A tubular experience: Sledding in Lake Tahoe

I love the sweet thrill of speeding down the slopes. Let me guess: you’re probably thinking about making powder turns with your fancy skis or snowboard.

Not me. I’m talking about the exhilaration of flying down a mountain on my tube, saucer or toboggan. Sledding always brings out the kid in me, and this kid has a need for speed.

Growing up outside of Chicago, I’m quite familiar with the word “snow.” A sure sign of an awesome snowy winter, in my opinion, is a hill full of children and adults. As a visitor to Lake Tahoe, I have happily found that hills are plentiful in Lake Tahoe – mellow for the youngsters and steep for adventure seekers like me.

When I was a kid, we used to stack five of us face first on top of a gigantic donut. We were lucky if we made it halfway down the hill. Thinking about it now makes me laugh – I wish I had at least one video of our hilarious wipeouts. My brother and I would race downhill on our saucers; holding on tightly, my brother would always win. Of all the family-friendly winter sports, though, my favorite would have to be tobogganing. The key to speed here is weight distribution – put the lightest person in the front and the heaviest in back for maximum velocity.

Here are my top picks for sledding and tubing in Lake Tahoe:

Tube Tahoe is the home of winter fun for the whole family in South Lake Tahoe. At over 500 feet in length, our machine groomed tubing lanes are some of the longest in the area. And, our snowmaking facilities allow us to provide resort-quality conditions all season long.

Adventure Mountain really is an adventure. The terrain is a former ski resort, Echo Summit. It’s another spot to go faster safely. They also have sleds, tube, and snowshoes available for rent, and a newly remodeled lodge with café.

A winter vacation isn’t complete until you’ve raced down Blizzard Mountain, the tubing hill at Sierra-at-Tahoe (111 Sierra at Tahoe Road, Twin Bridges, CA 95735). Bonus: You can sit on your tube while the staff clips you to a tow rope and brings you back up to the top of the hill. It’s a timesaver, and a great way to squeeze in a few extra runs.

Another option is the snow tube and saucer hill at Hansen’s Resort (1360 Ski Run Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150). It’s a smaller area and well groomed for speed. Ages 5 and up, the cost is $20 hourly/per person. The cost includes the use of tube and/or saucer.

Heavenly’s Adventure Peak (3860 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150) offers a rad, high-altitude groomed tubing hill for adults and children at the top of the Gondola. The views at Heavenly make the snow sport worth every penny. Note: A stop at the Gondola mid-station is a must! The panoramic views of Lake Tahoe are breathtaking from there.

Tahoe Snowmobile Tubing Hill (50 US Hwy 50 across from Bally’s Lake Tahoe) Tubing is fun for the entire family! First come, first serve. We’ve got lots of inner-tubes. Questions please call (530) 542-3294.

At $20 and up per person, family fun day can get pretty darn expensive fast – especially at an hourly rate – and some of the hills take a bit long for little kids to climb. If you have your own sleds and free is in your budget, there’s a great place at the intersection of Highway 50 and 28. It’s a short 15-minute drive from the casino area. Keep in mind, this snow play area is known to attract a heavy crowd on the weekends.

After a long day of sledding, I enjoy grabbing a cup of hot cocoa with my kids at Red Hut Cafe or cozying up to a warm fire with a good book and a glass of red wine. Ah, it’s looking to be a cool, crisp winter in Lake Tahoe. Isn’t it lovely?

Note: VisitLakeTahoe.com and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority assume no responsibility for your safety in engaging in the aforementioned activities. Just because we survived crazy stunts as kids doesn’t mean it’s safe. Please exercise good judgment and consider risks to personal safety when you (or your kids) do really fun stuff.