Was here on a Tuesday (1/13/15) for their 'Old School Days' special - $50 lift & rental included. Service was fantastic and all staffs were very helpful. This place is great for kids learning how to ski or snowboard. Will be back, hopefully with more snow!!! read more

We traveled from SC to go skiing. It was my husband's first time skiing so the price is what got my attention. The day we planned to ski, the resort had a power outage. We were able to get a voucher and come back the next day. Claire and Claudia was very helpful with everything. She even called us when the power came back on but we had already headed back to Reno. The next day, we had a great experience with all the staff!! They were all very kind and so helpful. Cody checked on us and gave my husband good points for his first time skiing. We ended up staying all day. Didn't think we would. At the end of the day, I got brave and decided to jump the hills. Well, I fell and hit my head and he came and checked on me right away. We went there thinking it was a good starter resort for my husband but we will come back when we get another chance!! Thank you so much making my husbands first ski experience a wonderful one! Can't wait to come back! read more

it was my first visit to the ski resort, and I would say everything was very simple to understand as a first timer. What I mean is, when you need to rent ski's, boots, get your pass and get fitted. they made it a pretty smooth system. They had lots of staff to assist and help with your complete fitting! they have two options, half day pass or full day pass. $59 for an all day adult pass and $49 for a half day adult pass. Junior's 13 to 17 years of age $47 all day $40 half day. Child 7 to 12 years of age $25 all day $19 half a day. these prices are less if you are a member. They have a total of 15 runs, of course all may not be in operation. They're open 9AM to 4PM. They do have some light dinning options. Pizza on the hill and a lodge which features a pub! yeah!! They also have a hotel right on site for those week-end enthusiasts that want to spend multiple days skiing. in my humble first time opinion visiting this place I would definitely recommend it to the entire family. They do offer lessons for first time skiers as well! $35 for snow boarding lessons and they do offer package deals on their website that gives you lessons all day pass and all your equipment rentals. again I would recommend taking the entire family and making it a lot of fun. read more

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The best place for families to ski in the Tahoe area, period. For one, it's still affordable. For two, the lodge overlooks the main bunny slope and all the runs finish at the same place, right in front of the lodge, so parents can feel comfortable letting their kids 6 and up go on the lift by themselves. For three, the parking cannot be beat. You're never more than a couple hundred feet from the lodge, and usually much closer than that, so quick trips to the car for supplies is no big deal. For four, no lines. Ever. Seriously, I've been bringing my kids here every year since 2003, and we have never had to wait in line. And I don't mean there are no long lines. I mean no lines period. You ski right up to the front. So, your skiing vs. lift line ratio is WAY better here than anywhere else I've ever been. For more advanced skiers/boarders, there are better hills, but you can still have a nice day here. The backside has some nice black diamond runs, nothing super challenging, but fun nonetheless. For skiers in the their 40s like me, the somewhat short length of these runs is actually a blessing on aging knees. Some have complained about the lodge. I love it. No frills, decor straight from the 70s, a nice big fireplace with benches to sit around. And the bar has that wood-paneled old-school 70s alpine lodge feel, with windows overlooking the main bunny slope. And a nice big deck too. Seriously, what's to complain about? I enjoy sitting on the deck on sunny days with a beer in my hand and looking over at the poor saps at Sugar Bowl (you can see it from the deck) who shelled out $84 and laughing at their misfortune, thinking of the pain-in-the ass gondola and long-ass lift lines their paying premium for. In conclusion: best place for families, low-key vibe, GREAT place to kids to learn and parent to feel comfortable, decent runs for more advanced skiers/riders. Only reason I didn't give a 5-star rating is the snow can be an issue due to lower elevation. Even so, 80% of the times we've gone, the snow has been great. read more

This is NOT a place for first timers or kids. There are no safe places to learn. I so wanted to love this place. Took the kids there for their first-ever ski experience. Thirty minutes in we were getting publicly yelled at on the tiny bunny slope by one of the instructors. My 11 year old daughter and 7 year old son were in tears... We were not trying to break any rules! Please, if we are doing something wrong, talk to us politely (after all, we ARE paying customers!) and we will happily comply. I reported the rudeness to the director who looked at me coldly and basically shrugged. Ironically, hanging on the wall behind her was a plaque stating something about "kindness and hugs and happiness." Riiiiiight. Very disappointing. read more

I learned to ski here as a kid and recently took my own kids up to learn to snowboard. All four of us took lessons for both days. The staff was excellent! Because it was a weekday the slopes were empty and in both lessons our family of four had an instructor to ourselves. My kids who are 9 and 7 were a little fearful of the lifts but each time I asked they slowed the lift down so the kids could get off easily. The price was the cost of other nearby resorts and there was plenty of terrain available. For all beginner and intermediate skiers/snowboarders his resort has plenty to offer at reasonable prices. Thanks to the staff for making my kids first snow experience a blast! read more

Everyone here was very kind. It was an amazing experience and I will be coming back again! There is a good amount of parking. There is a cafeteria. And the slopes are great!! read more

we came here because they had a great package for first time kids...well you get why you paid for. the instructors spent 15 mins teaching the basics and then proceeded to put them high on lift to the middle of the mountain. let's just say that wasn't the smartest decision. they spent the next 40 mins trying to get them down...while instilling fear and intrepidation in our kids. we spent the afternoon ourselves trying to instill basic snow plowing skills, and more importantly, confidence back in the kids. lastly, the instructors were impatient and not nurturing. will never come back here again and do not recommend you take your kids here. read more

For a family owned ski resort. Donner Ski Ranch is a very good upgrade to Boreal. Backside has many different runs and short lines. They do have some old lifts but, with the short lines its a bonus. Prices are very reasonable and they also provide midweek deals at $25. I would suggest for new boarders versus Boreal. Plus its closer than Boreal.... read more

A few years ago they had some Wicked Midweek special, one thursday of the month 5$ all-day pass. They had this calendar with this crazy color coding, one day of the month is the 5$ day, rest of the midweek was 15 or 20$ and weekends were $30. Too bad that was years of yore. This place is nice in the intermediate range. Theres no terrain park at all, it's one giant hill on the front but the backside is ok. It's a small place, smaller than Boreal, actually they used to have a pass where you could skii both places on the same pass. You could see boreal from the backside, it was kinda neat. If you have a pack of adventurous noobs that have advanced a bit this place is for you. But after one day of being there you'd pretty much have done all the runs. The noobie area is a slightly steeper noobie area, so first timers should avoid this place. But then you'd learn faster on a steeper slope. It depends on your learning style. I like the shack that you see near the parking lot. It is THE shack of shacks in the area! read more

My husband and I took snowboarding lessons for $62 including ski lift and rental which is a pretty good deal. We absolutely love this place and our instructor Bill, was awesome!!! All 6 of us in our class picked it up pretty quick he is that good plus my husband was actually able to go down the expert double black diamond trail! Bill really helped us out and was very patient with us. If you want to take boarding lessons take it from Donner and look for Bill!!! I love their trails too, I've been to 4 or 5 different resorts for skiing and this place is definitely on the top of my list to board and/or ski! read more

Inattentive lift operators who using the chairlift dangerous for first time skiers and a rude ski instructor that made our two youngest children cry. Also the facilities are pretty decrepit. Not worth the cheap price. You get what you pay for. read more

Amazing pies! Stopped in after hiking during the afternoon I had the apple and berries, the wife had the rhubarb Both to die for A great reward for hiking read more

I like Donner, It's cheap, easy to get to, nobody is ever there, and the backside of the mountain (when it is open) is a lot of fun. Also, a friend of mine got a snowboarding lesson here, and the instructor was the hottest piece of man-meat I'd ever seen. rrrwow! minus one star for not being able to pay enough employees to keep the whole mountain open all the time. read more

Took the kids (3 and 9 years old) to Donner Ski Ranch and we had a blast! The snowboarding hill was lots of fun and the staff were friendly. I do think they should have a kids price for the snow tubing because the littles can only last so long in the snow but overall we had a good time. read more

Great lift and trails, not crowded and the staff here is super helpful. No had a binding break and Ricky in the rental and repair area fixed it without any hesitation. Class act and great service. Will return and highly recommend! read more

If you want low ticket prices, a down to earth vibe and a great place for kids to learn how to ski then this is your ski resort. The vibe at this place reminds me of when I was a kid. I hate the corporate BS you experience at resorts that have been purchased by corporations. Donner Ski Ranch has none of that going on. I've already bought season passes for my family for next year. This place shreds! read more

One of the most affordable ski resorts in the Tahoe area. Not only is this ski resort affordable at $25.00, it has a lot to choose from as far as ski runs. Nice intermediate to more challenging runs. On the ride up on chair 1, some amazing views of the area , as well as Donner Lake. I find this ski resort friendly, challenging, and never a dull moment. My friend took ski lessons and the staff at the ski school were super nice , super friendly and very patient. A very relaxed environment. WIll definitely come back . read more

I had a great time snowboarding in this little mountain. The variety of runs makes up for the short distances. It's also cheap! With the number of huge and expensive resorts in the Sierras, this place is a hidden gem. There aren't a lot of people, especially on the backside. read more

A few of us had lunch here yesterday and wow were we disappointed. Probably the worse service any of us had ever experienced. Plus, the food was mediocre. All of us are long time locals and non of us will ever go back or recommend this ski area. read more

It's my first season of snowboarding, this was one of the first places we went too. Our group was a range of experienced and novice boarders and skier. It does get old fast when you're no longer afraid of the ski lifts, but it's a great place for a beginner to learn. I do wish that they would upgrade the lodge/food area a bit more, but, that's probably how they keep costs low. read more

In a pinch, they serve fried food at this bar, which is convenient. The only place that serves food off-season if you're staying at Sugarbowl Resort. read more

I came here for my first time snowboarding and took the beginners class. The instructors were decent and not very patient. The lifts seem to work good and for 70 bucks for a lift ticket and instructors, you cannot beat it. read more

We skied here for two days recently. This was my kids first time skiing. We appreciate the great value that this place is. We had skiers from all levels w us and there was plenty to ski to keep everyone happy for the day. The lunch menu is great and the prices are reasonable. I needed sunglasses and the store had many options w/out breaking the bank. The back side of the mountain is a real gem....not many people there and some fun blue and black runs. I also liked that the parking lot was close and easy to access. I found the staff friendly. I did see one instructor that seemed to be getting short w his two very young students. He spoke to them gruffly. My children took two lessons. The first lesson was alright given that they'd never been on skis before. We pulled them from the second lesson bc they weren't learning anything new. All in all though I'd definitely go back. If I wanted lessons I would probably look at other options. read more

Had another great day of skiing. While there was not a ton of snow, there was enough snow to ski. I finally paid full price for a lift ticket, I have been spoiled when it comes to buying a lift ticket. I usually go skiing at Donner Ski Ranch on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, where the lift ticket is only $40.00 dollars, this price is lower than any other lift ticket at any of the other Ski Resorts. A lot of intermediate runs, some runs groomed and some powder. They also have a very good café and bar. read more

If I could give Donner Ski Ranch less than one star I would. The facility is old and the toilets are flight. We were a party of 7 that had never done skiing or snowboarding before. Four of us (3 adults and 1 teen) signed up for a ski beginners lesson. The others (1 teen and two kids) signed up for snowboarding. Our ski lesson was extremely poor. Our instructor (Steven) was unfriendly, arrogant and had no patience. He didn't give anyone in the group a chance to grasp the basics, didn't teach how to turn etc and put us on a high slope where we all fell multiple times because we hadn't a clue what we were doing. There was a second instructor (Jordan) who was maybe a little better but seemed annoyed at any questions. The snowboarding group had a better experience. This place is definitely cheap but you get what you pay for. Would not recommend it. read more

I used to love this place. I hadn't been here in years & was excited to introduce my kids to skiing at one of my favorite winter places. I wish I had checked Yelp first! I called ahead because we were coming mid-week for Old School Days and was assured that Ski School would be in session. It was, but... it was an absolutely worthless waste of time. The instructor started them out sliding around on one ski, then the other, then showed them how to do a snow plow. It was a good start. Then she took them inside for a cup of hot chocolate for 20 minutes, and then she had them ride the "magic carpet" and slide down the little learning hill. And that was it, that was our 90-minute lesson. There was no instruction about HOW TO STOP, or TURN, or GET UP when you fall. My son was literally falling to the ground in order to stop, then taking his skis off to stand up, and then putting them back on. No one told them to knock the snow out of their boots so my son once spent 20 minutes at the top of the learning hill trying to get his ski latched before I finally went outside & asked someone to help him. (Why did I have to do that? Why didn't a staff member notice he was in trouble & do something?) My daughter gave up after three runs down the learning hill because she didn't know how to turn & she was afraid she was going to run into the little kids. My son plodded on for a while longer, but I ended up having to spend another $48 dollars so they could spend two hours on the tubing hill. After already spending $156 on the lift tickets (which were never even used!) equipment rental, and lessons. Getting out of school for the day was the only good thing about that trip. read more

My wife and two young children bought four tickets for the magic carpet, it was the kids first time on ski's. After a couple runs, the operator says, "They closed it." and begins to walk off. My wife asks what we were supposed to do? The employee responded, "You can walk up!" I went inside to find out what was up and it turns out the employee just felt like stopping the lift because we were the only ones using it, she wanted to go home, whatever. Long story short: DSR management contacts me and asks for me to remove my poor review. I accidentally click the wrong button and my old review is gone, but I respond that I wasn't mad about the lift stopping for 10 minutes, but being lied to and treated rudely by your employee. DSR management responds with a text, stating they hope we never come back.... Really? A simple sorry for your inconvenience, it was a problem employee and the situation has been taken care of. Done. read more

Seriously don't read this and think oh that's just one persons perspective. It's sad how horrible this place is. They didn't groom, customer service is horrible and it feels like no one knows what they are doing. Just go somewhere else and avoid the disappointment. read more

My wife and I are both beginner skiers and read the great reviews about Donner being a good place to learn. Actually, it is definitely NOT a good place for complete beginners. We already took a lesson from NorthStar the day before, and I was skiing on most of their greens plow-style with no problem. My wife was falling a bit but could handle turns. The next day, we went to Donner, and I really wanted to like the place given the description of a family friendly old-fashioned place.When we arrived, the place felt great with its old-style cabin, and the parking lot is right next to the main lift. Rentals - on their website, they advertise $40 adult rental and lift ticket deals, but this is only good on Tues-Thurs. Otherwise, rental + ticket = $78. We weren't the only ones confused because there were 4 separate people who came in after us on Friday asking exactly the same thing when their total came up to be double what they were expecting. Their website is a bit of manipulative advertising. Slopes - really slippery on a fine sunny day. No precip for nearly one month. My wife and I both just could not stop on their gear + slopes. The whole layout of the place is poorly designed for beginners in comparison to bigger resorts. First, all of their runs dump on the big, pretty steep hill that you see from the parking lot. If that hill looks too steep to you, then don't ski here, because there is very little room at the bottom for you to stop, and you can't avoid this area since this is where the two main lifts are. I saw several people plowing into each other at the bottom and lots more who fell of their backsides to try to skid to a stop. The bunny slope / magic carpet area is just terrible for beginner skiers because of the steepness of that area. The flatter part is way past the beginning of the magic carpet, and you have to go UPHILL for ~80 ft just to get to the beginning of the magic carpet. My wife was completely struggling to get to the carpet, and she wasn't the only one. I found it extremely difficult myself, and I notice that several other people did as well. Some of the kids were pulled up by their walking parents, but ALL the adult skiers had to just take of their skis and walk up. The width and length of the magic carpet itself is also clearly made just for little kids and not for adult beginners. I asked one of the older instructors who was just standing there about why it was so slippery and her reply was that I should put my toe down and take some lessons. She then went on complaining about how few people there were to take lessons to some other staff. Green runs - tried two of them, and they were both fine in parts but other places were too steep or maybe it was their rental gear. The other side of the lift 6 is pretty flat, but again, everything dumps to the hill at the end. We only skied for 1.5 hours but my wife had enough and said she wanted to go somewhere else that was better designed for beginners. I would have tried more of the runs, but she was totally frustrated with their poor layout, so we returned our stuff and prepared to go elsewhere. We paid for full day rental, helmets, and lift tickets = $85 x 2, and we asked the manager, Gio, if we could have a return of a half day, but he said that under no circumstances did they ever give any portion of any refund at all. His offer was a voucher for another day at Donner that had to be used in 15 days. He also said that we were the only people in the last two weeks who complained which just simply is not true since I personally saw three different groups asking about various complaints like a wrong charge, etc. It's a shame because I really wanted to like the place, but overall, I had a terrible time at Donner. It's NOT particularly friendly, and it's just awfully designed for adult beginners. I had a much better time at North Star, where the people are lot nicer and everything is just designed better. In my opinion the price difference, especially over the weekend, is really worth it, but it does get a little crowded. Maybe Donner would be better for intermediates. The only saving grace was the spectacular view of Donner Lake and the surrounding mountains on the way up. read more

This place is not very fun. First of all the ski lifts are all slow and old. Second of all the food place had very long lines and the parking lot was very small. The only part that was good was the backside of the mountain, witch they kicked us off 40 minutes for the resort closes. If you want a resort with very cheap prices go here, but be warned the service is no where near a nicer resort such as northstar or sugar bowl. read more

I can't say enough good about this FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED business. We are not skiers, but love the mountains. It turns out that Donner Ski Ranch has events almost every weekend during the "off" season. For example, they sponsor a "pie walk" (take a hike and enjoy a slice of homemade pie and a cocktail) and many other outdoor events. We have never had a problem parking, there is a small cafe and bar that is open on weekends and staff has been super friendly and helpful. I would recommend avoiding the big business feel of the other ski resorts and visiting this wonderful establishment instead. read more

The price went up a little bit, yet still the best price around for Skiing. Donner Ski Ranch has more ski surface than Boreal. If your are learning to ski , this is the resort for you, if you are a intermediate skier this is the resort for you. They have a huge fireplace inside the resort.....totally old school, staff is great, they have music being played over a speaker near the lift lines, food is good, might try the BBQ, when I have gone to ski, the locals run the resort , so it has a small Resort feel to the place, and people who love the area, because they live in the area. read more

I'm definitely green when it comes to snow sports. I did like this place a lot though because it's great for beginners. At $25/day its a steal in comparison to other resorts. Simple runs, good service, and just overall a solid small resort to get you started in skiing/snowboarding. read more

DSR has the feel of a rustic California 'Alpine' resort, as opposed to the more corporate experience you get from the others. We snowboarded the backside of the mountain all day, lots of off trail opportunities and powder. Varied terrain an. No lines! The most people we had, on a holiday, in front of us waiting for the lift was maybe three.... They also have a killer tobogan run. It is the last family owned and operated resort in Tahoe, and it really feels like it. We met the owner on the slope and he is really funny and a great guy. The cafeteria has a wood burning fireplace to warm up with (real wood). It is perfect for beginning skiers and s-boarders, and also challenging for the advanced. The bar is cool, and I loved the rental/repair shop with the guys rocking out to heavy metal all day long... Super vibe, best deal in Tahoe, a rare treat. The only drawback is no ski school for kids under 7. But we solved that by putting our little guy in ski school across the street at Sugarbowl... read more

I really did not enjoy this place. We were sent there with a voucher from rustic cottages for ski lift or tubing. We grabbed some friends in the area and headed up only to find out that tubing was closed, so we decided to pay for the ski rental. Now I am a ski newbie, but there was a problem with one of my skis being way too loose. I get they should be lose so they will come off when I constantly fall, but I couldn't even sidestep up to the moving stair without one coming off. I asked one of the instructor dudes (and my friends) and the conclusion was the right one was just off. So I go back inside what feels like a human assembly line and waited almost an hour for someone to finally help me with readjusting the skis. That sucked. I also didn't like that despite asking for shorter skis, I was still told they should be as tall as my head and not based on weight/level chart thing like the other places I have been. That made me feel way less confident in what I was getting to start. One other thing, we all paid for the same thing together on one bill. We get to the end of the assembly line and 2/4 of us have helmets. We ask what the deal is and they tell us, oh, none of you should have had helmets because you didn't pay the extra $7 and took 2/4 helmets away. That felt like a bad Seinfeld episode. So anyways, given the fact that my friends who weren't on the bunny slope like me had already bored of the hills there by the time they gave me the still too long, but not falling off skis, I didn't actually got to use them. I paid $38 to wait around and left feeling ripped off and dirty. I did ask if I could even get a partial refund and was told no way. Didn't even get to ride the lift, which was the one free thing we got from the cottage. Total bummer all around. read more

Great prices! Great staff that was very friendly and helpful. I gave them 3 stars because it is an older, slightly run-down and on our first day there we went to take our kids tubing. We didn't realize there was basically no snow on the tubing hill and no one at the ticket window told us there was no snow and no refunds. That was a bummer and a waste of $80 for (4 people). We came back the next day and went skiing which was a much better experience overall. read more

I really need to get back there and try it again. I learned to ski there in the early 60's. our family used to go there for a week every year and stay in the lodge. This is when there was only one chair lift, and it had an unload spot at the half way spot. As a small kid I got stuck on the bottom of the chair and had to drop about 20 feet into the snow bank past the drop off location before it went up the cliff. I've not been there since probably 1968, so it would be interesting to see what it looks like now. My family knew the owner at the time we went, and I remember playing with their kids, but don't remember the names. read more

This place is the lowest hassle and best value for money IF you're bringing kids to learn to ski. Not a lot of crazy steep hills, but staff that cares and a really nice little mountain. I'll be sad when my kids outgrow this place. They think it's the greatest place ever. read more

it's a bar at the ski lodge, what more do you need to know? oh yeah, they make a mean bloody mary!