One of the best intermediate resorts in Tahoe, with over 60 percent blue slopes, is Northstar at Tahoe (100 Northstar Dr., Truckee, 800/466-6784, www.northstarattahoe.com, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., adults $60–75, youth $52–64, children $19–28). This smaller resort is often a bit less crowded than the big boys, and the slopes can be a bit friendlier here.

At Northstar, even beginners can head way up the mountain on the fast Vista Express quad chair and still find green slopes heading gently all the way back to the Village. A “Slow Zone” creates a perfect spot for young children fresh out of ski school and wobbly adults who haven’t spent their whole lives on the slopes.

Intermediate runs crisscross the front of the mountain starting at the very peak off Comstock and running all the way down the mountain in what seems like every direction. The back side of the mountain, reachable via the Comstock Express quad chair and serviced by the Backside Express, is reserved for black diamond skiers, though adventurous intermediates can test their ski legs here.

Freestylers will find the most terrain right off the Vista Express quad, though a couple of other small areas dot the mountain elsewhere.