Best of the Golden Gate.

(From Bangkok Post)

Flummoxed by too many choices, we couldn't make up our minds.

But one thing was certain. We'd be skiing at Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, at one of the region's ``Big Six'' ski resorts. These six _ California's largest and best known _ share 17,500 rugged acres of world-class downhill terrain, more than twice the ski acreage in Vermont and New Hampshire combined. And with winter blizzards dropping up to 30 feet of snow annually, the peaks surrounding the lake boast some of the nation's most reliable and longest-lasting skiing. I wanted to ski on the north shore of the lake, at Squaw Valley, Northstar-at-Tahoe or at Alpine Meadows. Steve, my husband, wanted to go to the south shore, to Heavenly, Sierra-at-Tahoe or Kirkwood. Was one week enough to ski all of them?

``Maybe we should,'' said Steve. ``We haven't been there in a couple of years. It's time to see what's new.''

Indeed, Lake Tahoe is on the move, with changes everywhere. Three of the ski areas _ Squaw Valley, Heavenly and Kirkwood _ have been transformed by new base-area villages, pedestrian malls and condominium hotels. The other three _ Alpine, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe _ seem to be courting the youth market, putting…