As you can see from our previous posts, we love to try out new mountains. This time, we will share our experience snowboarding at the Mt. Rose Ski Resort (half away between Reno and North Lake Tahoe).
We went there a few days in December/2020 and a few days in Mar/2021.
Where to stay to go to Mt. Rose?
Mt. Rose is about 30 minutes from Reno (Nevada) and 15 minutes from Incline Village, NV. Any hotel in Reno will be close enough as long as it is not a snowy day (or weekends), which will probably take a lot longer to get in there.
If you are in Incline Village, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort is a very good hotel that you can use. From the Hotel to Mt. Rose, took us only 15 minutes.
Is Mt. Rose Busy?
Not at all! We were surprised how fast the lines were moving and how few people were there for a mountain so close to Reno. Maybe we got lucky (and we do avoid the weekends), but the experience was great.
The Mt. Rose Mountain
The weather at Mt. Rose is pretty amazing, with a lot of snow and a long season on most years (through Mid May). The base of the mountain is 8,200 feet (top is almost 10,000 feet) with a lot of challenging chutes, a variety mid-level blue runs and a very fun area for kids.
If you have kids (or is learning to ski or board), we highly recommend to use the Wizard or Galena lifts and play in their long and wide green runs. The young kids loved the Wild Horse Adventure area, where only kids are allowed (they even had a sign saying that Adults are only allowed with a supervising kid). You can choose the Mustang and Bronco runs that are easy enough, but with a fun vibe between the trees.
The young kids loved the Wild Horse Adventure area, where only kids are allowed (they even had a sign saying that Adults are only allowed with a supervising kid). You can choose the Mustang and Bronco runs that are easy enough, but with a fun vibe between the trees.
The chutes are very fun and challenging, as most of the blue runs. What we loved is that they are very wide (and not crowded), giving you a lot of space to have fun.
Lakeview Lift
The Lakeview lift is the main one that connects to all parts of the mountain (from green, blues and to the blacks and the chutes).
If you are starting, you can take the Lakeview lift to the “Around the world” run, but note that some parts are a bit flat and narrow, so let’s consider it for experienced beginners 🙂
The Park
Mt. Rose has a few options for park. The Pondo area by the Galena lift, with some easy jumps and rails and another park by the Badlands.
What we found is that the features were either very easy (at the Pondo) or very advanced (XL) at the Badlands. And none of them had a lot of options. It wasn’t the best for mid-level skiers and we would have expected a lot more features for the size of the mountain.
On the plus side, I caught a fun fall at one of the Rails there.
Mt. Rose Pros
- Really close to Reno and Incline Village
- Not crowded
- Lots of beginners areas
- Lots of challenging runs
- Long season
Mt. Rose Cons
- The Park is not that great. Lacks options and mid-level features.
- Not part of Epic/Ikon. They have their own pass, which is pretty expensive (around $700 for the year). Great for locals, but not ideal for someone coming from the outside.
- A lot more skiers than snowboarders. Which might explain the focus on them.
- They only have a ski team (not a snowboarding team).
All in all, Mt. Rose is a great place to visit. Would definitely go back when I am in the area.