Flying to Tahoe and riding solo

Has anyone ever done this?

I went to Mammoth last weekend with a group of friends. I won $500 at the local casino  so I have extra money for another trip outside SoCal. The problem is if I go I will have to fly and stay there since no one else is going. I wonder how fun is it to ride solo there for 2 days since I've never been to Lake Tahoe.

My plan (if I go) is to take the free shuttle from the Harrah hotel to Squaw valley on my first day and Northstar on the second day (my research says Heavenly sucks for snowboarder). I just don't want to feel bored and like a loser if I ride alone lol.

I'm not gonna ride through the trees so I think it's pretty safe for me.

I'm not worried about a place to stay. I will be staying at Harrah, it's not too close to the resort that I wanna go but I got comped from playing in Vegas so I only have to worry about the plane ticket (around $140-160 return) and the lift ticket.

I'm more worried about whether it's gonna suck to fly solo there and ride. I rode solo a lot at my local resort but normally I only ride like 3-3.5 hours top (season pass) so full day of riding solo at a place I've never been feels totally different.

If you don't ride trees then Heavenly may not be for you.  You'll just have to lap Mott Canyon to get some steeps.  Parks will probably be closed due to tons of snowfall.

you'll have a blast.

if your a social person your bound to find some people to ride with. i remember when i first started, my cousins ditched me on the slope because i sucked and just hung around with some newbs most the day and we ended up havin a blast :D

Riding solo is fun. I did it today for the first time. I got a lot more runs in and I didn't feel like I'm waiting or holding anyone back.  I just did my own thing. 

you'll be fine man. have fun!

if you need someone to ride with check out that adina winters chick she seems friendly

fly into reno, then rent a cheap car and stay in cheap hotels either in reno or in south tahoe right at stateline.  they are not the most glamorous, but the motels right to the W of the main drag and immediately S of stateline are some super cheap motels.

Originally posted by return2heaven Riding solo is actually really fulfilling. Even though i've only done it once, i will remember it as one of my most favorite experiences in snowboarding.

don't worry bout it, relax and have fun. Tahoe is a great place and you like to gamble too so that's a plus since you're staying in a casino. both Squaw and N* is great. Squaw just open there night ski/riding this season, so make sure you save some energy for the extra hours. Squaw is huge too, so it'll keep you searching for the next run. N* is straight forward, got a great park if you like that, but not that steep of a mtn. though. I personally like Sierra better and is closer to get to from the casinos.

Definitely not safe to be riding by yourself today, you'll get buried! 

im flying into reno and staying at harrahs march 17-21... ;)

I dont know where you heard that heavenly is not good for a snowboarder. Northstar tends to be icy, flat, and the lifts top every 5 seconds. Definately go to heavenly or sierra at tahoe. That would be the best place for a snowboarder, and youl have alot of fun.

i really don't understand why you would ride north shore if you're staying in south shore.  just ride heavenly; it's huge, it'll be fine.   you'll have fun exploring all over, and you don't have to drive around the entire lake to get to squaw which is just going to be a nightmare anyway.  and honestly, if you're riding south shore, i would ride sierra at tahoe.  that's where i always ride, it's my favorite.  especially on a pow day and you know where to look.  and people are extremely nice, strike up a convo with WHOEVER is on the chair with you, mention you're just in town alone.  i'm sure you'll find someone who will ride with you, maybe grab a beer or whatever.

you can always meet some nice people. Me and my friends did a couple runs with a random solo local skier. really chill and had a good time.

Originally posted by adinawinters Definitely not safe to be riding by yourself today, you'll get buried!

This is also what I'm wary of. Being in SoCal, this season was the first season I'm riding powder (Mammoth and Colorado) and I haven't got a good handle on it yet. I will definitely not going to venture off trail too far. But I don't know the terrain so I might end up somewhere I'm not suppose to be at.

I was riding Baldy alone a month ago and I rode the South Bowl Chutes (double black), all of a sudden I was alone among the trees with no one around. I got all the way down and I saw the out of bound signs with no trail back to the resort. It was definitely a real scare, I just follow my instinct and hike a small trail towards the direction of the mountain resort. I saw the lift again after about 20 minutes of hiking which was a real joy.

Maybe I'm just a chicken and I worry too much lol.

Strange I thought Sierra at Tahoe is a further drive. I might change my destination from N* to Kirkwood. Squaw valley is a definite choice for 1 day.

Oh and I've met a lot of snowboarder with the same opinion that Heavenly is more of a skier resort (too many flats)

+1 for suggestion to fly into reno and stay in reno to save some cash. You can catch a free shuttle to squaw from harrahs (http://www.squaw.com/free-reno-shuttle) and another shuttle to northstar (http://www.northstarattahoe.com/info/ski/trip-planning/shuttles.asp). Prices at harrahs reno are much cheaper than the one in tahoe. This way you can avoid having to rent a car and save some cash in the process.

I've never rode solo before so couldn't tell you how it is up there.

Yeah you will be fine riding solo, you can go all out>

Originally posted by MadAnthony81 no one cares if you ride solo, people are usually chill.

Haha!  I was about to address the OP too until I realized the date of the thread.  How did you find it?  In any case, since the dude never followed up in this thread I think it's safe to say he disappeared into a ravine and since he was by himself nobody bothered to look.  lol

I actually enjoy riding alone too.  I think about 5 of my 20 or so days last season were solo.  It's almost like meditating.  Great feeling.

if you com to sugar bowl I will do my best to ride with you I'll be working up there a good bit so free pass it's a sweet mountain if possible we can do a lake run since you're after natural terrain.

I ride solo in Tahoe all the time because I usually take trips Fri-sat or sun (I live about a 4hr's drive). You'll be fine. The people are really cool. Squaw has a reputation for not being so 'user friendly', but that seems to have changed in recent years. *just saw that this was posted last year. Who brings up dead threads?

Riding solo is fine just chuck some beats on and fly around.