Hitting the slopes in Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe area is rich in ski resorts, with plenty of powder for pros and recreational skiers alike.

“You have a really amazing view of the lake when you’re skiing,” U.S. Ski Team member Lila Lapanja said. “It feels like you’re skiing into this giant bowl of water.”

For World Cup downhill ski champion Travis Ganong, a fellow Tahoe native, the work-life balance and laid-back vibe are a big part of the area’s appeal.

“If it snows, I would cancel your meetings for the day,” he said. “You can call in on a powder day and say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go ski for an hour or two,’ and your boss is gonna be like, ‘All right, I’ll meet you on the chair.’ ”

Ganong also encourages visitors to get out and explore the backcountry.

“A lot of the marked trails on the trail map, that’s just maybe 10 percent of the actual skiing here,” he said. “The amazing skiing comes in the off-piste skiing in the bowls and the gulleys and the trees.”

Four-time Olympic skier Daron Rahlves, who calls the mountains “my church,” moved to Tahoe from the San Francisco Bay Area when he was 12. “The mountains around here just kind of drag a lot of people out into ’em,” he said.

Rahlves credited the combination of the weather (“It feels warm, even when it’s winter time”) and the “free-spirited people” with making Tahoe a magnet for pro athletes looking to hone their craft.

Non-Olympians will find lots of ways to stay occupied on and off the slopes. The lake is dotted with charming small towns, such as mellow Kings Beach or the more European-style village of Tahoe City, that are ripe for exploration on a day when you might be nursing tired ski legs.

You can also try your hand gambling before grabbing a steak dinner at oldschool joints such as former Sinatra hangout Crystal Bay Casino, or just relax with a drink at placid lakeshore spots such as the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in Incline Village.

In short, there’s no wrong way to do Lake Tahoe. And that’s its charm.