Northstar is an outstanding area for advanced beginners and intermediate skiers because it offers a large number very long "blue" runs. In our opinion, many of the "black diamond" runs at this area should really be considered "blue" too. (Some locals refer to Northstar as "Flatstar".) If you like long, well-groomed cruiser runs, this is the best place to go in the Tahoe area. The cruise from the top of Mt Pluto down to the village is real thigh burner (~2 miles long.) Advanced skiers will find the best runs on the backside of the mountain, where they've recently upgraded the old triple chair to be an express quad lift.