ABOVE: Max Ranall, of San Francisco, catches some air on his snowboard on the slopes of the Gold Coast Face run at Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, California, in June. TOP: Snow covers the Sierra Nevada mountains and the shoreline of Lake Tahoe in January.(Josie Lepe and Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group via Tribune News Service)

It’s funny how a majestic Lake Tahoe vista, all lathered in snow, can bring out vastly different desires in different people.

The adrenaline junkie lays eyes on the powdery terrain and instantly yearns to rip through it at a frantic pace on a pair of skis, or aboard a snarling snowmobile.

Meanwhile, the more laid-back type prefers to position the white-capped peaks as a dreamy backdrop while sipping hot chocolate and listening to live music — or reading a book — in front of a robust fire.

Such is the all-encompassing allure of Tahoe. There are few places on earth that can match its spectacular scenery while simultaneously seducing a wide array of visitors — from adventure-seekers and nature-lovers to gamblers and club-hoppers, artists and lovers.

And yet, the overall sensory effect is typically the same: All that stress brought on by workplace demands and big-city hassles begins to magically melt away as you immerse yourself in the rarefied atmosphere of this winter wonderland. Yes, go ahead and inhale ever so deeply. As Mark Twain once insisted, “To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe.”