Bear Valley

The praise is for calm and for learning conditions: there are no lift lines even on peak weekends when the Tahoe resorts are gridlocked, the beginner area is rated among the better ones in California, and there is enough intermediate terrain to fill a day. Two high-speed chairs are described as a real advantage over neighbouring Dodge Ridge. The feel is family-oriented and unpolished, and staff come across as relaxed and welcoming.

Facilities and value draw criticism. A share of guests consider the ticket steep for a resort of this calibre, and call the buildings, restrooms above all, badly run down; management and staff training attract complaints too. The expert terrain sits low on the mountain, so in lean snow years it simply never opens. There is no apres-ski or dining scene to speak of - for that, people still drive to South Lake Tahoe.