# Northstar California

Northstar California (previously Northstar-at-Tahoe) is a mountain resort in the western United States, located in Placer County, California, near the northwest shore of Lake Tahoe.
Approximately 200 miles (320 km) from the San Francisco Bay Area, the 3,170-acre (12.8 km$^2$) resort features 2,280 ft (690 m) vertical drop of alpine terrain accessed by 19 lifts, a snowmaking system, a cross-country center, a village, on-site lodging and summer activities including an 18-hole golf course and a lift-served mountain bike park.

## History

Northstar was a former lumber site once owned by the Douglas Lumber Company of Truckee and was acquired by Fibreboard when they purchased Douglas in 1967. Its original name was Timber Farm, but was changed to Northstar-at-Tahoe when the mountain opened 53 years ago in December 1972. The first ski resort amenities included 5 chairlifts. The trails were designed by Luggi Foeger, an Austrian, who had fled Europe during World War II.
In 2007, CNL Lifestyle Properties acquired Northstar, which since 2010 has been operated under a triple-net lease by Vail Resorts. Vail also owns Heavenly Ski Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort both at Lake Tahoe, four other ski resorts in Colorado, including Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Beaver Creek, and other ski resorts. Previously, Northstar had been owned by Booth Creek, a holdings company managed by George Nield Gillett Jr., the owner of the now defunct Gillett Holdings, a former owner of Vail Associates.
In 2016 EPR Properties agreed to purchase Northstar California in a package deal along with multiple other properties from CNL Lifestyle Properties for approximately $456 Million.
In 2025, Northstar Resort features 20 lifts with an uphill capacity of 34,800 riders per hour, 100 runs of varying difficulty (13% beginner, 60% intermediate, and 27% advanced), 140.43 hectares of expert terrain, a longest run of 4.83 km, and 10 terrain parks.

## Terrain

Northstar features 3,170 acres of terrain, with 60% of trails designated for intermediate skiers. Grooming on trails is well-established and offers many "groomers" for resort visitors. In 2015, Ski Magazine listed the resort as the 24th best ski area in the western United States. The resort has been consistently rated as having one of the top 10 terrain parks in North America. It features seven different terrain parks for all different skills levels across 55 acres of terrain. Northstar's terrain is serviced by a network of 19 lifts.

## Climate

According to resort sources, the annual snowfall at Northstar is 350 inches per year. Snow totals are measured at a windloaded spot near the base of the Rendezvous chair and are counted from the first snowfall until closing day each year.
Climate data for Northstar, California (1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37 (3) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 51 (11) | 59 (15) | 69 (21) | 78 (26) | 77 (25) | 70 (21) | 59 (15) | 46 (8) | 36 (2) | 55 (13) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11 (−12) | 13 (−11) | 18 (−8) | 23 (−5) | 29 (−2) | 35 (2) | 40 (4) | 38 (3) | 31 (−1) | 23 (−5) | 18 (−8) | 11 (−12) | 24 (−5) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 9.8 (250) | 9.0 (230) | 8.0 (200) | 4.0 (100) | 2.5 (64) | 0.8 (20) | 0.2 (5.1) | 0.5 (13) | 0.8 (20) | 2.8 (71) | 5.2 (130) | 5.7 (140) | 49.3 (1,243.1) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 79 (200) | 77 (200) | 73 (190) | 14 (36) | 5 (13) | 1 (2.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (7.6) | 21 (53) | 78 (200) | 351 (902.1) |
| Source: https://www.onthesnow.com/california/northstar-california/historical-snowfall ||||||||||||||

## Village

Northstar Village is based on a small village layout that centers a square which, in winter, has an ice skating rink.