As the ski season starts to wind down on the East Coast, I often find myself daydreaming about how or where I might scheme in just one more snow day. When I learned last month that the Heavenly Resort in South Lake Tahoe extended its season until May 4th due to record snowfall in January, I planned a trip out west immediately. The gigantic mountain resort, which typically shuts down in late April, is extending its season with some enticing deals.

The thing is, I’d skied Heavenly two years ago, and couldn’t help but be curious about some of the other mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, like Kirkwood or Northstar. I’d also had my heart set on checking out the peaks at Squaw Valley, a mountain with which skiers and riders in San Francisco seem to have a love/hate relationship.

I did spend a day at Heavenly –- it was a quick dalliance, really, the equivalent of a lunch date.  The views the views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada from the Summit, the well-groomed trails, and the Spring conditions, replete with bluebird skies, were absolutely breathtaking. But with the infamous Squaw Valley, I think fell in love.  I even spent the night.

Getting There
It’s easy to get to Squaw Valley to ski or ride: it’s just 42 miles from Reno, NV, 96 miles from Sacramento, and 196 miles from San Francisco via all-weather Interstate 80. The valley is 8 miles south from one of the coolest little towns in America, Truckee, CA. Heavenly Resort is an hour and 15-minutes from Reno on all-weather access Highway 50.

The Mountain
In a word, the mountain is “sick,” as described by a blog called feedthehabit.com. Instead of trails, Squaw Valley’s terrain is mostly wide open bowls, and you navigate the mountain by its 26 lifts. The lift tickets are pricy - $73 for a full day – but there are discounts if you buy tickets for consecutive days. If you join the Frequent Skier and Snowboarder Club for $10, and every fifth day is free, providing an excellent reason to call in “sick” to the office.

Squaw has everything you’ll want for an awe-inspiring ski getaway – tons of snow, sunshine, and miles of groomed runs for every level of skier or rider. Unlike other mountains, which offer lessons two or three times a day, Squaw offers lessons every hour on the hour. The experts keep coming back for the legendary KT-22 lift, a high-speed quad that whisks you to “arguably the best terrain in the universe accessible by chairlift,” according to a blog called unofficialsquaw.com.

Where to Stay
I stayed at Squaw Valley's newest property, The Village at Squaw Valley, which featured every amenity you’ll need for a ski vacation, including complimentary heated underground parking and free high-speed Internet access. Located at the base of the Squaw Valley slopes, The Village was convenient to 30 shops, restaurants, and bars. My comfortable two-bedroom condo, Room 512, could have easily slept six. The private balcony and a gas fireplace were nice to have, but the heated slate floors in the kitchen and bathroom were exceptional.

Like most ski resort condos, the Village is designed for big families—it offers amenities such as a billiards lounge, movie/media room, laundry facilities, and a kid's game room. On a Saturday night around 9:30PM, I decided that I needed to soak my beat-up muscles in one of the whirlpool spas (the Village has 8 total). Sinking into the smaller of the two spas in my building, through the steam and haze, I saw a couple canoodling in the main spa. They were interrupted by a handful of ‘tweens who paraded into the tub, jumping cannonball style and shoveling snow into the scalding water to cool it down.

Where to Eat
Everything tends to tastes great when you’re spending a day skiing or snowboarding.  At Squaw Valley, I went above and beyond chowder in a bread bowl. When I asked Joel Baty, my snowboard instructor and a 14-year Squaw Valley native, where I should go for lunch, he pointed me to Sierra Sunrise Biscuit Company in the base at the Cable Car Lobby for sandwiches or Fireside Pizza Co. for a pizza with sourdough crust. I was craving a serious glass of wine, so I saddled up at the bar at Plumpjack Café, an off-shoot of the San Francisco restaurant. A superb Antipasti plate loaded with grilled vegetables, salumi, buffalo mozzarella, briny olives, lavosh, and an irresistible ramekin of spices nuts was a surprisingly affordable at $10. 

I washed it down with an unusual glass of white wine from the Savoie region.  I might have stayed and chatted with the bartenders or couple seated next to me for the rest of the afternoon, but there was more of the mountain to explore.  

A lively après-ski scene can be found at Le Chamois, a.k.a. the Shammy, at the base of the slopes, where the bar spills out onto the outdoor deck. On my visit, the outdoor bar was crowded with “Squallywood” scenesters inhaling slices of pizza and washing it down with pitchers of beer; I didn’t see the chairs made out of old skis or the fire pit until I got a bird’s-eye view from the upstairs Loft Bar.  

An in-town dinner at Moody’s Bistro & Lounge in Truckee, 20 minutes away from Squaw, is a must. This informal restaurant offered a sizeable array of new American dishes and a superb wine list. If I hadn’t inhaled that slice of pizza at après-ski, I would certainly have tried “Moody’s Big Ass Pork Platter,” featuring loin, coppa, check, trotter, polenta and apple slaw. Don’t worry, dear vegetarians, there are loads of seasonal vegetable choices on the menu.

Shopping
40 shops at Squaw make sure that you’re properly outfitted from the minute you hit the slopes until the minute you hit the sack. PlumpJack Sport features brands like Solomon, Orage, Pucci by Rossignol for skiers and riders as well as Free People, Ben Sherman and Nicole Miller for off when the slopes.

Edin Boutique will properly outfit you for a night on the town at Squaw. It features brands like Rock and Republics and True Religions, and tons of cute accessories.

Lather & Fizz offers handmade bath and body products, so that you can properly groom your aching body before you hit the slopes the next day. Lather & Fizz even insures that you sleep in style – they carry the famed Bedhead pajamas, a personal favorite of Oprah’s.

The Bottom Line
Love it or hate it, it’s impossible to be indifferent about Squaw Valley. Many locals aren’t crazy about some of the folks who flock to Squaw (too many type-A Silicon Valley technology types) or the prices ($1,800 for a season pass; $1,400 if purchased before July 15), but just about everyone seems to agree that nothing beats the expansive bowls (legendary). Whether you’re looking for good pitch and powders stashes, good-looking people, or a good meal, Squaw’s got it covered.