Summit Smokehouse Northstar California 2017

Northstar California (previously Northstar-at-Tahoe) is a mountain resort in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, located in

Placer County, California Placer County ( ; Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer, is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 404,739. The county seat is Auburn. Placer County is included in the Gre ...

, near the northwest shore of Lake Tahoe. Approximately from the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, the resort features vertical drop of alpine terrain accessed by 19 lifts, a

snowmaking Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...

system, a cross-country center, a village, on-site lodging and summer activities including an 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

and a lift-served mountain bike park.

History

Northstar was a former lumber site once owned by the Douglas Lumber Company of Truckee and was acquired by Fibreboard when they purchased Douglas in 1967. Its original name was Timber Farm, but was changed to Northstar-at-Tahoe when the mountain opened in December 1972. The first ski resort amenities included 5 chairlifts. The trails were designed by Luggi Foeger, an Austrian, who had fled Europe during World War II. In 2007
CNL Lifestyle Properties
acquired Northstar, which since 2010 has been operated under a triple-net lease by

Vail Resorts Vail Resorts, Inc. is an American mountain resort company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company is divided into three divisions. The mountain segment owns and operates 40 mountain resorts in four countries, Vail Resorts Hospitality o ...

. Vail also owns

Heavenly Ski Resort Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California–Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It opened for business on December 15, 1955 and has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between Califor ...

and

Kirkwood Mountain Resort Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in Kirkwood, California, south of Lake Tahoe. The resort focuses on skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain-biking in the Summer. Kirkwood is one of the region's larger res ...

both at Lake Tahoe, four other ski resorts in Colorado, including

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numer ...

, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Beaver Creek, and other ski resorts. Previously, Northstar had been owned by Booth Creek, a holdings company managed by George Nield Gillett Jr., the owner of the now defunct Gillett Holdings, a former owner of Vail Associates. In 201
EPR Properties
agreed to purchase Northstar California in a package deal along with multiple other properties from CNL Lifestyle Properties for approximately $456 Million.

Terrain

Northstar features 3,170 acres of terrain, with 60% of trails designated for intermediate skiers. Grooming on trails is well-established and offers many "groomers" for resort visitors. In 2015, Ski Magazine listed the resort as the 24th best

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

in the western

. The resort has been consistently rated as having one of the top 10

terrain park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From thei ...

s in North America. It features seven different terrain parks for all different skills levels across 55 acres of terrain.

Snowfall

According to resort sources, the annual snowfall at Northstar is 350 inches per year. Snow totals are measured at the mountain summit and are counted from the first snowfall until closing day.

Village

Northstar Village is based on a small village layout that centers a square which, in winter, has an ice skating rink. Dining options include: -Michael Mina's Bourbon Pub -Rubicon Pizza Company -Copper Lane Cafe & Provisions -Los Arcos Mexican Grill -Petra Wine Bar -TC's Tap House -The Grille at Sawtooth Ridge -Starbucks Coffee -White Rabbit Eatery

Gallery

References

External links

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3dSkiMap of NorthstarSki conditions at Northstar from SnowagoResort Guide by Snow Forecast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northstar At Tahoe Buildings and structures in Placer County, California Ski areas and resorts in California Tourist attractions in Placer County, California Vail Resorts 1972 establishments in California