Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Kirkwood that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Kirkwood stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Kirkwood review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Kirkwood
Total (3.5)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
This mountain feels like the small mountains back east, tucked away from civilization with very few amenities and typically reserved for townies and ski bums. When you get there you are met with comparable smaller lines even on a busy weekend than the other Vail resorts and much less of a touristy vibe.
The terrain is amazing, it has everything for me; hiking accessible trails, The Wall, etc as well as stuff for kids to ride all day; Timber Creek, Reut, Snowkirk. Plus it's easily a day trip from South East Bay.
Julie Claspill
It's a beautiful location. Beautiful mountains.
Brenn
I came on a weekday towards the last 4 days of the season, and got rewarded with great snow, no lines, and really nice community of skiers/boarders.
Ashley
I purchased 4 season passes for my family and yet to be able to actually use them. The first time we arrived at 10:00 after driving 2 hours the lot was full, we drove back home. Saturday it 4 hours to get to Kirkwood we should have arrived at 9:30 but there was traffic. I checked the website multiple time nothing about it being full. Again the lot was full. We waisted almost 4k with passes to an always full resort. STOP Selling passes if you can’t take people.
bonnie robins
Kirkwood never disappoints! Ditch the big mountains and enjoy great skiing with much less crowds. Pick your line on the backside and summit off the trails, and have fun. Tibercreek great area for the kids and beginners. If you like gullies, they have them, from big off sentinel to ditch of doom for the kids! Just watch the weather getting and leaving there. Magnificent views on 88! Love Kirkwood!
Gerry Stout
But, if limited parking, get there early and get more elevation in.
Irene
Kirkwood is the place where my kids fell in love with skiing. If you're a beginner and large remodeled food courts are important to you, you might not enjoy Kirkwood as we do, but for advanced skiers Kirkwood is pretty amazing. Here are things I love about it:
1) ski school - children actually can learn to ski and it is not as outrageously priced as many other resorts; children love Ditch of Doom and Trench of Terror
2) there are other kids' programs for intermediate and advanced skiers; those are not the program where you have to pay $3K and compete, but they still teach kids a lot after kids are done with ski school
3) terrain and snow: even though Kirkwood doesn't have as many snow making equipment as NS or Heavenly, it still has the best snow in Tahoe. While there are green slopes, Kirkwood is fun for advanced skiers. I know expert skiers who only ski Kirkwood and my daughter (7) wants to go nowhere else
4) there are programs for adults beyond ski school; I took some classes that are given by Kirkwood Expedition (not ski school) and I received very valuable feedback
The only bad thing I can mention is there are few fast chairs. The slow chairs are still far better than on other smaller resorts, but... it would be so awesome to have two more fast chairs. Some people might be unhappy about parking. On powder days, one is better to arrive early. By 9:30 the parking might be full. Kirkwood has no town parking like Heavenly, so you might need to turn around; it has never been my problem.
Jared Klebanow
Kirkwood is my favorite mountain in Tahoe. If you’re looking to just ski/board this is the spot. Squaw is great too but with the crowds you can really ski twice as much in a day at KWood
Rick Hunter
I skied here in the mid 90s and covered most of the mountain in one day. I am intermediate so didn't attempt to go down the wall. However I was able to enjoy the bowls on the right side of the mountain and spent most of the morning on the left side. The snow here is greater than most places in the US in volume on average so accessibility can be limited during storms. They have been trying to develop the area more for years but its still difficult to get to. Well worth it if the conditions on the mountain and roads are good.
Eric undefined
I love Kirkwood - best snow in Tahoe area and love the steeps and chutes. The skill level of the average skier here seems a cut above other mountains in the area.
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