Located in a remote corner of the Sierra Nevada just south of Tahoe and about three and a half hours east of San Jose, Bear Valley Mountain Resort sits at the end of a mountain pass on scenic Highway 4, which was originally extended into the Sierra just to reach this ski resort. Bear Valley boasts uncrowded slopes, short lift lines, and a down-home feel (read: no Starbucks here, yet). The snow is typically plentiful; an average of 30 feet falls annually. This ski resort boasts Tahoe-style powder because of its close proximity—the peak of Kirkwood can be seen from the top of the Bear Chair at 8,495 feet.

This resort's split personality on the mountain itself delivers a family experience on the top half of the mountain and expert, black diamond terrain on the lower half. The conveniently located mid-mountain Day Lodge splits the difference.

Newbies can pile straight out into Bunny Basin to hone their shredding skills, while experts can point straight down into a labyrinth of black and double black diamond runs. Even intermediate skiers and boarders get a piece of the action at Bear Valley, with a variety of short but sweet runs off the Koala Lift and Polar Express chair.

Snow Valley and Grizzly Bear bowls' trail monikers—Hari Kari, The Slot, Parasite Pitch, Vortex, and Flying Serpent—paint the picture here for the advanced terrain, which includes chutes, bowls, and tree skiing. Powderhounds will be happy to know that all of these runs remain ungroomed due to a prevalence of cliff bands and the difficulty of getting equipment into such steep conditions.

While this ski resort positions itself as a family mountain, its real

Located in a remote corner of the Sierra Nevada just south of Tahoe and about three and a half hours east of San Jose, Bear Valley Mountain Resort sits at the end of a mountain pass on scenic Highway 4, which was originally extended into the Sierra just to reach this ski resort. Bear Valley boasts uncrowded slopes, short lift lines, and a down-home feel (read: no Starbucks here, yet). The snow is typically plentiful; an average of 30 feet falls annually. This ski resort boasts Tahoe-style powder because of its close proximity—the peak of Kirkwood can be seen from the top of the Bear Chair at 8,495 feet.

This resort's split personality on the mountain itself delivers a family experience on the top half of the mountain and expert, black diamond terrain on the lower half. The conveniently located mid-mountain Day Lodge splits the difference.

Newbies can pile straight out into Bunny Basin to hone their shredding skills, while experts can point straight down into a labyrinth of black and double black diamond runs. Even intermediate skiers and boarders get a piece of the action at Bear Valley, with a variety of short but sweet runs off the Koala Lift and Polar Express chair.

Snow Valley and Grizzly Bear bowls' trail monikers—Hari Kari, The Slot, Parasite Pitch, Vortex, and Flying Serpent—paint the picture here for the advanced terrain, which includes chutes, bowls, and tree skiing. Powderhounds will be happy to know that all of these runs remain ungroomed due to a prevalence of cliff bands and the difficulty of getting equipment into such steep conditions.

While this ski resort positions itself as a family mountain, its real panache lies in the expert, ungroomed terrain. Bear Valley's dual personality makes it a unique place to hit the slopes with kids in tow; they can shred the lower half of the peak while you test your quads in the expert chutes. It's also great for a day or two of shamelessly self-indulgent exploration of your own skiing abilities sans the crowds that can choke other resorts in the Tahoe region.