Mt Rose is the closest ski area to Reno, Nevada (22 miles away) so the crowd here tends to be made up of locals and visitors from the Reno area. Mt Rose is smaller than the big 3 north Lake Tahoe resorts, but it offers enough terrain for one day to prevent boredom for everyone except the most advanced skiers. Its high elevation and location on the eastern edge of the Sierras usually means it gets dryer, lighter snow than the typical "Sierra Cement".