Alpine Meadows has somewhat of a cult local reputation amongst the Tahoe resorts, and that's no bad thing since it gears itself up for serious skiers and boarders.

The front side of the mountain is pitched at your regular skiing crowd, whereas the backside has an 'off the beaten track' feel about it since it's a bit tricky to get to and some walking is involved (yes skiers ... you need to take those planks off for once). Heading up Alpine Bowl Chair, you can then hike up to the Upper Saddle. Upon reaching the top, you have a great view down into the Sherwood Bowls, which on occasions will be largely untouched! Great little feature.

Alpine has lots of terrain for the advanced ski-meister. We had a great time traversing along to the Wolverine Bowl and then just pointing the board downhill, maximum acceleration until you reach the base of the bowl (only just managing to hold your nerve), and then jumping off the drifted lips for a spectacular finish ... awesome!

One other small feature worthy of note is Hot Wheels Gully which is a snow filled river run. Always good for a giggle. I lost count how many times we snaked down it ... greaattt!