If you’re the type of skier or snowboarder who could spend the entire day cruising rails or hopping funboxes, Boreal Mountain Resort has your name written all over it. The fun and friendly resort is the
Lake Tahoe region’s first and only all-mountain terrain park, offering more than 100 challenging features that have been expertly designed by the region’s top park builders. Boreal is also well known for its 450-foot superpipe, cut daily by the resident pipe master with a Zaugg pipe cutter and conveniently located off the high-speed quad lift. The devious terrain park features a host of rails and funboxes in addition to jumps that range from small to enormous. And best of all, the mountain offers night riding through March.
For the 2009-2010 season, Boreal has kicked it up a notch. The resort spent millions on new equipment, including an automated snowmaking system that is not only far more efficient but pretty darn eco-friendly too. Then there’s the Castle Peak Quad Chair, a zippy new lift that zooms riders out of the base area to more early season and beginner terrain.
Boreal Mountain Resort features 500 feet of vertical rise from its base elevation of 7,200 feet. Boreal’s 380 acres of skiable terrain are crisscrossed by 41 runs, which are serviced by three quad lifts, three triple chairs, one double chair, two moving carpets and a separate moving carpet that services the tube park. With three quarters of its runs designated for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders, Boreal Mountain Resort is a great starter slope. The mountain also offers lanes for good old-fashioned sledding. Boreal has an average snowfall of 400 inches, but the efficient new snowmaking machines will keep the terrain in tiptop condition, no matter what the weather’s doing. Limited lodging is available on the mountain. Amenities at Boreal include a bar/lounge, cafeteria and snack bar and a ski shop. Ski and snowboard lessons are available for both kids and adults, and the mountain also offers a Kids Club.
Boreal is located on Interstate 80, about 45 miles west of Reno and 80 miles east of Sacramento. It’s typically among the first of the area resorts to open every season.