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Weather and temperatures

Despite being in California, Tahoe region has real winters, so expect to see snow on the ground in February. Please bring appropriate clothing and shoes. The days will start cold, but will usually get much warmer by mid-day, usually allowing to sit outside comfortably for a nice lunch. If you want to use Granlibakken's sauna and hot tub, don't forget to bring a swimsuit.

Lunch options

If you are staying around Granlibakken, or are not skiing and willing to drive, here are some options:

Rusty’s, the snack shack at the Granlibakken ski hill, should have basic lunch options on Monday, but will be closed on Tue and Wed.
Tahoe House Bakery is about 15 minute walk (one way) from Granlibakken, gets good reviews from the staff, and has sandwiches, salads, and soups.
Father along the West Shore Fire Sign Café (sandwiches and burgers) and Sunnyside Restaurant (more upscale, but iconic) are also recommended (it is best to drive there as it is about a 40-minute walk).
Tahoe City has a number of restaurants, some are right on the water, so if the weather is good, you can have lunch with a view.
Farther afield (25 min by car) is Truckee, which has a more upscale dining vibe. We recommend Moody’s for nice food and country hotel atmosphere and 1882 Bar and Restaurant for barbecue meats and nice tables by the Truckee river. The main downtown street, which is right nearby, also has a number of restaurants with many open for lunch.

If you are skiing at Palisades Tahoe, there are some options:

Olympic Valley base:
- There is a full-size cafeteria up at the top at the Gold Coast lodge, serving typical US ski hill food choices. It is corporate and soul-less, but the view cannot be beat.
- For quick lunch at the base we recommend Wildflour Bakery on the bottom lever of the Olympic House at the Olympic Valley base. They have sandwiches, soups, chilis, and a variety of baked goods. This is often the local’s choice. Pro tips: get your sandwich on a bagel, it is a lot more filling; if pizza bagel is your thing, they are a favorite of the local ski racers; Their chocolate chip cookies are legendary and well worth trying.
- There is a number of sit-down restaurants at the base village, the options include a Mexican place (Tremigo’s), a burger place, Rocker , and a Fireside Pizza restaurant. Auld Dubliner is technically a pub but has full kitchen and serves good food.
- Le Chamois is the closest you get to an apre-ski bar at Palisades Tahoe. Food there is hit-or-miss.
- Coffee Bar in the village is an excellent coffee shop and offers some lunch options as well.
Alpine Meadows base.
- There is a resort cafeteria right at the base lodge.
- Mid-mountain, and accessible only on skis is Chalet, which is an American version of an Alpine bistro. If you are used to European on-mountain food, you may be disappointed, but it does serve a variety of sausages, pretzels, and similar food that is different from the usual burger and chili ski hill fare.

If you are skiing at Northstar California, there are plenty of sit-down options at the base village.

There is a cafeteria at a Zephir Lodge up top and another cafeteria at a lodge mid-mountain (at the top of the gondola).
Mid-mountain Ritz-Carleton resort has a surprisingly decent but pricey lunch menu.

Brief guide to winter recreation during the conference

Lay of the land:

North Tahoe is home to a variety of ski resorts that cover all levels and abilities. Granlibakken has its own small ski lift right by the resort, which is suitable mostly for beginners. The conference participants get 50% off the lift tickets and rentals, which makes it a convenient and affordable place to try the sport. If you are an intermediate or advanced skier or are interested in getting some awesome mountain views, you will want to look elsewhere. Note: Granlibakken resort hill may only be open on Monday, but not on Tue or Wed. If you plan to ski there, we suggest that you call the front desk to confirm.

There are two major ski resorts a short distance from Granlibakken (you will need to bring a rental car or get a ride from someone at the conference to get there).

Palisades Tahoe, the largest resort in the region is a 15 min drive from Granlibakken. It contains two base areas: Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows (connected by a new gondola) and is on the IKON pass network. Both cover a wide variety of terrain choices mostly above the treeline; Olympic Valley is legendary for advanced and expert skiing; Alpine Meadows contains more intermediate terrain. Notably, the beginner area on the Olympic Valley is on top of the mountain, so you get great views.

Northstar California is about 30 minutes from Granlibakken and is on the EPIC pass network. It also contains a large variety of terrain there, but the terrain there tends to be more forested and more mellow than at Palisades.

Both resorts have developed bases with a variety of restaurants. Food on top of the mountain is limited to resort-run cafeteria that serve decent but expensive food. Note: If at Palisades Tahoe, make sure to try chocolate chip cookies at the Wildflour Bakery on the bottom floor of Olympic House at the base of Olympic Valley base; those cookies are responsible for nurturing several generations of US ski team athletes.

Smaller resorts in the region include Homewood 10 minutes away and Diamond Peak (30-40 min away). Both of these resorts are very close to the shoreline and have killer views of Lake Tahoe but also have more limited terrain choices and a more antiquated lift system. Sugar Bowl, Heavenly, and Mt. Rose are also very good ski resorts, but are at least 1 hour away, so we recommend considering them only if you are staying extra days before or after the conference.

Lift tickets. Unfortunately, US ski resorts have been skewing towards a business model that prioritizes season passes over day tickets, making day tickets quite expensive. We recommend looking at the resorts’ websites for advanced ticket purchase options that are a bit cheaper. We will email everyone a link for discount ticket purchase for Palisades Tahoe. We also have a limited number of discount coupons (which may or may not offer a better deal), please email us for those. (Note: each code is good for one transaction that can contain multiple orders. If you have an EPIC or an IKON pass, you should be all, set but check for blackout dates.

Equipment and weather. There are plenty of places to rent gear of all levels around North Tahoe. We recommend using either Granlibakken’s rental shop (for beginners) or Tahoe Dave’s in Tahoe City. All resorts also rent skis and boots.

If you want to bring your own gear, here are some recommendations. Tahoe snow tends to be heavy, so people gravitate towards wider skis. It is not unusual to ski 85-100 mm underfoot skis as an all-mountain choice and race carving skis are not as widely available for rent as in Europe. The weather tends to be warm with temperatures getting way above freezing, especially after midday on a sunny day, so dress appropriately and do not forget to use sunblock.

Unlike Europe, US resorts have a fully patrolled in-bounds terrain, so even if you are skiing off-piste, you are normally not required to carry avalanche safety gear (although inbound avalanches can still occur despite all the control measures). The flipside to that is that there is a closed boundary policy, and you can't duck under the ropes to ski that nice-looking powder patch (you will get fined and will lose your pass). Another difference with Europe is that American skiers have an inexplicably lackadaisical attitude towards the chairlift safety bar and often don’t bother putting it down, so please do everyone a favor and alert people on the chair before slamming down the bar.

Ski boots. Tahoe is a great place to buy ski boots if you need a new pair or if your current one bothers you and you want to fix that. Most of the shops have facilities for professional ski boot fitting, and many are famous for their boot work. Our top recommendation is StartHaus in Truckee; this race-oriented shop has experienced bootfitters and the best-in-region range of specialized equipment to grind and stretch your boot shell to make it fit better. You do need to make reservations in advance for any bootfitting work, so call ahead or book on the website.

Cross country skiing and snowshoeing: there should be some trails starting right at Granlibakken. Tahoe XC cross-country ski area is also nearby (10-11 min drive) and should have rentals (both cross-country skis and boots and snowshoes) and a wide variety of prepared trails with some having views of the lake. Granlibakken, Alpenglow Sports, and Tahoe Dave’s in Tahoe City also rent snowshoes.