Dodge Ridge

We are skiers — intermediate: advanced. We had Spring Break this week and my kid wanted to do a quick day of skiing before the season ended and so I Googled «closest ski resort to the Bay Area» Dodge Ridge came up… And so we took off at around 6:30am from SF. It’s about 160 miles away on two lane roads with stop signs– so it took a little less than 3 hours to get to the place.
We went on a Tuesday and we arrived and parked right in front of the lodge. The place looked empty. We rented equipment and tix for less than $ 150 for the two of us!
We got onto the lifts straight away — no lines, in fact I think we were the ONLY ones on the entire lift.
So long story short…
PROS:
— hardly any people at all… On most runs here was no one in front or behind us.
— thus no wait for ski lifts
— great show– all the groomed runs had perfect snow neither icy nor slushy
— nice staff — super folksy and nice (gotta leave your big city impatience at home)
— the blues are easy; the black diamonds are a Squaw blue
— less than 3 hours to SF
— inexpensive
CONS:
— old school ski lifts which means that they are super slow
— old school ski lifts that do NOT slow down on embarkation or disembarkation– it’s a little fast and dangerous especially if you have little ones who have to jump up to get on the seat
— no safety bars on the ski lifts
I am actually okay with the slow lift speed I just don’t like getting on/​off them — it feels a little unsafe especially for beginner or young skiers.

Taking lesson is a joke, waste of money, and will not feel like you’ve learned anything. They won’t let you use the conveyor belt to go up the bunny slope and ski down. They make you walk up-​slope as far as you have the energy for and ski down only! After two tries, everyone is exhausted! Even later in the day, they still do not let you use the conveyor belt (they said for kids up to 12 yrs old only). So if you are older than 12, and not able to go on the chair lift, you are screwed and will waist all day on the snow, but can’t really ski.
I’ve purchased 3 lessons (two for teenager and one for adult). Our group had about 10 – 12 people taking lesson. The instructor took us to a hill side, showed us how to put on skis, then showed us how to walk up-​hill with the skis. We did that — people managed to go up only about 10 feet as it was exhausting. Then we would ski down. We all thought after a little while would we be allowed to use the conveyor belt to go up the bunny slope and ski down. WRONG!!! We only allowed to walk up-​hill as far a we can then ski down. Let see if anyone can do this repeatedly. So me and others mostly stand around breathing and not learning anything. We were beginners and too afraid to go on the chair lifts. To make matter worse, the instructor could not and did NOT show how to turn left or right — we could walk up-​hill far enough to have the distance to practice!
For us, they only had one area with a rope the you would have to grab on with a super tight grip to pull you up. Trust, it is so hard. People were falling as their body weight with skis and boots and poles were too heavy. My arm were sore from just a couple try. This is a law-​suit waiting to happen as it would be easy to twist your arm trying to hold on.
I approached the staff to let us use the conveyor belt as we were beginners and already paid for lesson, but they refused. The whole day was wasted standing around watching others, we couldn’t do much at all and FELT HELPLESS. At the end of the day, we were not much better then when we got there. What a waste of money and time!
Don’t waste your money here.

This ski resort is out in booney land. It took us 3 hours from san jose area to get here. But the people who work here are the nicest ski lift people I’ve ever met. Whenever ppl would fall trying to get on the bunny slope lift, the guy would encourage them. Then the other older guy on the other bunny slope lift was so polite & the guy at the top even helped my kid get off the lift once. I liked how long & flat the bunny slope was for newbies like my kids. The reason I took away 1 star is b/​c I didn’t like that it was a 1 lane highway getting there for about an hour where I felt as if the other lane drivers just swerved into our lane, we’d be dead. Sort of scary but that has nothing to do with the resort. Also, you can get discounted tickets at savemart/​luckys and kids 5 and under are free!

Just to preface this, I am not a skier. I was quite anxious about trying (after a lousy experience in the past) but I wanted my daughter to learn. We picked this place because we don’t want to deal with the madness of Tahoe and it was recommended by some friends. We were also lucky enough to get 14 inches of snow the first night we arrived so it was an incredible snow powder experience for us. This resort is great for families. The ski school was excellent, my six year old was skiing a green run by the end of the three days (total newbie). The people were SO NICE! I did not feel at all uncomfortable being an anxiety ball. I had private lessons with Brian Hunt and he was great, very patient and fun to work with. I wound up buying my own boots, big shout out to Bobby Mackey in the ski shop for hooking me up with those, I felt like I was walking on a cloud after being in severe pain from the rental boots that didn’t fit right and had no padding (so maybe take away a half star for the rental boots?). And another big shout out to the ski school instructors Carly, Levi and Richard. You can get lunch and feel free to drink coffee and watch your kid out the window, it’s just a comfortable, family friendly down to earth place. I will definitely be back. And my husband who is a black diamond skier had plenty of great runs to choose from, he said the first day with the fresh powder and pretty much no crowds (mid-​week) was one of the best days of skiing he’s ever had which is a big compliment as well.

We really love taking our kids to Dodge Ridge. Overall very family friendly and accessible. There is plenty for the beginner and good lesson program for the kids. There is also a good amount of intermediate to more challenging once you have the kids taken care of.
We don’t get a lot of time to go skiing these days so we really enjoy the easy drive to Dodge Ridge (MUCH easier than Tahoe) and low key atmosphere.
Check it out!

If you’re a snob and want the glitz and «hoity-​toityness» of a swank resort, then head to Tahoe (complete with traffic, crowds and prices about 2x the cost of here). If you want a family-​friendly, chill mountain that has AMAZING instructors and lovely terrain, Dodge Ridge is your place. It’s certainly ours.
There are a few good beginner runs, a decent amount of intermediate and advanced trails, and definitely some challenging terrain for the crazy experts. We know the mountain pretty well now and still don’t get bored. The lifts can be a bit tricky to deal with (but again, this is not Tahoe and they aren’t going to have you unload on a slow, flat section of snow — honestly, it’ll just make you a better skier/​snowboarder if you need to learn how to unload with some skill. Chair 5 is still my #1 enemy — I’ve fallen getting off of that one more times than not).
We love the small-​town feel and friendly staff. (I am so bothered by all of the people who abuse the staff and expect to be treated like kings and queens — c’mon people! Who do you all think you are?! Now granted, yes, you are paying customers but really, there’s only so much that is under the control of the staff. Weather? Nope, they can’t control that. Making sure that your picky child actually eats her lunch during her ski lesson? Nope, they can’t control that either. Not having any more lessons available that day? Nope, sorry. The ball’s in your court on that one. YOU should’ve made reservations.) The people who work there really want you to have a great day on the slopes, so head up there with some patience and a happy attitude.
Our boys have been riding there since ages 2 and 3 and they are shredding up the mountain all of the time this season. They’ve learned so much from their WONDERFUL instructors. If you see two tiny snowboard dudes (now aged 5 and 7) bombing it down the black diamonds, it may very well be them.
QUICK TIP: There’s a little place that rents ski/​board equipment off 108 on your way up (about 15 minutes before getting to the resort). You might want to rent there if you don’t have equipment. Seems people just hate standing in line and if you go on a busier than normal day, you might have to endure a lift ticket line AND a rental equipment pick up line if you don’t already have what you need.
Anyhow, if you are ready for a relatively non-​crowded day of skiing or riding, this will be your new favorite place to go. Just promise to come with a smile on your face and your manners so that we have a good day there too :)

This place shows up on Unilocal when you search for snow tubing. However there’s no snow tubing available, and no sleds allowed, so nothing to do for kids. They were not too friendly but nice enough to tell us to go up 108 to Leland High Sierra Snow Play.
Also, that AM traffic radio falsely alerted us about chains required on 108 East of Pinecrest, don’t trust the radio!

I took a group lesson, and the instructor cleared all my doubts, and at the end of the day,
I was making very smooth left and right turns at my will.
Instructor: Chuck Sherman
A very patient guy, with the ability to explain things in immense detail, that would clear all doubts, and let you enjoy skiing. A very encouraging person too.
The resort was very less crowded, and lifts were easily available.

Not crowded at all. Maybe 5 people in lift lines the whole day… Very chill Mtn. The turn into the mountain has guys putting n chains for people for $ 30.00
I recommend you put them on yourself. Unless you have a car that has 4WD or AWD as they say… you have to have them on to go into the parking lot sections. Parking sucks if you aren’t there early … I think I walked ¼ miles to get to the lift ticket office. The ticket office was cool. The lady was very nice and helpful. Military gets a discount :) $ 53 for a ticket. The cafeteria was ok. Typical food (chicken fingers, fries, pizza, salad etc.)
The mountain itself is awesome. Great place for intermediate slopes. The Elevation is Summit Elevation is 8,200 ft. and the Base Elevation 6,600 ft.
Ticket prices vary from $ 34-​$ 68 depending on your age. A friend of mine bought a ticket at save mart for $ 10 cheaper.
One thing that stood out was this little oasis on the mountain by the advanced slopes. A pretty cool bar and food spot by a lift to take you to the terrain park. I thought was was badass. didn’t have to go don’t to the bottom to get food or a beer :) This is definitely one of my favorite mountains :)
Heres a video of my time there.
Cooking is like snow skiing: If you don’t fall at least 10 times, then you’re not skiing hard enough. — Guy Fieri

It is a nice place to ski/​snowboarding not really crowded compare to boreal. However, nothing for small kids to play around if you don’t take a lesson or buy lift ticket.

We had a wonderful day of skiing and snowboarding. Such a great family resort their staff is very friendly and very helpful! The snow was awesome this weekend looking forward to more skiing tomorrow. I love that the resort is so close to the bay area. Their facilities offer everything, the classes for the children are excellant.

This place is great for learning skiing. As a beginner skier, i got the progressive pass. It is worth it. The instructors here are very friendly. They work with you individually and make sure you get the techniques right. There are many green and blue slopes here

Visited on 1÷1÷2016. What a great visit. My kids had never boarded & we initially chose DR because of their proximity — close to the Central Valley. What a pleasant surprise DR turned out to be. They have alert and engaged parking staff, well thought out linear purchase process for equipment rental, lessons (we didn’t purchase this… but it was avail) and lift tickets, DR staff on slopes and in common areas are quick to welcome you to the slope, ascertain skill level and offer suggestions. I’ve ski’d for 10 years and previously, just hadn’t considered DR. What an oversight. We’re looking forward to returning in 2 weeks!

I got a head laceration injury while trying to get on chair lift 2. For a beginner ski lift, it comes around too quickly, not giving enough time to get set for the chair. Other beginner skiers, do watch out for your safety.
Dave from ski patrol was helpful and caring after the incident.

Went here on 28^th December 2015 with my wife and brother in law. Have to say, it is definitely not a place for beginners. We tried getting the ski leassons, but they were sold out. We were told that we should have reserved online earlier for the ski lessons. However, I’ve been to places before where there are instructors on the slopes helping out. The staff on the slopes were rude and we were told prior to skiing that all of them have had a long day, because it is the peak time of the year. So, expect friendliness! I mean. Come on! Seriously. We got stranded half way down the slope for almost an hour before first aid came to help us. I sprained a knee and my wife also got bruised. All in all, this might be a good place to ski, but they need friendlier staff, more well trained and more instructors for beginners.

Great smaller family mountain — people are friendly, and if you are an average skiier, its a good deal! Can’t wait to go back the rest of this season.

Great for many reasons. It is close by and a pretty drive. The most difficult part of the drive is the 3 mile access road but the park service does a good job keeping it clean. It has plenty of parking. It isn’t super crowded like Tahoe. The place isn’t too big and is great for families and skiers that are there to enjoy nice skiing or snowboarding without feeling overwhelmed with a lot of choices and connector lifts. The region of the 108 has less population, hence the small town feel and perhaps they have fewer employees to compensate if crowds there are big, but they make up for it with positive attitude. I find everyone friendly and helpful. My husband and I bought season passes because of the prediction of some snow this year, I’m glad we did. I feel like the price is fair for the opportunity to ski often. If you want crowds and more expense with yes bigger longer slopes and fastest lifts I think you would prefer Tahoe. To those that bought season passes and there was a drought, so sorry. I calculated that if you go about 5 times you break even. Im happy there is snow this year and I hope Dodge Ridge and other businesses nearby will prosper.

I originally found this place through a Google search of «closest ski resorts to San Francisco». Dodge Ridge is actually quite a bit closer to the Bay Area than Lake Tahoe. You can make the drive up here from San Francisco in under 3 hours if the traffic conditions are good, perfect for a day trip.
I’ve only been to Tahoe ski resorts my whole life so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised by Dodge Ridge. Since it’s in a less popular area, it’s much less crowded than your typical Tahoe ski resort. We arrived 45min after opening and were able to snag a parking spot two minutes away from the main lodge.
There was no lines for checking in, pickup rental equipment, or getting on the lifts, so you can spend as much time skiing/​boarding as possible. The slope selection is smaller than many Tahoe resorts, but you’ll have plenty to do for the day. From what I could tell, most of the trails were best-​suited for beginner to intermediate level skiers. Prices are reasonable too, $ 68 for an all-​day adult lift ticket.
I want to give a special shout out to the instructors and staff. They really make this a welcoming place for beginners. My girlfriend and I signed up for beginner classes and our instructor, Phil Pakin, was incredibly helpful. One girl in our class group was particularly struggling in the beginning and Phil was incredibly patient in taking the extra time to get her caught up. He also let us know about free classes at 3pm, and there were few enough students there that we were able to get Phil for what was basically a free private lesson. It was super useful for us. Phil was really helpful in teaching us the proper technique and super encouraging as our skills improved.
I’d definitely recommend Dodge Ridge for a day trip from the Bay Area. Not too crowded, great staff, and awesome location.

I’m giving this place one start because I couldn’t give it negative starts!!! Awful awful experience! Extremely rude staff! Awful trails that are not taken care of at all! rocks and pieces of wood sticking out of the ground on the trails that can easily break your bones if you trip on them or hit them!
My family and our family friends went to this place the week before new years this year (there was about 15 of us), we checked their website the night before, no warning about the windy weather what so ever. We got there and bought our tickets and rentals, and went to get on the lift. First off, the trails were plain ice! Where you get on the lift, there was no mat to increase the friction and prevent people from falling! People kept falling when getting on the lift and the lift controller wouldn’t stop the lift or at least go to their help! The lift guy pushed my cousin into the lift instead of helping her and yelled at us for being like one inch over the red line!!! only two lifts were open ans After we did two runs, which were awful due to heavy wind, they closed those two as well! Everyone went to the ticket station to check on the refund status. The staff were awfully awfully rude about it and told us that there could be no refund ans just a voucher to come back! My cousins don’t live in California so we told them that we couldn’t come back this season, so they finally told us that they’d give us a gift card for the resort! The lift ticket I bought was 69 $ and they gave a gift card for 29 $ and when I asked why the difference in amounts the lady said that that was the best she could do ans that she was doing me a favor and that I needed to basically get out of her face! We spent over 2000 $ there with lift tickets and rentals ans that doesn’t include the food, and we got nothing back for it except for the staff being awfully rude to us! Horrible experience! Never putting my foot back there again even if it was the last resort on earth!

We chose this place because its billed as the closet place to the bay area however that might not always be the case. We went on a beautiful day and yet needed snow chains on the way up. I’m not sure how all the roads are fine except Dodge Ridge Rd? I’m wondering if this resort is making a buck on all us city folk that are in a surprised predicament?! Had to pay for chains and service.
We usually ski once a year and get the basic pkg. which gives you the rentals, lift tickets to a few of the smaller lifts and a lesson. I told the guy there we wanted that package but did not need the lesson. I couldn’t believe the hassle I received for this. He refused to sell me the package so finally acquiesced and told him we would take the lesson. He then said he would have to see if they had any. Mind you this was on Christmas day and around 9:30 in the morning. It took awhile but finally he sold us the package and of course we bypassed getting the lesson.
The people that were manning the lifts as you exited were nowhere to be seen or were far from helpful. As people would fall from the lift they would not bother to get out of their booth to help these people nor would they even greet skiiers as they were skiing off the lift. The service was unbelievably horrible especially for Christmas day. Guess they were being forced to work on this day?
The food at the lodge. Bleh. I thought I would warm up with a burrito but I should’ve left my gloves on for this. Someone needs to tell these folks that burritos are supposed to be heated up. seriously-​if the cheese hasn’t melted then its not ready!
Good news is that the slopes we did ski on were fine for our needs and some of the staff were very nice although certainly couldn’t make up for the others.
We’ve been to too many good locations to ever return to this one. Disappointed.