Tahoe areas...
I used to drive up, ski all day, and get home same day for about $35 total including gas, lift tix, and lunch/dinner (from Sonoma County NorCal)
My personal favorite for a quick trip on a day off was Sugar Bowl, easy, close, and cheep... they used to have 1/2 price Wed ...lift tix 1/2 price... its the OLDEST ski resort in the Nation...
http://www.sugarbowl.com/home
another cheepy not many know about, thats also uniquely cool is Homewood on the west shore of Lake Tahoe
http://www.skihomewood.com its so close to lake it seems like you can throw a rock into the lake... very cool skiing with lake in background the whole time they also had deals back then $15 lift tixs cant beat that .... Im sure prices have changed since I was last there about 12 years ago...
If you fly into say Sacramento, its close by really..
but make sure there is snow (like others said), Sugar Bowl makes their own on bad years, Homewood is very low (crest of our Saddle Rd. is about 500' higher than Lake Tahoe) so needs good snow or forget it...
aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha