Tahoe is like Vegas, with snow. Really.

For my money, most of which I lose after the first night of casino hopping, there is no better spring break destination for blowing off mid-semester steam.  The weather gets into the 50's, but there is still plenty of snow on the ground.

Here are the basics:

Lake Tahoe is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border between California and Nevada.  And, when I say on the border, I'm not joking.  Half of the town is in California, and the other half is in Nevada.  No doubt this makes for wild times!

Getting to Tahoe is a piece of cake.  It's 98 miles from Sacramento, which makes for an easy road trip for the west coast crowd.  If you'd rather fly the friendly skies, Tahoe is only 34 miles from the Reno Airport.

Staying in Tahoe can be as upscale or budget as you want.  If you are traveling with a self-contained crowd of 8 or more people, consider booking a condo or a house instead.  You'll get a lot of space and probably each save some cash.  Just keep in mind that places with private owners are pretty unforgiving when it comes to spring break behavior.  You break it, you buy it.

Playing in Tahoe is broken down into two categories: day and night.

During the day, the ski resorts pull out all the stops.  Because it's spring break, there's no shortage of parties, contests, and cheap drinks.  In fact, a lot of people don't even ski or ride.  They just come, lounge on the sun decks, and work on their social skills.

Check out Squaw Valley, Northstar, Heavenly Valley, and Kirkwood.  They're going to be your best bets for incredible terrain and outrageous spring break crowds.

At night, it's all about the clubs, pubs, and casinos. There are enough of these out there, so you need to know where to start.

When it comes to the casinos, check out the larger, more recognizable names first.  Check out the MontBleu, Harrah's, and the Hyatt.  If you are up for the drive, the Circus Circus in Reno is a great spot for groups that like carnival games as much as blackjack.

For clubs and pubs, the casinos have some great options as well. The MontBleu Casino in North Lake Tahoe has a world-class dance floor in its club "blu".  On the south side, you.'ve got to ch"ck out "Breeze's" at the Crystal Bay Casino.  "Vex" at the Harrah's is also a must-see for spring break veterans and rookies alike.

Also, make sure you check out Sammy Hagar's CaboWabo Cantina.  They've got one of these down in Mexico as well, so they know what spring break is all about.

For a more mellow night, maybe some beers and bar games, you need to check out the Pierce Street Annex on the north side.

On final tip sunblock is as important in Tahoe as anywhere else. A sun-fried face is pretty much a buzz kill, whatever your latitude.

This tidbit of real travel advice was brought to you by  Ken Clark.

Ski during the day, read textbooks* during the night.  Then get up and ski some more.  But make sure that you do your reading* in a killer Tahoe rental home from Zonder.com!

*We realize that your parents may read this and question giving you the Gold Card for Spring Break.