If you need to rent skis or a snowboard, pay a visit to Porters or Village Ski Loft in Incline the night before. Do not attempt to rent at the resorts themselves, particularly not at Northstar, Squaw, or Alpine. You might get lucky, bu three times out of five you will find that you have wasted two hours standing in the resort rental line. Also, if you rent at the resort then you will have to return to that resort at some point to return your skis. This means you will probably end up skiing there too that day, even if you would have preferred to go somewhere else. If you rent in town, you will have more flexibility if you decide to visit other resorts for some new terrain later in your stay.
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The third closest resort (after Diamond Peak and Mt. Rose Ski Area), Northstar offers a good compromise between convenience and varied terrain including some quite demanding slopes. This is probably our favorite resort for snow boarding when we are feeling ambitious enough to drive the half hour to get there. On busy days you may find that the traffic getting out of Northstar and then on Highway 267 moves painfully slowly. This is why we prefer Diamond Peak or Mt. Rose ski area on busy weekends.
At forty minutes--if there's no traffic--this is the longest drive of any of the resorts listed here. It's also one of the largest resorts around, most expensive, and often one of the most crowded. But it does have the best terrain. My advice is to come here at least once during your stay for some serious skiing or boarding. If you can manage it, come on a non-holiday weekday so the crowds won't be a problem.
Just next to Squaw. Challenging terrain and a lot of it. Fairly pricey.
If you're going to be on the South Shore, you might as well ski here. There is a new gondola ride to the top which is quite nice (though pricey). This is not considered a great place for snowboarding by locals because of a number of long, shallow traverses from run to run that may make you wish you were carrying poles.
Though it lacks a wide variety of especially challenging terrain, sometimes we have the most fun here. Since Diamond Peak is located in Incline Village itself it will take you only five or ten minutes to get here. Parking is never a problem. When you get a late start and don't feel like all the driving and hassle of going to one of the big resorts, come here. You'll have a great time and save a few bucks along the way.
The second closest resort (behind Diamond Peak), Mt. Rose Ski Area is only a fifteen minute ride from the house. While the terrain isn't quite Squaw quality either in scope, range, or difficulty, it will take you less time to get there and there is plenty to keep you busy for a day or two. When you are stuck in traffic on highway 89 on the way back from Squaw you may wish you'd come here instead . . .
This is not a resort, but just a local meadow located on SR 431 on the way to Reno. There are no groomed trails, but the terrain is fun and you can bring your dog! This is our favorite place to go cross country skiing--and you can't beat the price since it's free. Do watch out for the snowmobilers. They aren't always very careful or considerate, unfortunately.
Due to a land squabble, Diamond Peak cross country is not open at the moment.