China Peak Ski Resort

China Peak is such a great mountain!
I bought the snowbomb pass and was reluctant to drive the 6.5 hour trip to China Peak from Reno but it was well worth it. The drive was beautiful! I used my pass for boarding on Sunday and stayed in their lodge that night so used one of their stay and ski free tickets the next day (awesome deal!) The mountain was wonderful. It may seem small on the map but they have LOTS of GREAT RUNS for boarders and good snow to ride in the trees. The conditions were perfect and their runs are groomed very nice and they still have lots of untouched powder. I got there at around 2 in the morning on Saturday and slept in the car for a few hours before the lifts open and they were doing lots of work up on the mountain prepping for when they opened. The staff was very friendly and the mountain wasn’t crowded on Sunday. Monday was slow so it was super awesome to have so much of the mountain to myself to enjoy my ride. The lodge isn’t upscale but it met my needs just fine and for a free ticket, it was a good deal. They do provide bedding and towels etc but the bathroom and shower is down the hall which wasn’t a big deal. The only two complaints I have is the lodge doesn’t have microwaves so it made it tough to heat up my own food (heating pads work great for sore muscles and heating canned soup!) We also stayed in room 108 which is next to the water heater generator, it did kick on a few times while I was there, if you like that sound to buzz you to sleep then great! If not I would get a room a little further away.

I have been skiing here since I was five. Definitely pricey but completely worth it! This year’s slopes have been so fun due to the frequent snows.

So far so good. Food took awhile for dinner but the waiter more than accommodating. I felt really bad for him! He was running around like crazy trying to please everyone. The rooms are fine. Basically a place to sleep, nothing fancy. No vending machines. Cafeteria is fine. Food is good at the restaurant, but there was a long wait on a Saturday night

Save your money and go to a real resort. The owner of this place is trying to make up for the bad winters and its short staffed and not worth the money or time. Its really too bad since its got potential.

I have been skiing here since I was 13 I am now 42. I love this place and fond memories here. The upgrades here have made it more enjoyable and they keep on making it a fun and safe ski hill. I went once last year it was what I expected just a few runs open but that’s just cause there was no snow. It felt great to be on my skis again! I have four boys and have put them in the ski school which they do a great job at teaching you the basics, heck I learned at the school here but that we back in 1986. The stay and play at the lodge is just perfect for a guys trip that me and my best friend do every year. When this place is getting hit with good snow it’s a blast. For a 2 ½ drive for us that live in the valley it’s perfect. I would recommend it to anyone when the snow is good!

This review is only for the restaurant. Our party of eight brought our own wine and was told there was a $ 12 corkage fee… we were charged$ 15, and our server didn’t open the bottle or bring glasses untill she was reminded to when she was serving our dinner. French bread was as hard and dry as a croûton. The «world famous» soup was meh, and the salad was just okay. The fresh green beans were way too salty to eat. The steak was dry, tough and tastless. The lemon garlic chicken needed a steak knife to cut. The salmon was cooked right and pretty tasty. Overall VERY HIGH PRICE for poor service and mostly bad food. We, all eight, will not return.

I am so thankful we have a great resort. I know that it has been a tough winter this year with the lack of snow… I really appreciate they update us daily on the new snow.

I heard about China Peak while researching a Mammoth ski trip I wanted to take after Jan 1^st, 2015. I ended up going through China Peak’s facebook profile, reading Unilocal,looking at images and so on. One of the main reasons I chose China Peak was their Veteran discounts which really peaked my interest.
Ann Louise Jorgenson was a huge help on the phone despite being interrupted 15 times.
China Peak is a solid 5 hour drive from Orange County so I left at 4:00am to be there around 9:00am. That was a good choice and I would even shoot for 3:00 am next time. The drive was great. Barely any traffic and I cruised 80 mph most of the way and only stopped once for gas and a pee break.
As soon as we arrived we suited up at the car grabbed our gear and headed down to the lift area.
At the lift ticket window everything went smooth and they honored my veteran status without question (50% discount). I rented skis and the process was fairly smooth.
Although the skiing was awesome, China Peaks greatest asset is the staff and management. These folks do their very best to provide an awesome experience.
Bonuses:
— Great discounts for Veterans and family.
— Nice terrain when there is adequate snow.
— It’s out of LA so there aren’t really any lines.
— The drive and area are beautiful.
— Staff is extremely friendly and helpful.
— Not too many snowboarders
Cons:
— 5 hr drive from LA (not their fault)
— Ski rentals were a little pricey.
— Restaurant was expensive and tried to be too upscale for resort.
— Rooms at the Inn aren’t all that great but they do get the job done.
— Limited lifts & runs open.
Lastly, a big thanks to all the staff. You made our first visit memorable.

I tried to check in earlier but I guess Metro PCS on the T-​Mobile satellites are no bueno up there, which of course is not China Peak’s fault. I enjoy the most part of it. The only part I don’t like is that long straight away. I hope one day they can find a solutions for it because for most beginners that is a long walk. I guess word of mouth they call that the walk of shame. So that is very embarrassing walking that strip 4 times.

Purchased the beginners’ lesson at the resort. The equipment was included. The instructor was knowledgeable and patient. Great experience for first timers. The lesson would have been perfect, except the lift carpet broke down mid instruction and the lesson was shortened.

Crazy Bernie has been skiing here since arriving in Cali in 1979. Through many ownership changes this has always been my go to ski resort. Today’s experience cemented its spot at the top of the leader board. I took my grand daughter sienna there for an afternoon of fun and soon found that my 7 year old snow blades has a blown binding. Kevin in rentals turned me on to longtime China peak veteran Andy in repairs and demos. After alittle small talk about our common friends like Mary walker tim bell and Jonathan bell and my father in law who everyone on the mountain knows, Loran Martin, Andy fixed me up and had me skiing with Sienna in a matter of minutes. You can’t teach that. You are born with that level of dedication to your customers. I am so thankful to Andy, Kevin, and even that big lunkhead wearing 4x rumble to the peak shirt. Didn’t catch his name but I have something in common with him. I rode in the rumble to the peak in 2014 and have the same t –shirt. Just with a couple less xx’s in the size. Rock on China Peak crew. Can’t wait to come back up. crazy Bernie

So the pictures online do not match the rooms that you end up when we got there the lady said that my reservation was nowhere to be found I even had a confirmation number and they still couldn’t find my reservation we went to our room and it was not cleaned we went downstairs and the lady said so sorry I’ll get it cleaned went back up there after we were told it was clean and their boogers and blood all over our bathroom wall went back downstairs to tell her and she said that she was sorry and she gave us a different room which was no better because they were glasses with still dirt in that room. she did and comping us a one night stay and breakfast in the morning but if you’re looking for a nice place to stay don’t stay here also there’s no microwave anywhere in the place so if you’re planning on trying to save some money and microwave meals and whatnot don’t do it here

Came here for New Years Dinner, spent $ 300 and they ran out of steak by 7pm!!! They are understaffed, service was horrible and our food was disgusting. I am so very disappointed, we grabbed some champs and called it an evening after this horrible experience. Food was cold!!! Arrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh!

Ignore all these bad reviews. Last time I checked, skiing is supposed to be a fun family time. I did not stay at the lodge because I live in Fresno which is perfect. I was impressed by the amount of runs on this mountain. I was also impressed by the rental staff. Going above and beyond to make sure everything fit correctly. had a burger and it was good. A little expensive. Next time I’ll bring my grill and cook in the parking lot.

This is a great local resort. Some reviews complain about the amenities, expecting a ski resort like Lake Tahoe or Mammoth Mountain. If you live closer to Lake Tahoe, Mammoth or Big Bear Lake, go there instead. China Peak has a great mountain, excellent runs. They are long, well groomed, quite difficult in some parts and have a run for beginners that can get you to the top of the peak and take an easy ride down. Now, for the problems, it has to snow for this place to be worth it. They do make snow but the runs are long and they just can’t cope. The hotel, restaurant, bars and snack shacks are mediocre at best. But I go there to hit long runs, NOT drink coco by the camp fire.

This was my first skiing experience. I never tried any of the steeper slopes and never took the lift. So if you are looking for an experts review this is not for you.
We went there early Spring on A Sunday afternoon. I took the beginners lessons. My instructor Rick started with the basics — wearing the skis, removing, the ski stance, the wedge stance and the penguin stance. We then tried the bunny slope which was pretty slippery. Rick’s instructions were pretty good and after some falling and picking ourselves up (no shame there!!) I was able to ski in no time. I tried the intermediate slope after that and was able to do it fairly well.
After the lesson I kept practicing in the moderate slope. Didn’t try an of the higher slopes as I don’t know to turn yet.
Will definitely be back next year when there is supposed to be more snow. I went there not expecting much as it was my first time. But left satisfied having learnt something new and more importantly the urge to try again!
P.S If you are looking for gloves, ski pants or goggles check out the Sporting goods shop near Shaver Lake on Highway CA — 168. Me and my group of friends got a lot of stuff for cheap as it was the end of season.

I wouldn’t bring my kids within 100 yards of the Inn ! Gross gross gross. The area is very nice though.

Interesting drive here, south of my usual Tahoe trips. Hmmmmm…
Ok, small mountain, only had 3 lifts open due to our drought of snow this season which was understandable. If it wasn’t for my free lift tix, Id give this resort a 2. May I add the lifts were kinda sluggish.
Location is cumbersome to locate. If it’s your first time, do your recon to locate this place. Leave earlier than closing time. Driving around on this single lane roads in the dark sucks a fat one.
Oh and the food was ok, staff services could be better. 3 stars for me…
–Duces–

Great customer service. I broke my board on my first run and the dude at the rental shop took pity on me and gave me a killer deal on a rental.
Bring a lunch. The food here is pretty bad and expensive.

Came here on a Thursday afternoon in the spring. The place was empty and the conditions were PRIME! China Peak has some really good and long runs that are pretty wide and open. Since it was already march we got our all day passes for $ 30 by showing our college IDs and class schedules. The snow here on a good day is super silky and you glide over it like melting butter.
The only complaint I have is some parts of the run are too flat and/​or are raised (could be due to the recent, ungroomed snowfall) and many of us (even the good riders) had to unstrap and push or walk a good ¼ of a mile to get to lift #6!