The Family Ski Guide to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe in Nevada

Lake Tahoe boasts over a dozen ski resorts within an hour’s drive. The Sierra Nevada mountain range of California and Nevada offers a lot of terrain and a lot of snow. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is an under-the-radar resort for most first-time visitors to Lake Tahoe. After skiing in the Lake Tahoe area for over 20 years, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe Resort remains a personal favorite, especially for families. Here is what works at Mt Rose for kids.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe

Thanks to its 8,260 base elevation, Mt. Rose is usually the first ski resort to open every year.  As the highest base in Lake Tahoe, the resort opens in early November and stays open until April.

With two lodge areas, Mt. Rose doesn’t bottleneck like some Lake Tahoe resorts. The green skiing popular with families and beginners can’t beat Mt. Rose.

What I like about Mt. Rose

• Two lodges with separate parking areas

• No Shuttles or Gondolas to and from the parking lots

• Lots of lesson and package deals

What I want from Mt. Rose

• More dining options inside

• More seating and firepit areas outside

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Mt Rose Ski Tahoe Lodges 

Main Lodge Area

This is where guests will find the rentals and lesson check-in at Mt. Rose. It also features a large deck out back facing the runs, along with a cafeteria, coffee shop, bar, and retail shop.

All the green and beginner skiing and boarding are located in this area. Find the Wildhorse Adventure area with glade green skiing. Additionally find the Northwest Passage, Lakeview, Galena, Wizard lifts and Magic surface lift.

It’s serviced by a large parking area with an overflow area. The parking lot is convenient and doesn’t require a shuttle.

Winters Creek Lodge

This lodge is serviced by a separate entrance located a couple of miles down Hwy. 431 (Mt Rose Highway). The Winters Creek Lodge features more advanced skiing and boarding, like double-black diamond runs. This is also the area to get access to The Slide Bowl and The Chutes, an expert-only area.

The Blazing Zephyr lift and The Chuter lift both originate at the Winters Creek Lodge. Also, find a separate parking area. Additionally, this area can be accessed by Northwest Passage lift without driving from the Main Lodge area.

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Mt. Rose Family Skiing

My only complain about the Lake Tahoe skiing is the limited amount of green runs for families. So many resorts forget about the family skiers and the carful of kids we bring to ski.

I get it; we aren’t glamorous with our endless needs. We are slow and clog up the lift lines. Sometimes our kids are whiny.

I’ve skied some big-name resorts that offer a couple of green runs for families. Or worse, the one long green run that’s required. Some resorts tack a slow zone (green run) where several blue or black runs converge. It is not the best environment for kids learning to ski and the parents that follow them.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe Green Runs

Mt. Rose offers a lot of green runs for kids. In fact, Mt. Rose offers two green skiing areas, not a green run that doubles as a slow zone. Each area is serviced by a lift.

The Wizard Lift

Mt. Rose moved their old Ponderosa Lift and renamed it the Wizard Lift. Then, it took a single run named the Enchanted Forest and expanded it into a whole area, especially for families and beginners.

The Enchanted Forest offers green runs in a separate area that’s not tacked on to the bottom of a blue or black run. The Wizard is not a pass-thru lift to more advanced skiing. It’s the gateway to the magical Enchanted Forest that’s perfect for kids and the parents who ski with them.

You have the option of skiing down runs like Magic Potion, Dragon’s Tail or Spellbound. Even on the busiest holidays, you feel alone in the world discovering an enchanted land that might be harboring a woodland sprite or, dare we say, Harry?

Galena Lift

After the kids master the Enchanted Forest area, they move up the mountain for longer green runs. Take the Wizard Lift and head left to ski to the Galena Lift.

Take the long green run, Galena, to ski back to the lodge. Or verve off and find more green runs, like Mustang, Bronco and North Rim. All of them return to the Galena Lift so the kids can ski or board all day long without skiing the same run. The scenery is lovely with lots of tree coverage.

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Mt Rose Blue Runs

For skiers and boarders who are ready to tackle blue runs, the Lakeview Express offers a few. From its terminus, the Bunker to the Lonetree to the Ponderosa offers blue skiing and boarding back to the main lodge. Ramsey’s and Kit Carson Bowl also meet up with the Ponderosa, though kids need to make sure and follow the signs for the blues and not get on a black instead.

Mt Rose Ski Tahoe Terrain Parks

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe offers two terrain parks. Since terrain parks require more snow and maintenance find them later in the season. Terrain parks will be closed after heavy snowstorms for maintenance.

• Galena Terrain Garden
• DoulbeDown Terrain Park

As a Mom, be sure and check out the terrain park signs to see if your kids are in the right terrain park. Most resorts install several terrain parks with differing levels of difficulty.

Stay SMART–Start small, Make a plan, Always look around, Respect others and the park and Take it easy.

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Mt. Rose–Getting Kids on the Snow

Don’t try and teach your kids to ski or snowboard unless there’s an Olympic Medal hanging on your wall. All the mountain meltdowns I’ve seen start with DIY ski lessons. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe specializes in getting kids on the snow and loving it with lesson packages.

The Mt. Rose Rosebuds program is for skiers from ages 4 to 12 and snowboarders from ages 7 to 12. The instructor-to-student ratio is 3-to-1 or 4-to-1, depending on the skill level. Get a two-and-half-hour session, rental equipment with a helmet and an all-day beginner lift ticket and rates start at $199 per person. Full-day lesson packages start at $359. Reservations are required.

Private lessons include a three-hour lesson at your level. Prices are for instruction only and don’t include equipment or lift tickets. Rates start at $375 and are available for people 4 and older.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe offers clinics like the Ladies Clinic and the Silver Clinic during the week.

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Getting Little Kids on the Snow

For the littlest skiers, the Little Mule Surface Lift offers a fenced-off area just for ski school. The older skiers and snowboarders use the covered Magic Surface Lift. It is open to all.

What I like about Mt. Rose’s Rosebud program

• Low kid-to-instructor ratio
• Indoor area to drop off your kids
• Instructors fit the kids with equipment for you

What’s Next for Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe

According to the Mt. Rose Marketing Director, Mike Pierce, they have plans for a new lift and a skier bridge over the Mt. Rose Highway (Nevada Highway 431) to be completed in the next few years.

This new area will expand the green skiing at Mt. Rose even more. I don’t know about your kids, but my kids would put on head-to-toe white snow gear just to blend in so they would never have to leave.

Besides the new lift and runs, Mt. Rose also plans to renovate the Main Lodge and expand the Rosebud Children’s Center.

Where’s Mt Rose Ski Tahoe

Located at 22222 Mt. Rose Highway, 22 miles from the Reno/Lake Tahoe airport (RNO). It’s 11 miles from North Lake Tahoe, and the traffic is more congested into Reno than into the Tahoe Basin.

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Know Before You Go

• Arrive early for the best parking and fewer lines during school holidays and breaks.
• Reservations are a must for ski school programs.
• Rent equipment from ski shops. Most shops let you rent equipment the evening before, and you can return it early in the morning after your trip.
• Don’t forget the helmets. They are required for kids at resorts.
• Mt. Rose does not offer daycare services.