Look at the trail map, and it might seem as though there is relatively little beginner terrain. But trust me—most of the intermediate runs at Northstar ski more like novice runs, and most of the advanced runs ski like intermediate runs. I've heard north-shore locals deride Northstar, calling it "Flatstar" because of its absence of steeps. But hey—if steeps are your thing, you should be skiing Alpine or Squaw.

On snowy, windy days, Northstar can also be a great place for skiers of any ability to retreat. When avalanche danger or lack of visibility make skiing at more exposed areas a dicey proposition, the skiing at Northstar just keeps on keeping on. Experts might find the gentle pitch ho-hum, but it's better than flying blind through an avalanche-prone whiteout. And experts have a good patch of snow to play around in also: 240 acres of backcountry the resort added to include deep powder fields, tree skiing and riding, and expert steeps on Sawtooth Ridge. In recent years, they've spent $2.5 million upgrading the snowmaking system to cover 50 percent of the mountain and expanded the base lodge with new condos, shopping, and cafes.

Where: About 200 miles southeast of San Francisco on Interstate 80 and 40 miles west from Reno on Interstate 80.

What's There: Interested in learning a new snow sport? Northstar is the land of so-called "snowtoys"—snowbikes, snowscoots, and something called snowfoxes. Frankly, snowbiking looks treacherous to me, but maybe that's because I haven't tried it yet. Oh yes—Northstar offers skiing and snowboarding instruction, too.

Northstar for families is

Look at the trail map, and it might seem as though there is relatively little beginner terrain. But trust me—most of the intermediate runs at Northstar ski more like novice runs, and most of the advanced runs ski like intermediate runs. I've heard north-shore locals deride Northstar, calling it "Flatstar" because of its absence of steeps. But hey—if steeps are your thing, you should be skiing Alpine or Squaw.

On snowy, windy days, Northstar can also be a great place for skiers of any ability to retreat. When avalanche danger or lack of visibility make skiing at more exposed areas a dicey proposition, the skiing at Northstar just keeps on keeping on. Experts might find the gentle pitch ho-hum, but it's better than flying blind through an avalanche-prone whiteout. And experts have a good patch of snow to play around in also: 240 acres of backcountry the resort added to include deep powder fields, tree skiing and riding, and expert steeps on Sawtooth Ridge. In recent years, they've spent $2.5 million upgrading the snowmaking system to cover 50 percent of the mountain and expanded the base lodge with new condos, shopping, and cafes.

Where: About 200 miles southeast of San Francisco on Interstate 80 and 40 miles west from Reno on Interstate 80.

What's There: Interested in learning a new snow sport? Northstar is the land of so-called "snowtoys"—snowbikes, snowscoots, and something called snowfoxes. Frankly, snowbiking looks treacherous to me, but maybe that's because I haven't tried it yet. Oh yes—Northstar offers skiing and snowboarding instruction, too.

Northstar for families is essentially a redundancy. This is certainly the best resort in the Tahoe area for families with young children. If for some reason the kids don't take to skiing or snowboarding, Northstar is also big on tubing.