Boreal Mountain Resort, Soda Springs

Pros: generally one of the first 'resorts' to open, closer to the Bay Area than many other resorts, cheap Cons: You get what you pay for. This is by far the cheapest looking, least maintained, most unprofessional resort in California, if not the entire United States. The lodge looks like a mid 80's roller skating rink, parking is a joke, and the staff is rude and uncaring. Expect to wait in line for 20 minutes or more on days when the other resorts would have no line at all. Aside from being short and poorly maintained, the runs require you to do some serious hiking once you get off the lifts. Boreal makes their money off a very specific demographic, so if you can afford to spend a few dollars more to go to a resort such as Kirkwood, Northstar, or Squaw, I highly encourage you to do so.