Boreal Ski Resort Review

Boreal Ski Resort, or Boreal Mountain Resort, is in Soda Springs near Lake Tahoe, in California. The resort has 41 runs covering 480 acres and serviced by 7 lifts. The lifts consist of 2 quads, 3 triple, 1 double and 1 moving carpet. The longest run is 1 mile and the total vertical drop is 500 feet.

The runs at Boreal are 30% beginner, 55% intermediate and 15% advanced. Their snow making coverage is about 80%. They are one of the only resorts in the area to offer night skiing and boarding. The terrain parks are also open at night including a fully lit half-pipe. The ski runs are mostly blues and greens making it a fun family resort, but there is not much here for the expert skiers. It's also a very small resort, compared to others in the area. But again, it's great family fun.

Boreal Ski Resort has never been a big hit with avid skiers. It's relatively small and had the nickname of "Boringhill" for some time. It's finally loosing the name thanks to it's commitment for excellent terrain parks. Hosting the US Snowboarding Grand Prix in 2009 has helped the resort with a new image.

The only all mountain terrain park in Northern California is new at Boreal Mountain Resort. In the various terrain parks you will find more than 100 rails, jumps and funboxes. Choose your boarding fun from the Mini-Shred, Core Park, Jibassic Park and Shred Park.

A very cool and detailed map of all the runs Boreal Mountain Ski Resort.
Thanks to niczak for the picture at flickr.com

The Mini-Shred has a 15' rainbow box, 3 mini table tops, a ride on flat box, a mini flat rail, a 20' flat box and a mini pipe. Jibassic Park has a D-F-D staircase, a step down W. pole jam, a log jam, a vertical log jam and a log gap. Core Park and Shred Park are packed full of everything a boarder would want and a lot more.

For a little family fun try the tubing park at Boreal. It's located at the far end of the parking lot and features the new moving carpet. The lanes are groomed and guarantee fun for the entire family.

Boreal Ski Resort is owned by Powdr. Corporation who own another 6 resorts. They have recently made a commitment to going green by offsetting 100% of the grid supplied electricity used by all of it's resorts by purchasing renewable energy credits. Another green move was upgrading all their lighting fixtures to energy efficient lights. This move reduced their carbon footprint by over 40 tons a year.

Boreal Ridge from the primary lodge's main dining area.
Thanks to wikipedia.org for the picture.

Boreal Ski Resort has lodging available at the Boreal Inn, just a quarter mile from the slopes. More lodging is found three miles away at Soda Springs. The resort opens each year in mid November and closes in mid April. Their daily hours are 9 to 9. You will find the usual services including ski and snowboarding lessons, a kids club, a cafeteria, a bar and lounge, a snack shop, a sundry shop and a ski shop.

To get to Boreal Ski Resort you need to take the Boreal/Castle Peak exit off I-80, just three miles west of Donner Lake. If you are in Reno it's 45 miles away, 175 miles from San Francisco and 90 miles from Sacramento. They can be reached at 530-426-3666.

Boreal Ski Resort Map & Directions (click on "Marker" for your personalized directions)

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