The Ridge Crest

Full disclosure: I own a week at Ridge Crest.

Positives: Units are clean, quiet, up to date and reasonably well maintained. Ample street parking provides much shorter walk car to unit than most timeshares. You can call ahead for a free shuttle that can take you to the lift in 2 minutes. Building has a hot tub, sauna, BBQ, free pool table, ski lockers and laundry facilities. View in winter is of a snow covered hill with lights from the main Ridge timeshares.

Negatives: Extended facilities (pool, gym, front desk, spa...) are too far away to walk. I haven't seen the view in summer, but I wouldn't expect anything spectacular.

Overall: Great place for skiers. It has decent accommodations very close to the lift (almost walking distance). The 10 min. drive to stateline is not unusual for many places in the area. If you want to spend your week at a "resort" and not out and about exploring the High Sierra, you'd be better off over at the Ridge Tahoe, with it's extended facilities.

Stayed here July 4th week, 2002 on exchange. A fire in the area kept us out for two nights (ughh!). Unit was nice but facility was less than expected. Pool and most other recreation facilities are at Tahoe Ridge, a tough 20 minute walk or a shuttle ride away, so inconvenient that you have to plan ahead to use it.

Our "spectacular" view was of other condo buildings and the dirt undernerath the empty chair lift. Not very nice to look at.

The "resort" location is more like 10 miles away from the lake and the nearest market. The altitude change from South Lake Tahoe and the casinos at Stateline is about 5,000 feet on winding mountain roads. It might be nice in the winter for a ski resort, but in the summer, where the lake is the draw, this is not the place to be.