Tahoe Resort Courts Snowboarders

Burton, a snowboard equipment company, is opening a unique type of tree run that's slated to open December 15 at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, CA. Called The Stash, it's the first resort run of its kind, somewhere in between a terrain park and a backcountry trail, and adds a new dimension to snowboarding. A snowboarder on the halfpipe at the newly upgraded Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, CA

Developed by Jake Burton and Burton team riders, with help from Snow Park Technologies and the Northstar Resort terrain park crew, The Stash lets riders develop their all-mountain freestyle skills in a natural environment that features glades, jibs and gaps (areas to perform ski and snowboard tricks), pillow lines for powder skiing, and transitions and road jumps constructed with wood logs and other materials native to the Lake Tahoe region. Artist Bob King used chainsaws to carve jibbable wood signs that lead riders to The Stash. Additional highlights include natural rail slides built from huge logs and the CK Cabin (named for snowboarder Craig Kelly), a small hut that riders can jib or gap. New for this season, Northstar Resort will introduce a six-pack express chairlift, the Tahoe Zephyr, that will allow riders to get from mid-mountain to the summit in just five minutes so they can hit The Stash over and over.

In addition to snowboarding, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort offers plenty for clients interested in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing, with 2,280 feet of vertical and an average annual snowfall of 350 inches. It has 16 lifts, including an express gondola, servicing 79 trails spread across 2,480 acres; five world-class terrain parks (rated number four for best parks in TransWorld Snowboard-ing's 2007 Resort Guide); and two half-pipes. For expert skiers and riders, recommend the 230 acres of backcountry terrain on Sawtooth Ridge and the 200 acres on Lookout Mountain.

Resort amenities include on-site banquet facilities and event planners, a state-of-the-art Snowell tuning facility for skis and snowboards, free overnight ski check, an arcade, the Apex Bungee, offering bungee trampoline rides, and the largest snowmaking system of any resort in North Lake Tahoe, covering more than 50 percent of Northstar Resort's 79 trails.

Getting There

Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is located on Highway 267, just six miles north of Lake Tahoe and six miles south of downtown Truckee. Via Interstate 80, Reno is 40 miles to the east, Sacramento is 96 miles to the west and San Francisco is 196 miles, also to the west.

Clients can fly into the Reno/Tahoe International Airport (45 minutes away), the Sacramento Airport (an hour and 45 minutes away), the San Francisco Airport (three hours away), or the Oakland Airport (three hours away). There is also a new daily Reno/Tahoe International Airport shuttle servicing Northstar Resort and the North Lake Tahoe area. For information, visit www.northlaketahoeexpress.com.

Phase one of the Village at Northstar is nearing completion, featuring shopping, dining, 90 new condominiums, a 9,000-square-foot ice rink and the Village Plaza, which will have live music, special events, family festivals and a collection of fire pits where family and friends can sip hot chocolate and roast s'mores. Phase two will gear up this winter, bringing in a fresh batch of luxurious condos, shops and restaurants.

There are more than 230 on-site lodging units for rent (with a pillow count of 5,500), bookable through Northstar Central Reservations, 800-GO-NORTH. Accommodations range from condos to hotel-style units to spacious mountain homes, with some slopeside rentals available. All units are within minutes of the chairlifts and are serviced by a free onsite shuttle system. All Northstar Resort lodging guests receive complimentary access to the property's Rec-reation Center, which has a lap pool, spas, a game room, a sauna and a health club.

Book early for the resort's two high profile events in the spring: the Vans Tahoe Cup, March 2-4, and the USASA National Championships, April 1-5.

For a special add-on for South Shore lodging guests, recommend the world's only aqua ski shuttle. A new package includes bus transportation in the morning from South Shore lodging properties to Northstar Resort, for a full day of skiing or riding. Afterwards, clients will board the Tahoe Queen paddlewheeler for an après ski party on the lake, complete with live music, cocktails, appetizers and views of the Sierra on their ride back to South Shore. The shuttle will be available every Tuesday and Thursday, January through March. Call Lake Tahoe Cruises at 800-238-2463.

East West Partners and the Crescent Real Estate Equities Company broke ground on The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe this past summer. This $300 million resort will be Lake Tahoe's first five-star luxury hotel and will include 173 rooms, a world-class spa, several pools and onsite meeting and event space. A new gondola will connect these amenities to the Village at Northstar's condo residences, shops, restaurants and ice rink. The property will be located mid-mountain at The Highlands, a new on-mountain residential resort community at Northstar. The project is scheduled for completion by late 2009.

Essential Links

General information and lodging reservations: 800-GO-NORTH (466-6784)

24-hour snow phone: (530) 562-1330

Web sites: www.northstarattahoe.com www.thestash.com www.transworldsnowboarding.com www.burton.com