both sort of mid-size ski areas with interesting terrain. You can't lose. Here are old reports with photos and commentary of both areas (hopefully links and photos work for you):
Sugar Bowl: https://web.archive.org/web/20170427135741/http://www.epicski.com/a/sugar-bowl-ca-a-pictorial


Sierra at Tahoe: https://web.archive.org/web/2017042...m/t/116972/sierra-at-tahoe-1-10-13-powder-day

 

[textrovert]

@Jim Kenney Nice reports! And you picked the perfect day to hit Sierra. Great that you got some locals up take you through Huckleberry! Gate-1 (Castle Creek) is the easiest one- but as the name suggests, there is a creek you need to avoid. Can still wet under the snow sometimes and dangerous. So good to have a guide the first time into Huckleberry

BTW- Amazing to read in your report about Gordon and how he was still skiing Huckleberry canyon and Avalanche Bowl at 70+!

 

[raytseng]

That's been my experience driving on 50 in storms as well. It would be nice to have the option to go that way instead of heading up 80.

I'd get the restricted pass, so (I think) no Powder Alliance benefit.

Yea, if you're going for weekdays, daytrip, the issues with the FridayNight / Sunday4pm long snake where you're waiting to be checked is mitigated. The slow speed through the chain control section itself will only add 20-30minutes and not that bad if you don't need to chain up yourself.

It is a tossup between the tree protected but singlelane 50; versus multilane but truckroute 80. Which is more subject to full holds and closure?
Here again, I think the weekday daytime travel will mitigate the probability of closure.
Caltrans just seems to be able to work the roads/snow more in daylight hours and slightly warmer temp. Full closures or holds seem to happen more in the evening or over night ; but that may just be my experience as a night driver. You can always check and predict a bit better with the daytime commute before you go; where the conditions seem to be more prone to a quick change at night.

 

[4ster]

Another plus for Sierra is that they rarely have windhold. The place is pretty protected below tree line which also helps visibility on storm days.
In a big snow year there is tons of interesting terrain between the runs, in the trees, creek beds & out the gates. In a meager snow year, kind of an intermediate area but still fun.

This video from last March brought back some good memories for me...

 

[Philpug]

Think about the drive: 80 vs 50, clear and stormy conditions. Traffic....

I think about you people who drive either of these roads every weekend..... Power to you.