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Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort: A view from the top
By Abby Hoover
Tahoe.com
Buddhist monks have long believed that mountains are sacred places where earth meets heaven.
Most skiers and riders aren't monks, but it's not hard to appreciate the majestic beauty of a freshly powdered mountain. There is something powerful, almost holy, when looking down from the highest ski runs at Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort onto the vast Lake Tahoe and surrounding valleys below.
“I don't think any resort in the world can compare with our views,” said Aimi Xistra, a spokesperson for Heavenly.
Paul Lewis came all the way from Southampton, England to take a few turns at the resort.
“The views of the lake are fantastic and the view of the Nevada desert is a nice contrast,” he said.
A key feature of Heavenly is its mountaintop location. The resort spans over the border of two states, Nevada and California, and contains 4,800 acres of a wide variety of terrain for skiers and riders.
The Options
The runs at Heavenly range everywhere from a smooth, downhill ride to a near-vertical mogul run. There are also terrain parks and tree skiing for those who want to venture off the beaten path.
“One of the things that makes heavenly unique would be the tree skiing,” Xistra said. “Virtually off of every course you can find these amazing tree runs. The way the trees grow here in the Tahoe basin, they're perfectly spaced and they kind of make a natural little slalom course.”
Even some of the locals can agree on the tree runs.
“If you want to get away, you can always go get lost in the Killebrew Canyon trees,” said Jeremy Tigh from Minden, Nev.
Heavenly also accommodates those who don't ski or snowboard. Adventure Peak, at the top of the Gondola, offers sledding, snow biking and snow shoeing. New this season is a tubing facility that features an elevated 450-foot-long moving sidewalk, or “magic carpet.” The tubing hill itself is 500 feet long and 65 of those feet are a vertical drop.
“They (the tubes) are pretty quick,” Xistra said. “I like to refer to it as extreme tubing.”
Whether tubing, riding, skiing or sledding, Heavenly hits every snow sport demographic.
“This is the whole package,” said Danielle Dickerson, who came from Phoenix to ride at Heavenly.
mountain secrets
The vastness of Heavenly doesn't allow for everything to be done in a day or maybe even in an entire season.
“One of the really cool things about Heavenly is that the mountain isn't laid out in front of you,” said Russ Pecoraro, another spokesperson for Heavenly. “You have to go search it out and find the cool stuff.”
Finding the good snow could mean getting into the backcountry. Heavenly has three backcountry gates that are double black diamond and unpatrolled.
One epic backcountry run starts at the Firestone Gate. The gate opens near the top of the mountain and the backcountry extends all the way down to the base in the Carson Valley.
A long run that's a little more tame starts at the top of the Sky Express lift and can be taken down to the California Lodge at the base.
“All in all it's a five-mile run,” Pecoraro said.
Exploring the unknown terrain might be a bit of a challenge for those new to the mountain.
“We've got all these hidden stashes that all the locals know about that they're not willing to tell anybody else about really,” Pecoraro said.
No worries. Heavenly offers Adventure Sessions, an all-day group lesson with a coach who knows and divulges all the great spots. The coach will also give out tips and pointers along the way.
“If ski school had a recess, this would be it,” Xistra said.
While some locals aren't willing to share their mountain secrets, Tigh has some insider advice for a Heavenly newbie.
“Stagecoach (Run) is the hidden wonder,” he said. “Go to the California side in the morning, then go straight to Nevada after 11 a.m., and then go into the canyons to get away from all the people.”
Most skiers and riders aren't monks, but it's not hard to appreciate the majestic beauty of a freshly powdered mountain. There is something powerful, almost holy, when looking down from the highest ski runs at Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort onto the vast Lake Tahoe and surrounding valleys below.
“I don't think any resort in the world can compare with our views,” said Aimi Xistra, a spokesperson for Heavenly.
Paul Lewis came all the way from Southampton, England to take a few turns at the resort.
“The views of the lake are fantastic and the view of the Nevada desert is a nice contrast,” he said.
A key feature of Heavenly is its mountaintop location. The resort spans over the border of two states, Nevada and California, and contains 4,800 acres of a wide variety of terrain for skiers and riders.
The Options
The runs at Heavenly range everywhere from a smooth, downhill ride to a near-vertical mogul run. There are also terrain parks and tree skiing for those who want to venture off the beaten path.
“One of the things that makes heavenly unique would be the tree skiing,” Xistra said. “Virtually off of every course you can find these amazing tree runs. The way the trees grow here in the Tahoe basin, they're perfectly spaced and they kind of make a natural little slalom course.”
Even some of the locals can agree on the tree runs.
“If you want to get away, you can always go get lost in the Killebrew Canyon trees,” said Jeremy Tigh from Minden, Nev.
Heavenly also accommodates those who don't ski or snowboard. Adventure Peak, at the top of the Gondola, offers sledding, snow biking and snow shoeing. New this season is a tubing facility that features an elevated 450-foot-long moving sidewalk, or “magic carpet.” The tubing hill itself is 500 feet long and 65 of those feet are a vertical drop.
“They (the tubes) are pretty quick,” Xistra said. “I like to refer to it as extreme tubing.”
Whether tubing, riding, skiing or sledding, Heavenly hits every snow sport demographic.
“This is the whole package,” said Danielle Dickerson, who came from Phoenix to ride at Heavenly.
mountain secrets
The vastness of Heavenly doesn't allow for everything to be done in a day or maybe even in an entire season.
“One of the really cool things about Heavenly is that the mountain isn't laid out in front of you,” said Russ Pecoraro, another spokesperson for Heavenly. “You have to go search it out and find the cool stuff.”
Finding the good snow could mean getting into the backcountry. Heavenly has three backcountry gates that are double black diamond and unpatrolled.
One epic backcountry run starts at the Firestone Gate. The gate opens near the top of the mountain and the backcountry extends all the way down to the base in the Carson Valley.
A long run that's a little more tame starts at the top of the Sky Express lift and can be taken down to the California Lodge at the base.
“All in all it's a five-mile run,” Pecoraro said.
Exploring the unknown terrain might be a bit of a challenge for those new to the mountain.
“We've got all these hidden stashes that all the locals know about that they're not willing to tell anybody else about really,” Pecoraro said.
No worries. Heavenly offers Adventure Sessions, an all-day group lesson with a coach who knows and divulges all the great spots. The coach will also give out tips and pointers along the way.
“If ski school had a recess, this would be it,” Xistra said.
While some locals aren't willing to share their mountain secrets, Tigh has some insider advice for a Heavenly newbie.
“Stagecoach (Run) is the hidden wonder,” he said. “Go to the California side in the morning, then go straight to Nevada after 11 a.m., and then go into the canyons to get away from all the people.”
