We have been surfing and swimming at Stinson and Bolinas, but the mood is shifting. It is finally that time of year. Everyone is gearing up for the Tahoe ski resorts to open once again.

The big name resorts in Tahoe such as: Northstar, Squaw/Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood and Heavenly will be ready to ski starting in mid-November. Those who can’t boast their surfing skills around school now have a chance to show off their ability by shredding the slopes on skis or a snowboard.

In a poll of 50 people, conducted inside of my tutorial class, the ski resort in Tahoe that received the most votes for best ski resort was Squaw/Alpine Meadows. They received 26 out of the 50 votes. Following Squaw/Alpine, Northstar came in second place, receiving 8 votes. In third place, heavenly received 6 votes for top ski destinations. The rest of the votes were spread among: Sugar Bowl, Boreal Heavenly and Homewood.

Squaw and Alpine have a shuttle that takes people from one of the mountains to the other. This is very beneficial for any skier or snowboarder who wants a myriad of slopes and different styles of runs.

Squaw Valley was the home of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games and is one of the largest ski resorts in the United States, the second largest resort after Heavenly.

The 43 lifts that lead to more than 270 trials is what attracts approximately 600,000 people per year, many of them being families from our school.

Although the majority of people prefer Squaw, it does not necessarily mean it is the best. There are 22,000 acres of skiable land, along with nine world-class ski resorts. Other amazing ski resorts include Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, Homewood and North Star.

If you are looking for a great experience for slightly less money than Squaw and Alpine, consider places like Sugar Bowl and Homewood. There were a few students in the poll I took that said they love Sugar Bowl and Homewood because they are not as crowded as a lot of other resorts and it is almost as large as Squaw and Alpine for a lot less money.