The Heavenly Ski Resort is spectacularly located – overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe. It is located on the south east corner of the lake right on the edge of California’s boarder with Nevada.
In fact – half of the slopes are in Nevada – so you can ride from state to state!
Mountain Stats
With the views you can see from the slopes it’s no wonder they called it Heavenly. But that’s not the only great thing about Heavenly.
With a 1,162m (3,812 ft) vertical drop and a seriously huge 4,800 acres of ride-able terrain there is a mountain of space (excuse the pun!) to explore. And you won’t have any trouble accessing it, with 30 lifts to transport you throughout the mountain.
| Heavenly Mountain Stats |
| Resort Elevation: 3,068m(10,067 ft) |
| Vertical Drop: 1,162m (3,812ft) |
| Ride-able area: 4,800 acres |
| Annual Snowfall: 360” (9.1m) |
| No. of Lifts: 30 (1 gondola, 19 chairlifts, 6 surface lifts, 4 magic carpets) |
| No. of trails: 97 |
| Trail proportions: |
| 19 (20%) Beginner (Green) |
| 44 (45%) Intermediate (Blue) |
| 34 (35%) Advanced (Black Diamond) & Expert (Dbl Black Diamond) |
| No. of parks: 4 parks +pipe |
| Night Riding: No |
Trails and Freeriding
There are 97 named trails of various difficulties, so whether you are a beginner an expert or somewhere in between there should be something to suit you.
20% is beginners Terrain which may not sound like much but when you have 97 trails it does end up being more than you’ll ever need as a beginner. And once you progress beyond there is plenty of intermediate and advanced terrain to aid your progression.
Experts will find Mott Canyon and Killebrew Canyon, in particular, to their liking.
And if sticking to the trails doesn’t float your boat, there is plenty of backcountry to explore. Wait for a powder day and explore the best that Heavenly has to offer off the piste – most of it accessible via lift. There are 3 access gates located around the mountain.
The Terrain Parks
After covering Mammoth Mountain in my last mountain profile any other mountain would be an anti-climax in terms of terrain parks.
That said, Heavenly is actually really well equipped park-wise. They have four parks of varying levels plus a half pipe.
Progression Park is a beginner park with mini features to get you started in park life.
Groove Park is the next size up from progression park with small (but not mini) features for the next level of park progression.
Ante up is for when you want to….well, up the ante. It has medium features designed for the more intermediate to advanced park riders.
The High Roller park is the most advanced level park at the resort and if you’re a park-gun this is the place for you and is home to the biggest and most technical features Heavenly has on offer.
Usual opening date
Heavenly usually opens mid-late November. They seem to be pretty consistent with their opening date based on the last 5 years. With a huge snowmaking system (creating 120 inches of snow on average each year!) it’s easy to see why they can achieve this consistent opening date.
Past 5 years opening dates:
2010/2011 Season: November 20, 2010
2011/2012 Season: November 19, 2011
2012/2013 Season: November 22, 2012
2013/2014 Season: November 23, 2013
2014/2015 Season: November 21, 2014
Usual closing date
Their closing date is usually mid to late April. This is also relatively consistent.
Past 5 years closing dates:
2010/2011 Season: April 17, 2011
2011/2012 Season: April 29, 2012
2012/2013 Season: April 14, 2013
2013/2014 Season: April 20, 2014
2014/2015 Season: Yet to close
Opening Hours
Usual operating hours for the lifts are 8:30am to 4pm. There is no night riding on Heavenly.
Have You had that Heavenly Experience?
If you’ve ever had the chance to ride Heavenly I am curious to know what you thought of your heavenly experience.
All other comments and questions very welcome also.
Photo Credit
Photo by aaron_anderer [CC BY 2.0], via Flikr
Heavenly Ski Resort looks to be one of the most beautiful ski locations I have seen. You mention they are a bit pricey but this looks to be justified based upon the location, the number of trails, and the size of the park. Also, I think it would be pretty cool to brag that you skied from California to Nevada! Have you skied this location?
Hey Dave
Yeah I reckon the price would be worth it for Heavenly. Haven’t had the chance to ride heavenly yet but definitely on the list. My girlfriends brother used to be a regular there when he lived in San Fran and he has nothing but good things to say about it.
Hey Nate, this is an awesome site. Everything is very well laid out and your information is great. I know nothing about snowboarding, but I’m interested now!
Hey Travis – hopefully I can make a snowboarding convert out of you! Keep coming back – new posts every couple of days. If you are looking to get started there are a number of posts as per below that you could check out to help you get started on the right foot – just don’t read them all at once or it could be too much info all at once!
Should I Rent or Buy a Snowboard, That is the Question
What Are the Snowboarding Skill Levels? Discover Yours
The 4 Things you Need to Know to Choose the Right Snowboard
Choosing the Best Snowboard Stance Setup
The Key Specs to Look Out For In a Snowboard Jacket
The Key Specs to Look for when Choosing Snowboard Pants
Understanding the Different Snowboard Camber Type
Snowboarding Terms Definitions: An Easy Guide
Find Out What You’ll Need on the Mountain with This Snowboarding Equipment List
This website is AWESOME !! So much useful information, covering all aspects of snowboarding. Your site looks fantastic and is well set out. This is certainly one to follow!
Congratulations to you 🙂
Hey Maxine – thanks for the kind words – and thanks for visiting. Still plenty of work to do but getting there!