This South Lake Tahoe CA vacation home is available for home exchange with The Vacation Exchange Network. Stunning mountain views, covered porches, and two fireplaces make this the perfect home for your next Lake Tahoe vacation.

In Lake Tahoe, California this week, April (Snow) Showers Bring May Flowers Happy Spring Skiers

Spring skiers in Lake Tahoe, California are enjoying the powdery conditions of mid-April snow.  In North Lake Tahoe, ski areas Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe are all reporting powder.  Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is reporting packed powder.  Kirkwood Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe is also reporting powder — 25 inches in the past 48 hours!

In addition to the April snow and the spring weather, many of these resorts are running specials on their lift tickets.  Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe’s spring skiing daily lift tickets are only $29!  Whether your skiing looks more like Bode Miller’s or my six-year-old’s, spring skiing in Lake Tahoe will certainly offer you gorgeous conditions, unbeatable weather, and unforgettable views.

Lake Tahoe Home Exchange

The Vacation Exchange Network has many North Lake Tahoe home exchanges and South Lake Tahoe home swaps, as well as many other California vacation homes available for home exchange.  To spotlight a few:

North Lake Tahoe California Vacation Home with Wrap-Around Deck

This vacation home in North Lake Tahoe boasts a stone fireplace and a wrap-around deck.  Three bedrooms and a loft sleep 8.  Squaw Valley, Northstar, and Alpine Meadows ski areas are all within minutes.

Lake Tahoe Cabin with Open Floor Plan and Access to Private Marina

This 3-bedroom vacation home on Donner Lake offers boat launch, private marina, and easy access to ski and golf.  Open floor plan and large wrap-around porch will make your vacation home exchange unforgettable.

South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home on Shore of Lake Tahoe Available for Home Swap

This luxury 5,000 square foot four-level vacation home on the shore of Lake Tahoe boasts a private beach and a deck with a stunning view.  Located close to Lake Tahoe ski areas, this 4-bedroom, 5-bath home with a gourmet kitchen will certainly make you feel right at home.

We’d love to hear your feedback!  How are the ski conditions in Tahoe?  Do you have a favorite ski resort or any restaurants or shops to recommend?

Vacation Home Exchange Opportunity in Kauai, Hawaii

Besides offering a haven of tranquility or a home base for your adventures, vacation homes also offer many owners a major source of income.  A substantial number of vacation and second home owners rent their homes to vacationers.  This rental income is not inconsequential.  Some vacation rentals can go for as much as $12,000 or more per week.  But, even the most desirable vacation properties in the most desirable vacation destinations have unrented weeks.

So, the vacation home sits empty and unused, and the owners of the vacation home consider the week a loss.  This doesn’t have to be the case.  That unrented week can be used in a home exchange, also called a home swap.  By joining The Vacation Exchange Network, an unrented week in your vacation home enables you to take that trip you’ve been dreaming about, in the United States or around the world.  And you can take your trip in an affordable way, avoiding the high cost of lodging.

You don’t have to wait for someone to use your home in order for you to make a home exchange. Unlike other home swap companies, you can travel when and where you want without having to find someone to use your home.   Simply find a vacation home in our Network, or have our home exchange coordinators find one for you, and arrange to stay there for your vacation.  The other home owner will receive an Exchange Credit to be used on a future vacation.  Similarly, when you allow another Vacation Exchange Network member to use your vacation property, you’ll receive an Exchange Credit.

Home exchange is a great way try spring skiing in Colorado, Utah, or Vermont, to dust off those golf clubs in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, or to travel somewhere you’ve never been.  Just browse through our vacation properties to get some ideas, and we’ll help you find that perfect vacation.

To learn more about home swaps, including how to list your vacation home, how to join our home swap Network, or what makes The Vacation Exchange Network a unique house swap program, please visit us at www.TheVacationExchange.com.  We look forward to helping you plan your next vacation!

No more lamenting those unrented weeks; they’re your key to your next vacation!

Ski conditions.  These are in the eye of the beholder.  I learned this on a ride up a chair lift on a recent February ski trip.

It was snowing – a lot – and there was gorgeous powdery snow covering the entire mountain.  The evergreen trees were caked in what looked like confectioner’s sugar.  My family and I couldn’t get over the still, quiet beauty of the mountain.  Every run had several inches of fresh powder.  Any skier would have been in heaven, right?  Well, not my family.  Having skied on the over-skied mountains of the East Coast for our whole lives, this powder was more than we could handle.  Our skis seemed to feel every bump in the snow, twisting and turning our skis in unexpected and not always controllable ways.  We wondered when they’d groom some of those intermediate and easier expert runs so that we could enjoy this blissful day without any broken ankles.

We were on our way up to the top of the mountain to give it another try.  A snowboarder sat with us on the lift.  Upon overhearing us talk about how much powder there was on our last run, he added, “Yeah, it’s perfect today, isn’t it?  I’m sure by tomorrow they’ll have groomed the whole mountain, and you can forget about these great conditions.”  As we’re lamenting the fact that the powder is giving us too bumpy a ride, this guy can’t get enough of it.  All we could do was laugh.  Ski conditions – in the eye of the beholder.

Spring skiing conditions are variable, of course, depending a great deal on temperature and the freeze-melt cycle.  Sometimes spring skiing mimics the well-groomed runs that I seek, sometimes it can be powdery, and most often the snow in spring takes on a great character all its own.  You certainly can’t beat the warm sunshine and skiing in sunglasses and a fleece.  Many mountains also have fun family events and music at the base, and lift tickets are often cheaper.  You can take nice long lunches on the deck of the lodge and ski for several hours after lunch, thanks to those longer spring days.

We have many vacation homes available for home exchange in spring skiing areas during the months of March, April, and May.  I have highlighted few below, but this list is by no means complete.  To browse through the vacation homes listed in our home exchange network, please visit us at www.thevacationexchange.com.

Custom waterfront home in South Lake Tahoe, CA available for home swap

Lake Tahoe, California boasts 7 ski mountains, and we have lots of vacation homes in both North Lake Tahoe and in South Lake Tahoe.

This home in South Lake Tahoe, CA has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths and sleeps 10.  It has a large boat dock, a hot tub, and a panoramic view of Heavenly Ski Resort.  Skiing is only 3 miles away.  For information about how to become a member of The Vacation Exchange Network and vacation in homes like this by traveling the home swap way, check out our discussion of how to arrange a home exchange.

Ski home in South Lake Tahoe, CA available for home swap March 21st - May 26th

This California ski home, also in South Lake Tahoe, CA has 3 bedrooms, a circular fireplace, redwood decks, and a hot tub.  It is located 11 miles from skiing.  It is available for home swap March 21st – May 26th.

We have a number of homes available for vacation exchange in Colorado, including homes close to Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Vail, Keystone, Steamboat, and Copper Mountain. Here’s just a sampling:

Ski-in/ski-out condo on Steamboat Mountain in Colorado available for home swap March - May

This ski-in/ski-out condo on Steamboat Mountain sleeps 8 and offers maid service.  It is available March through May for home exchange.

Mountain home in Crested Butte, CO available for home exchange in April.

This 3 bedroom, 3 bath home in Crested Butte, CO is on the mountain and boasts gorgeous panoramic views.  5 minutes from skiing, this vacation home is available for home exchange during the month of April.  Check out our many vacation homes in Crested Butte, CO at www.thevacationexchange.com.

Rustic yet elegant log home near Utah ski resorts available for home swap in April & May

This log home in Midway, Utah is secluded among the pines and aspens and yet is close to both Park City and Deer Valley ski resorts.  This stunning home boasts 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths.  It has all amenities, including both a gas fireplace inside and a log fireplace outside on the deck.  Read a great Utah ski blog at www.skiutah.com/winter/blog.

I’ve highlighted a few opportunities for spring skiing here.  Be sure to check out all of our vacation homes available for swap.  To learn more about what makes The Vacation Exchange Network a unique home exchange program or to join our network, please visit  www.thevacationexchange.com.

For great discussions of skiing in Colorado, Utah, and California, check out these blogs:  cosnow.com, www.skiutah.com/winter/blog, and skiing-blog.com.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on spring skiing and hear about your experiences.  Please add your comments below.