By Kathryn Reed

Besides the chill in the air, the obvious sign ski season is around the corner is the arrival of snow sports magazines in mailboxes.

Skiing magazine’s October issue has the readers’ choice awards. Lake Tahoe doesn’t dominate the results, but some of the numerous resorts in and around the basin are mentioned.

Squaw Valley ranks No. 4 for best steeps. It took first for its KT-22 chairlift in the best lift to lap all day category.

“If it’s too stormy to open the upper mountain, there’s a good chance that only KT and Red Dog chairs will be running,” the magazine says. “No problem. You can spend all day lapping the 1,800-vertical-foot KT-22 and you won’t get bored. After all, the lift got its name when it took Squaw pioneer Sandy Poulsen 22 kick turns to get down the run’s north-facing steeps in 1948.”

Squaw definitely has personality. It received honorable mention in Skiing for most condescending locals. Jackson Hole took top honors in this category.

Mount Rose took the most underrated mountain title. Alpine Meadows took an honorable mention.

Heavenly Mountain Resort is No. 3 for best trees. Last season the resort opened terrain to make it a bit easier to navigate the trees by thinning some slopes.

Mammoth and Northstar-at-Tahoe made the best park list. Mammoth came in second behind Breckenridge, while Northstar placed sixth.

Heavenly came in fifth for best nightlight, but considering most skiers at Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe stay on the South Shore it seems logical they should share in this designation — unless their riders are more serious about the mountain and care less about partying than Heavenly’s guests.

Squaw ranks 10th in this category.