Kirkwood Mountain Resort Review

Great mountain with challenging terrain. Best snow in the Tahoe area. Only knock on Kirkwood is the lack of dining options at the base, but overall a great ski resort.

Pure mountain resort experience. Great snow, manageable crowds, minimal Jerrys.

Some of the best skiing in Tahoe, great snow. Since the elevation is higher than most others in the area, it's often snowing here when it's raining at the lake. Find the goods off Chair 4, 6, and 10

It's a pity. I'd love to give Kirkwood a 5 star review for the skiing. I really would. But I can't. Firstly, it's expensive. Like, very expensive. >$100 for a lift pass. And >$80 for ski hire? You'd expect they might have decent lifts for the price, but nope, the majority are miserably antiquated and slothful. Want a nice European-esque gondola to the top? Sorry buddy. Want to skip the lift pass queue by pre-paying the day before? Sorry buddy. You've got to stand in line for 45 minutes. Terrain, snow and staff on the hill were all great, but sorry fellas, that's just not enough.

Great little getaway ski place....some of the best snow levels in the Sierras....short on facilities to stay and eat....usually a day trip for us

Kirkwood is my favorite resort in Tahoe. They get the best snow. They have great terrain. It also doesn't have the corporate vibe of other Vail resorts.

Ski backside to silver lake.
Getting thru Carson spur right b4 closing.

I loved the ski resort and the scenery was nice but its sometimes misleading

Great snow on the backside, with a wide variety of slopes for all skill ranges

Nice place. Staff and fellow skiers very friendly and helpful. Lots of mountain to ski on. Expansive.

Beautiful mountain. Plenty of advanced runs for all those experiences snow athletes. The wall can be terrifying for someone who likes blacks. Definitely got out of my comfort zone.

I spent the day at kirkwood snowboarding and hanging out with a friend. It was opening weekend so there was only a few runs open, but we had a great time. The staff was all friendly and very nice. I can't wait to go back later in the season after more snow.

What's to hate? Perfect getaway in the summer and a great mountain to hit up during the winter

No one should go there so that it remains the same and continues to be awesome for eternity.

The most varied terrain in Tahoe with the shortest lines and no pretentions.

Since they started takin Epic cards, I've been getting issues after paying for days on their site.
I've been stopped multiple times as they had system issues and could not verify my purchase.

In addition, they raised prices but kept most of the lifts (except 3) slow.

If you live in the south Bay, one of the easiest resorts in Tahoe to get in and out. The mountains are beautiful. Doesn't have too many greens. Pretty great if you are starting with some blues.

I really like Kirkwood for Skiing, lots of snow, the people that works here are very friendly, but the food is not that good and very expensive

The one downside to Kirkwood is that (like most resorts) they are not entirely honest about how "open" they are. Cant tell you how many times we went only to have everything on wind hold. Still, it is my favorite.

Love this mountain! Don t expect fancy shopping or dinning. Expect good steep terrain!

Great place, nice terrain. Wish it snowed while I was there...

Well my room is not ready and t...
111he parking lot is so dam muddy that I have to get in to my truck with out any shoes on .It sucks

Charlie here helped me to find my snowboard that got a way from me on the slope. Very happy to get the board back just 20 min after! Kirkwood staff at Chair 6 did a great job. Thanks! 03/30

Kirkwood is an amazing mountain, some of the best riding in Tahoe, if you know where to go World Freeride Competitions are hosted here, it's insane. There's a ton of options for an overnight stay and a couple of good restaurants and general store in case you get snowed in. Definitely add Kirkwood to your list

Awesome place. Summertime is killer it's nice and cool and super relaxing.

Not the most fun drive but good slopes and generally friendly people.

I'm split about Kirkwood. I do have lots of fun here and there's always an adventure to be had. The sunset bowl is basically one giant land of possibility. If you want a racing groomer, you got it. If you want powder and trees, just turn left off the lift. If you wanted to get air off of some natural features. Anything you're looking for. But somehow the lifts always annoy me, the lodge feels foreign, and I end up eating granola from my pockets because the food is prohibitively expensive.
Great terrain. Great people. I just wouldn't say I want to go to Kirkwood.

Another great weekend at Kirkwood. Weather held up nicely and the runs were nicely groomed.

Best mountain in Tahoe for the adventurous skier/snowboarder.

Pay Vail prices for a decidedly un-Vail location. Palatable when conditions are good, but when conditions are bad (no snow, windy, icy), you are stuck with very little to do. This is billed as part of the charm of the mountain. But if you're going for the down-home, near divey experience, you shouldn't be paying $9 for a PBR and about $10 for a hot dog. Pray for snow because if you don't get it, the bar bill adds up quick.

Great snow for us in December and no crowd so early in the year

Good ski resort, with several exiting double blacks.

Steep runs and good terrain. Mostly expert difficulty. If you check the rating of a run before you go down, head up to heavenly. You'll have a better time.

Some slow chairlifts but the terrain more than makes up for it.

The runs are fresh with powder! So many great runs. Now have a season pass. Little curious why they offer a discount to everyone but veterans though.... Teens, seniors, and students get one.

Great place for a day on the slopes. Nice selection of terrain.

awesome for freeriding with easy lift access to all kind of terrains

Awesome resort! Not very good for handling the crowed on nice days.

Awesome skiing, awesome staff - extremely limited dining options. If you stay overnight midweek make sure your rental has a kitchenette or take a pile of microwavable meals. We ended up eating the cereal bars they hand out at reception one night!

Great snow and ski runs. Lots of black diamond runs for those who like a challenge. Awesome staff.

Has not been Vail-fied yet. Great mountain, but the resort needs work.

Kirkwood is the ultimate back country destination. It has the best skiing in the winter, and is a fabulous base for hiking in the summer.

Great mountain nice people employees are friendly. Closest to San Jose.

Still enjoyable even after you've been closed for a month! Cheers KWood!

Love 'The Wood, snow is the best here, and doesn't feel crowded.

Perfect terrain, never too much lines. Just the lifts could use some improvements

The only snowboarder only mountain I've ever been to, was like a dream not a single mogul on the whole mountain

Super sick terrain enjoyed the h*** out of it

Parking is always easy crowds are hardly ever an issue, my favorite mountain.

I'm from salt lake city, and I grew up skiing there. I came to the Tahoe area to experience a different kind of skiing. I enjoyed Kirkwood... great snow, beautiful terrain... but I'm only giving 3 stars for reasons listed below.

Primarily, trail marking is abysmal, and maps at the tops of lifts were nearly non-existent. I speny half of my day trying to figure out where to go! I was even treated poorly for getting stuck at the bottom of a closed lift. Not my fault, Kirkwood/VaiI... wouldn't have happened if maps and marking were adequate.

I'm not sure what the issue is with the poor trail marking and the lack of maps, given that these matters are easily addressed. Are the proprieters trying to make things exclusive (i.e. if you don't know where you're going, you don't belong here)? Or, is Kirkwood/Vail simply being cheap and lazy because things like maps and trail signs don't make them any money? Everything that a resort does to improve patron experience contributes to its revenue, fools. Dial in!!

The situation was equally bad at Heavenly in this regard. I expect more from Vail Resorts (or perhaps I don't... see my review of Heavenly for more details). Lazy, short-sighted greed ruins skiing for everyone. Please, Kirkwood/Vail, take note.

Great terrain. They will give discounts for ski industry professionals. However ticket prices are still very high.

One of the best resorts in northern California. Escape the crowds AND enjoy some of the deepest snow in tahoe...and the US for that matter.

Best resort in Tahoe for those that want a challenge!

Kirkwood is the place to ski. The terrain was awesome. Stick to Heavenly if you are a beginner.