I’ve made some interesting observations about families I’ve encountered visiting Tahoe this January. Most notable has been what these families are doing while they’re here. We all just assume that everyone visiting Tahoe in the winter is here to ski. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Of course, skiing is the big draw for most visitors this time of year, but lately I’ve been hearing that the overwhelming reason for these visitors to be here is “to get away from their daily lives and do things they cannot do at home.” I just talked to a family yesterday who has been up here since last Saturday and none of them ski. However, they’ve been “enjoying the mountains” and doing activities which they don’t do at home:
• Just relaxing and spending time together with their kids
• Hiking or snowshoeing
• Driving around Lake Tahoe and poking around the shops and restaurants on Lake Tahoe
• Gambling at Stateline
• Spa day at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
• Lunch at the top of Northstar at Schaffer’s Camp
• Warren Miller movie showings at Tree House
• S’mores around the campfire at Tree House
• Ice skating in The Village at Northstar
I skied last Saturday with my son and had a great time. He was smiling ear-to-ear. It was sunny and beautiful out. In addition to skiing for four hours that day, we had lunch on the deck at Schaffer’s Camp, took a walk by the Truckee River with our dog, and then road bikes in the afternoon on the Legacy Trail. Not a bad day to be an Overall kid. My point is that for those hesitating on whether to come up to Tahoe or not, know that the skiing is still good, the weather is beautiful, and there’s plenty to do.
