wrote:

I'm trying to take up skiing. I'm a novice skier but would like to
move up by taking more lessons. What's the closest ski hill via car
to Palo Alto, CA?

Dodge Ridge is probably the closest, but Bear Valley is not much
farther. On I-80, Soda Springs is the closest, followed by Boreal,
Sugar Bowl, and Donner Ski Ranch. Sugar Bowl's ski school is very
good, and I've heard that Bear Valley's is also good. I don't know
about the ski schools at the other areas.

I've been to Sugar Bowl and it's about a 5 hr drive and
driving up that tight snow hill was rather nerve wrecking.

On dry roads with no traffic, Sugar Bowl is 3.5 hours from Palo
Alto. Donner Pass Road, which leads to Sugar Bowl, can be tricky
during a snow storm.

Also, it'd be nice to find cheap overnight accommodations if
available. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

For the Tahoe/Truckee/Soda Springs area, I have a list of places to
stay:

http://www.terrymorse.com/ski/places/tahoe.html

--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/ski/