The Skiers' Guide to Northstar California

This is a very family friendly mountain. Because of this, I would say that the runs are rated more difficult than they are (ie a "black" at northstar is more of a steep blue at other resorts). There also isn't much of an apres scene. The lift lines can be atrocious, but if you can get up to the more difficult sections of the mountain, you can avoid them. It is one of the most expensive lift tickets in Tahoe, and I think you can get more value for your money at Palisades or Kirkwood if you're going to pay for a day pass. If you have Epic, might as well check it out.

Decently sized mountain (more snowboard friendly I would say) not too big but not terribly small. A bit of a walk to the gondolas from the parking lots, aside from that the ascent is pretty straightforward. Terrain parks dont have the craziest features but they definitely get the job done. Beautiful backcountry trails, awesome powder days. Does get decently busy on weekends, nice and slow on weekdays.

Northstar is overall a great resort to go to in Northern California. I would definitely consider it family and beginner friendly, but it also has an entire part of the mountain for blue and black runs which is perfect (especially if you want quieter runs). If you're looking for a fun apres experience, Northstar is not really a big party spot. They do have DJ and drinks on the weekends, which I went to and had a great time at, its just not super packed. But you can tell they're trying to introduce more of that to the culture! I was lucky to go on a weekend that wasn't as busy, so we were able to avoid lines at the lifts which was awesome. I'm not entirely sure what it looks like on a super busy weekend though. It's a pretty easy resort to navigate as well, so if its your first time going don't worry about that. I would definitely recommend Northstar if you're looking for a Tahoe experience. Plus nearby Truckee is a great spot to stay and eat/drink. We stayed at the resort which made everything super easy, and they have a great shuttle service and request system as well.