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Heavenly Ski Resort
Rating Details »
105 reviews for Heavenly Ski Resort
Pros: Wide open terrain, a mountain so big you can't cover even half of it in one day, gorgeous views, great nightlife after riding, can still find freshies in the trees days after a storm, excellent snowmaking and grooming, affordable season passes.
Cons: Heavenly doesn't get enough snow and is a rocky mountain so going off the groomers can be harsh on your equipment... never had a board get thrashed as much as it did riding Heavenly 3 times in one season. Ridiculously steep lift ticket prices, most expensive pint of beer I've ever had ($9.05 for Bud Light?!?!)
Bottom line is, a great place to go if you're not paying for it... maybe you have a free lift ticket or have a nice lodging hookup for a weekend, give it a shot and you will probably have a great time as a whole. My board just can't take a whole season of this place!
Lake Tahoe is an amazing location but to admire its true splendour, it's best viewed from high up.
From my usual base in south Lake Tahoe, the Heavenly gondola offers the best view of the lake. From its village centre location, you're whisked up swiftly to a vantage point high above the lake.
Get off at the first stop viewing deck for a view of the amazing blues of the lake. Be aware that it's much colder and windier high up, so bring something warm with you.
You can then rejoin the ascending cable car to the main station but you can't get a view of the lake from here. However, there are a lot of hiking trails in the summer.
The trip up the HEavenly gondola gives an amazing view, which shouldn't be missed.
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This is the resort that my family and I always go to when we're vacationing in Tahoe.
Majority of the time we're on this side of the huge resort, taking the gondola ride up to the to of the summit. If you haven't taken the gondola up to the summit, I highly recommend it. You get to see a spectacular view of the lake and the surrounding area of Lake Tahoe.
Every time we go it is never really busy.
Completely incompetent group sales reps.
Snobby and not forth-coming.
It's very stupid to have a group sales when you don't actually give any discount at all. I mean what's the point?
My group are trying to go up to Tahoe during Christmas time and I called the group sales trying to get better rates. The rep who send me the rates didn't tell me that the rate is actually exactly the same as the general rate online. Then the next day the rep sent me another email, saying that joining their PEAKS reward program is my best bet, which offers some discounts on the tickets. Again, when I signed up and looked at the ticket rates, they were EXACTLY THE SAME!!
I felt cheated and slapped in the face when I get sent to 3 different places all promising discounts only to find out there was none, and none of this was even explained ahead of time. I wrote back saying that I was extremely disappointed and discouraged that there were no discounts, when Kirkwood offers 20% discount on group rates, the rep wrote back essentially saying "well, then you should just go to Kirkwood". I called her manager and asked why wasn't this explained to me when I first called, she said it's their job to provide information not tell people that there were no discounts during high season.
They made me jump through hoops, wasted 2 days time and got nothing but attitude from them. Thanks, Heavenly, I just want to say that I will never use their group sales team ever again, and good luck staying above with you keep turning customers away in a down market.
If any resort is the Queen of Tahoe, Heavenly is it. It's certainly the only one I had heard of before I moved here. It's got the highest elevation, the most acres, the best lake views (sorry Homewood), the most gondola gadgetry (and yet manages to be less pretentious than Squaw, having never hosted the Olympics), the best access to a town...oh, and the highest ticket price ($82...yikes!).
To make the most of the mountain, it's best to think of this as 2 different ski resorts: the Nevada side, and the California side. And as such, you should make your first visit a 2-day trip. There's certainly a day's worth of trails to explore on each side (especially in Nevada, my personal favorite), and besides, the trails between the two are quite tedious traverses (snowboarders beware Skyline Trail and Nevada Trail especially). In fact, their lack of mid-mountain connectivity is highly conspicuous. Wouldn't a lift from Sky Deck to Adventure Peak be a no-brainer?
Overall, it's definitely not the be-all end-all of ski resorts that some would have you believe, but they sure do have a lot of long, wide, easy blues that are great places for mellow snowboarders to build technique and confidence (try Orion's and Dipper). And there's plenty of trackless tree-country and bowls for the more adventurous.
Oh, and hey Yelp masters, there are (at least) 3 entries for Heavenly on here! Con*sol*idate, maaaannnn.....
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Ski resorts are easier to appreciate once you don't spend 1/2 your time on the mountain on your butt...
We boarded at Heavenly on the single most perfect day to do so, after a week of non-stop rain in SF (and snow in Tahoe). I practiced my s-curves on the blues and green slopes and did not attempt to try the black diamonds. My only gripes are the flat parts and abundance of moguls that are not snow boarder friendly.
I had a great day on the mountain and although my body was sore and joints ached, the view of the lake from the top of the gondola was well worth all the pain.
The best advice I could provide is to look on craigslist for discounted lift tickets and spend the $10-$20 that you save at the bar buying a hot chocolate w/ baileys!
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First off, this resort is huge. There are so many different runs and so many lifts that if you get lost with your group, don't count on finding them until the end of the day.
We came around the end of the ski season so about 1/3 of the runs were closed. However, we did manage to make it to the very top which took about 1/2 an hour to get back down.
Note: Do not attempt to ride down the moguls with a snowboard. Everybody at the bottom will point and laugh.
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I should preface this review by coming clean and reveal that by no means am I a snowboarding expert. "Novice" would be more accurate. However, I do feel qualified to give a review based on the whole Heavenly Ski Resort experience.
Village:
- Decent number of shops and eateries
- Fire pits to warm you up after frolicking in the snow
- Plethora of services (albeit overpriced) to fulfill ones needs
Slopes:
- "Meh"....Although we were lucky to get some amazing powder this past weekend, the runs just weren't cutting it for me. At first I thought it was just me, but even the bf said that it's more suited for skiers.
Miscellaneous:
- Staff were courteous but somehow I got the feeling that they'd rather be taking advantage of the snow than working (can't blame them really)
- Gondolas and Lifts were well staffed and in great shape
- Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced. Lift tickets were $85 for full day and $69 for half day. Ridiculous. (Though you can get full day for $70 if you pre purchase them at a Lucky's Grocery Store). Let's not even mention how crazy expensive the food is. $9 will you get you a burnt hot dog. Bleh!
- We ended up parking in the structure for convenience. We forked over $31 for the entire day. Ouch.
Overall, we enjoyed our day at Heavenly but it was more do to the company and fresh fallen snow. For what you get, it's definitely not worth the money....I'd rather cruise up to North Star and take advantage of their Village experience and slopes.
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Having covered every square inch of this place on skis, I decided that this is the year I start snowboarding.
After a full day of private lessons, I managed to create a little following.
A following of Heavenly employees at the top of the lift that desperately wanted me to NOT fall when getting off the lift.
Every time I got off they would cheer until I fell.
I am pretty sure they were placing bets and some people made some good money considering I fell about 27 times.
Well, that is, until my last time.
As I approached, I could see the crew assemble. Given that my instructor would radio his buddies to tell them I was coming, the assembly got progressively larger.
I put my game face on. I readied my board.
Weight forward.
Sit sideways.
Make contact.
Stand up.
Slide.
I was doing it. Cheers erupted from the crew.
I turned around.
I faced my supporters and took a bow and waved in the air joyous with success.
Until my bow and wave made me off balance and I fell.
Right on my ass.
Yet another great moment in sports brought to you by your's truly.
Wax.
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I'm not the type of girl who likes it from the back.
But dude, that mountain ripped me a new one.
So for my 100th review, I wanted to rant and rave about some 5 star restaurant but decided to recount my experience at Heavenly on my first time snowboarding. Yes, I'm 25 years old but never been snowboarding and really has probably only seen snow every 3 years or so. I'm a dry land sport kinda gal, I'll cross you over and hit a jump shot or throw a football spiral better than some guys...but thought it was about time I gave boarding a whirl.
Woke up at the ungodly hour of 3:30AM to get a jump on our tahoe day trip. Park at the nearby Harrah's parking lot and it's just a quick 5 minute walk to Heavenly. Lift tickets were $68 and when the ticket lady said to me "in the event of high winds, we will be closing the lifts and there are no refunds"...I wondered to myself what I was getting into but blindly handed over my credit card anyhow. Then I was definitely wondering what I was getting into when they announced that there were no beginner's runs open that day...so my first time on a snowboard would be on an intermediate blue run..oh boy.
I hear that the season has started pretty late this year since mother nature has been slow on the snow, but it definitely picked up while we were out there. Frozen appendages and runny noses were abundant as well as snow pelting my non-goggled face which raised the question if I'd rather die by burning or freezing to death. I think I would pick the first only because frostbite seems like a long and slow death - or so it felt as I was trying to take my newbie ass down the Comet run.
Plus for gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe on the gondola http://static.px.yelp..... First time on a snowboard + first time getting off a lift = epic fail. Landed on my ass right away...actually I pretty much rode down this hill with my ass http://static.px.yelp..... FYI...if you're a newbie, don't start out on a blue run..otherwise you'll be sitting there staring down the hill http://static.px.yelp.... at how much further you have to go while watching 5 year olds whiz by you on skis and think crap, I want to kill myself. Good thing I didn't, only because I didn't want to bleed on all that white snow so I sucked it up and kept going...although eventually I had to resort to walking my board down the hill :(
I like to consider myself a fairly coordinated person but that mountain has proven me wrong. Perhaps next time I'll make sure there's a green run open - bunnie slopes please. Despite the horrible attempt at snowboarding, I was still smiles at the end http://static.px.yelp..... Mostly because it was a new experience for me and I'll try anything at least once.
Next goal: get up on my snowboard for at least more than 2.1 seconds.
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Pros:
1. Huge mountain
2. Lots of fun and long runs
3. Good food
4. Gondola
5. Very close to lots of lodging
6. Great view of Lake Tahoe
Cons:
1. $$$ - food and lift tickets
2. Crowded
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Even with the man made snow, we still managed to have fun. With only about 5 runs open, it wasn't too crowded. They lowered ticket prices since it was still pretty dry out. I thought it was still a little expensive given that only a couple of runs were open. 60 something per adult ticket is a bit steep when you only get to do the same ones over and over again. Of course my bunny slopes were not open, which is a good thing I guess. It forces me to learn. I never do, season after season, I do not see progress. But that's just me!
From previous experiences, I have really liked their bunnies just because they're short and not too steep.
The ones we went on this time were much like what the others have already said...parts of it were very flat, even if you do gain speed, you end up slowing down and stopping because people are stuck there or you're like me, *flop* and fall over. There were a couple of icy spots here and there, which is a bit scary but once you get over it, you either a) fall on your face, or if you're lucky and good at boarding you b) keep on going.
I bit it pretty hard while approaching the flat area and I have a battle scar to show for it.
Oh another thing about Heavenly that makes it cool is the views are absolutely amazing. If you don't ski or board, I highly recommend just paying for the gondola ride. There are also shops, ice skating rink, and other little things here and there for you to do if you don't ski/board.
Minus points for the over priced food. One cup of soup, one bread bowl, one soda and a small bag of chips? 30 buckeroos... ouch.
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THE RUNS ARE TOO FLAT! I'm NOT a skier and I'm NOT an Elite snowboarder either, so I suffered through Skyline Trail from California to Nevada...it SUCKED!!! It's one thing to unlock one foot and scoot along the trails a bit, but it took me over an hour to get through that trail to the other side of the mountain and down to the Dipper and Comet Express lifts. UGH! At one point, I just picked up my snowboard and walked it. I just couldn't get through it as fast as the skiers or other, more fit?/skilled? snowboarders.
Despite all the walking though (and I mean A LOT of walking, like after each lift, especially on the California side), I thoroughly enjoyed Canyon/Jackpot runs on the California side and the Big Dipper/Orion/Aries/Cosmic Wave/Nova on the Nevada side. The Gondola to Heavenly Village also had fantastic views of the lake and the snowy mountains beyond. IMHO I didn't think it was too crowded on the Friday after Christmas and it could have been a lot worse. Lift waiting times are much better than Big Bear Mountain in Southern California and once you get past the first chair, you don't have to go back down to the bottom of the mountain. The way the lifts and runs are set up is that most are in the middle or at the top of the mountain in looking at the map. It is actually better that you stay at the topmost runs for the best groomed snow!
As for staff, everyone was very friendly and helpful. They even gave out free doughnut holes in the morning and then hot chocolate and granola bars in the afternoon.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this place for beginners. It's rough! Although, if you ski, you should have an easier time getting around the mountain.
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Pros:
1) The view of Lake Tahoe
2) Great intermediate runs
3) The view of Lake Tahoe
4) Lots of nearby lodging
5) The view of Lake Tahoe
6) The gondola
7) The view...
Cons:
1) Wind can be a problem, since it's isolated. On windy days, Sierra At Tahoe is a better bet, due to the surrounding mountains.
2) It's expensive. $86 for a lift ticket/ $70 if you buy it at Lucky.
3) Food is very expensive. $11 for a crappy burger. The pizza is much better and at $8 is a better deal. $4 for Gatorade.
4) Some lifts are spread out a little too far. I wasn't planning to cross country ski.
Overall, the skiing is great, and that's what matters.
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Came here with a group of friends to go snowboarding/skiing for the weekend. I have to say, for my first time here, it was AMAZING. We could not have chosen a better weekend to make our 10hr drive from Orange County to Heavenly.
The weather we a bit on the snowy/blizzard end, but well worth it for the soft powder we boarded on at Heavenly's runs. Some have mentioned that this resort is geared mainly towards Skiers.
This I agree, there are certain runs with TONS of moguls. As a snowboarder, during Saturday's white-out condition...the moguls were a surprise to me on certain runs (since you can't see much ahead of you).
However, Sunday made up for Saturday's snowy/white-out condition. As it had much better viability condition but slightly colder too. Overall, I would definitely come here again to go snowboarding. The 10Hr drive each way is well worth it, as long as you're making a weekend trip out of it.
This is NOT the place you wanna go if you this is maybe your 2nd time snowboarding. In all its greatness, you will drown, so to speak.
The entire area (food, gondola, etc) were definitely built to make heavenly look like the best place ever ... and because of that i got suckered into this hill.
If you get to the gondola, and the ticket lady is saying to you "You must think about your situation, its ZERO degrees up there, and if your lift ticket is scanned, you cannot get a refund" please stand and THINK about what that means. bottom line: its going to be soooo ridiculously cold unless you're able to board every second you're up that hill .. that maybe you have a chance of not getting your butt falling off.
and another thing, if youre a newbie, do not take the gondola up just because it looks so fun and its off the main road.. you should probably take the lift that goes up form the parking space of the ski resort (which i didn't find out .. until when it was TOO late).
up the gondola, you get into this area where when u look at the map, theres blues, black diamonds, and double blacks. and you realize .. wait aren't those .. difficult? yes. it does. and we had to bear right, right, right, right to reach the bunny slopes. which took about half the day to make that journey .. we were going against traffic!
oh to mention taking a lift DOWN a hill is probably the most scary thing you will ever do with someone that is afraid of heights (i was getting flipped off .. down the entire ride..my bad)
the bunny slope was overly crowded ... small and narrow. that was basically the entire mountain: narrow and crowded.
long, tired, and extremely exhausting day that had nothing to do with snowboarding but making a journey across a mountain.
dont do what we did :[
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I came to Heavenly in attempt to smoothly transition from beginner to intermediate. My god was that the roughest transition ever. People aren't lying when they say this is not a good place for beginners.
First words of advice, make sure you study the map and know exactly where you are going. Otherwise you'll most likely be stuck scooting and dragging yourself across flatness or suffering down slopes you weren't meant for. I realized that the layout of trails and lifts is pretty confusing and makes it pretty easy to get turned around here.
Yeah, so the views are really spectacular here, but honestly I can do without the views if it saves me from being miserably defeated by that stupid mountain! I'm pretty sure I was the only idiot within my level of experience attempting to go down the intermediate slopes. It's always a bit discouraging when you start seeing little kiddos whiz past you like it was nothing, while you just sit and watch in frustration.
The extreme crowdedness of the slopes combined with several narrow and flat areas did not make the situation any better. Man... even the food was a huge disappointment. Once you're up on the mountain, don't expect more than mediocre food for a hefty price.
So besides the view being great, another good thing about Heavenly is the friendly and helpful staff. I felt like many of the people working there were much more helpful than people I've dealt with at other ski resorts. Sadly this does not compensate for the rest of my experience here.
Overall, I think Heavenly is a better choice for skiers and more experienced boarders. I think next time I will stick to places with better access to friendlier trails at my level.
Winter can't come soon enough. In honor of my desperate need for deep powder, I'm going to just write about how much I love this place and how badly I need to be shooting down The Face.
I've been coming here since I was 4. Every year we'd pile into the old Mazda MPV (RIP) and we'd make our annual migration to the actual "Happiest Place on Earth."
I love going to various resorts in Tahoe, such as SugarBowl (another favorite) but what truly sets Heavenly apart are the views. No where else in Tahoe can you ski down and see the entire vista of this beautiful place. Wide sweeping views of the entire lake on your run down cause you to ease up on your waxed tips and soak in every bit of nature's finest.
I would argue that the lift tickets are ridiculously expensive, but this is a seasonal sport and I understand that these resorts need to get their payday when the white rain comes down.
It's also fun to travel from the California to the Nevada side and vice versa. If you know your way around, you can hit up plenty of groomed runs on either side and find fresh tracks yourself.
I can't wait until the season arrives so I can strap in, goggle it up, and find my lines. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.
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Yeah, there are a lot of complaints about "flat" runs at Heavenly, and many of them are warranted.. but if you get a season pass here, and become familiar with the trail layout, you will learn to avoid the "flat" areas and begin to appreciate what Heavenly is all about -- which is, fast lifts, long runs, and a huge variety of terrain.
First timers coming to Heavenly.. I offer you only one piece of advice:
DO NOT TRAVERSE FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEVADA OR VICE-VERSA, YOU WILL WASTE TIME, PATIENCE, SWEAT, AND TEARS, AND WHEN YOU COME HOME, YOU WILL WRITE A BAD REVIEW ABOUT HOW HEAVENLY HAS TOO MANY "FLAT" AREAS.
Seriously though.. don't ever (unless you must) do the traverse from the CA side to the NV side (or vice-versa)... you'll end up wasting a lot of time, and will feel the rage probably half of the negative reviews here refer to. Choose the CA or NV side, and stick to it for the day. If you want to check out the other base areas, explore them on a different day.
Summary:
Heavenly Pros:
- fast lifts
- long runs
- excellent variety of terrain
- lots of lodging/entertainment options in town
- reasonably priced season pass
Heavenly Cons:
- can get crowded on holiday weekends (avoid!)
- lots of "flat" trails (unless you know where you're going)
- somewhat confusing trail/base-area layout
- snow quality not the best in Tahoe
- crappy equipment rentals (avoid!)
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These slopes here definitely not for a beginner. The green and blue, which basically means, easy and medium, was too steep, maybe it depends on which trail you use, but I think after going to Mammoth, this place is just right at the bottom on my list cause of the steepness and dangerous trail with no protection on the side. If you fall, then you fall off the cliff.
The worst part, when I was there, I was saved by a ski patrol cause I couldn't make it to the bottom fast enough before they close and they put me with the sled in the back of the snowmobile. That sled supposedly only fitted for 2 people and they put 3 people and if that's not bad, they transfer us to the person who's pulling the sled, instead of taking us all the way down to the gondole with the snowmobile. The ski patrol then said to us," don't worry about the 3 people situation, I've seen it working on film." I was like, "WTH?". The trail was already pretty icy and dangerous and you're saying you've never done this except seeing in the film. Nah uh for me, no more coming here.... unless someone dragged me to it, I won't go anymore, I would rather drive to Mammoth, shorter distance, smaller freeway is fine with me...
My thoughts on Heavenly:
- Great Bump runs, I love Gunbarrel
- Motts Canyon is steep and scary, but incredible to ski
- Skiing on sierra cement can be tough
- Incredible view of Lake Tahoe
- Tough to traverse between California and Nevada side of the mtn
Been awhile since I've been here but I only have fond memories of skiing all those bumps on Gunbarrel and skiing those crazy steeps at Motts Canyon.
I also remember getting over 3 feet of snow on a January day that made it an incredible day to ski. The snow was really heavy and by the time we got to the bottom of the mtn, the snow turned to rain.
Been too long since I've been here but I only have fond memories of this place.
Is it normal to feel like you were beaten by your abusive drunk father after riding down the bunny slopes all day? Nothing was heavenly about falling and eating it hard. The gondolas made me nauseous on the way back but at least it took my mind off the fact that I was in dyer need of an ass massage.
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Two words: over rated.
The place is always infested with people. I've been there at least three times, and it's like a perpetual tourist trap. Yes, it's big and there's tons of places to go, but unfortunately it is perpetually crowded *everywhere* you go.
On top of that, it's expensive. Way over-priced for the number of people that you see in the lift lines and on the slopes.
And for snowboarding, there's just too much flatness for anyone's liking. You waste precious minutes trying to build up momentum...not worth it.
Don't believe the hype. They advertise too much. Don't go. It's a trap
Heavenly's ok. Definitely not as big or challenging as Mammoth, but it's not terrible.
There are way too many flats for snowboarding, especially toward the top of the mountain.
The terrain parks are probably the best part about this place. The jumps are pretty impressive.
Pros: different slopes, some good for beginners; nice view of Lake Tahoe on the lift
Cons: pricey; too many lifts; easy to get lost the first few times (and more if you're directionally challenged like me)
I came here a couple of times and did enjoy some aspects of this place. I did like that they had some nice slopes for beginners with challenged coordination. I also liked the views on the lift of Lake Tahoe; got some real beautiful pictures with just a point-and-shoot camera. That said, it is a bit expensive for an amateur.
I'll come back when I get better at snowboarding.
Heavenly Is the Place.
Now that they have taken in a lot of R&D they fixed all the flat parts where snowboarders usually got stuck. They offer a wide variety of runs spread across both California as well as Nevada. Although most of their employees are from other countries they are friendly and highly knowledgeable about the mountain. Heavenly is usually the first resort to open because they can produce sooo much snow with their blowers. Even as things constantly seem to get better at heavenly their prices stay the same. Oh, Heavenly is also a Green Business running off of 100% wind power.
What a view of the Lake you get from here. To me, that is the best part of Heavenly because I am a terrible skier and hated all of the "hard" runs here. I must have fallen down a hundred times. Put it this way, I got stuck on Gunbarrel, couldn't get off it and it took me a hour to literally slide down the slope to the bottom, completely exhausted, hurting, sore and frustrated. It totally beat me up and I will never forget or forgive. If I could have cried in front of all of my friends, I would have.
However, I am giving Heavenly 4 stars because for real skiiers, it must be an awesome place to ski. It challenges you and there are so many runs to try, you wouldn't ever get bored. Also, the lines were never too long (too bad for me because it meant I would have to actually ski somewhere).
It wasn't very expensive the last time I went there but I understand the costs have gone way up over $75 dollars a day. WOW! People must really love their snowtime but Nick says you can buy an entire season pass for ONLY $350.00. That's a great deal so if you love South Shore, (I do) and love to ski (I don't) then an all season pass is the bomb for ya show bunnies.
Time for snowboarding..........I flied to sac and drove to Tahoe couple weeks ago. I was carrying the expectation that it's going to be awesome cuz it's my first time there.
With a big group of people, we didn't get to the lift until Noon and we paid full day price, so i decided that no water run or bathroom run since the resort is only open until 4pm.
first day
I got off the lift just fine after skipping the season last year, so i was =). Got my boots in, and ready .........GO. after 5 mins, i got to the flat run. i was like #$#$%#%$. Second time got to the flat run....third time to the flat run.............what is wrong with this mountain? why is there so many flat areas? i used my whole body to swing myself to move, so i won't have to use my "other" feet to move the board.......
Second day
I learned from yesterday, so i speed up everytime when i see a flat run. i felt little better, but i still couldn't get over it everytime. Picture many of the snowboarders stuck on the flats and swings their butts to move the board....i think it was halirious cuz i was one of them.
sucks. muscle is sore cuz of the flats not from snowboarding.
i will recommend another resort to you next time.
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I most definitely have a love/hate relationship with Heavenly. It's great from the standpoint that there's plenty of vertical, a variety of terrain, and generally good snow with phenomenal views.
Heavenly has high-speed lifts and long runs that ensure you spend more of your day on the slopes than you do sitting (and potentially freezing) on a lift. Which is always nice. Heavenly also has some decent glade skiing, a favorite of mine. AND let's not forget the bars (or maybe we should forget the bars until after the glade skiing - alcohol + trees = bad times). No day on the slopes is complete without a tasty beverage after pulling off the boots.
The downside to Heavenly is that it's definitely "a destination," meaning half the people there seem interested mostly in being seen. Which is fine. You wear your designer ski gear (or, in one horrifying case, speedo tuxedo...). I'm happy in my ratty vest. And when it's windy (which is often), lifts typically shut down, and it can definitely get cold. Then again, IT'S BLOODY SKIING, it's supposed to be cold. I'm sorry, but 30-40 degree skiing does not qualify as cold. Wait, am I ranting? Apologies...
And it's also true, there are plenty of flat areas on Heavenly to slow down snowboarders. But look at the bright side - that's really amusing for the skiers to watch! I kid, I kid. (But seriously, it's funny.)
All in all, it's a fun mountain, and provides a great (if moderately expensive) day. The more you come, the more you'll appreciate it.
WAY to:
-expensive
-many flat parts
-windy (lifts and gondola close often)
Cool bc:
-its huge
-beautiful lake views
-it covers 2 states
-many ways to get to it/lodges
-may get to ride a gondola
-lots of amenities throughout the mountain resort and slopes
Not snowboarder friendly - boo!
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As a season pass holder here I loved the variety of lifts, slopes, terrain and scenery between the CA and NV side. My profile pics of from the CA/NV traverse. I personally really liked Heavenly and there is no reason they shouldn't be a 5 star ski resort, but....
-The prices are pretty ridiculous
-It takes forever to get from the bottom of the gondola to the top of the 1st chair list so you can actually star boarding
-This place is apparently designed by people who hate snowboarders since there are sooo many F - L - A - T spots where you have to push in the middle of the hill if some newbie crashes in front of you.
You need to go here at least once to see the amazing scenery from the lifts/gondolas. Guests I've taken here from the Midwest are blown away by this place. The season pass is $320 if you buy it early enough and includes 4 free days at Keystone/Vail/Beaver Creek which is a pretty awesome deal.
Also, this place has by far the best night life placed walking distance from the casinos, restaurants and bars. A little work with the terrain and lowering the insane daily lift ticket price would make it 5 star.
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UPDATE: Motts (not as in apple juice, but as in Canyon), steep, and deep, hardly ever open, was open last time we were there
Spooked my crew so bad it took them 15 minutes to get down
Happless skiiers yardsaling all the way down too
This is one spot a crash (and resulting slide can kill u)
But hellz yeah, Motts and Killebrew separate the men from the boys (and not with a crowbar or boy butter)
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There are no friends, wives or girlfriends on a powder day and after these last storms the entire SLT went to divorce court
Managed to get up there this time where the snowfall was measured in feet, not inches
Pow shots all day, Epic Epic Epic, the stuff that dreams are made of
Good places to check out are Powderbowl (steep, trees decently far apart, sunny in the afternoon and not windy)
To the left and right of Gunbarrel lift (when facing down the hill)
That lift runs till 430 or later (to download the lily livered varmint who wont go down the steeps, come on ppl, everyone loves to watch a good yardsale)
To the right was a hiking trail called Tahoe Rim Trail ?
Traversed across and found untouched powder fields, then traverse back to the lift
Season passes only 369 (with only a few blackout days) and you get 4 buddy passes for basically half price ($40)
Heated eating areas on the mountain are few and far between (personally I hate eating outside for lunch as that's the time to warm up and rest, not suffer with cold hands and food and rush your meal)
Close to anywhere in south lake (5-10 mins) not a death drive to Kirkwood
Getting stranded when they close 50, not a bad thing in SLT, you've got a whole mini city of food, drink, gambling, or any of the other 70 deadly sins (getting stranded in Kirkwood or Sierra sux cuz there's nothing else around)
Has a Burton factory store on the Cali side, huge plus, get some decent gear if you need, not some fruity, neoprene, pink onezie or crappy gloves, goggles or other ski oriented junk
Well organized lift operations ( Sierra preferred passholder line just allows ppl to cut and they dont even check them )
Yes, Heavenly does get more noobies and tourists, but when it's mostly open, it's so large, does't even matter, just make a terrorist turkey noise and be on your way
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Heavenly really isn't snowboard friendly- to agree with a previous yelper. Yes, the snow is light and fluffy. The weather is fantastic. Light breezy winds, plenty of sun. BUT...
On my last trail back down to the bottom of the mountain, I encountered SO MANY flat zones that I found myself scooting inch by inch more than half of the time. Not good. Perfect for skiiers, tedious for snowboarders. I damn near walked down that mountain.
So why still four stars??
1. Snowboarding is too much fun- how can you attach the sport with anything less?
2. Saved $12- Paid $60 for my lift ticket- bought 'em early.
3. Cheeseburger waiting for me at the bottom of the ski run was delish!
4. The upper ski runs were fantastic. Lots of momentum and great conditions.
5. Heavenly was a whopping 2 blocks away from our cabin! YAY!
6. Breathtaking views (which I took snapshots of while stuck on flats)
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I learned to ski at Heavenly, so for me, this mountain feels like home.
Venture over to the Nevada side of the mountain and you'll be sure to
enjoy the mountain in all it's glory. Nice wide runs where you might see a couple of boarders pass you by, but for the most part, the mountain is pretty quiet.
If it's a sunny day with powder, you can't ask for anything better. Crisp air hitting you as you sail down hill with the sun warming you and every turn you make is perfect.
Grab a beer or a gatorade on the Nevada side and enjoy the mountain, lay back and relax. You can't ask for anything better.
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I agree, Heavenly has its problems. For one, the poor layout means that you have to take a lot of lifts to get back to the gondola and pole through a lot of flat parts. Secondly, it seems to attract idiots. Please don't stop in the middle of the trail, behind a curve, at a skinny place between a rock and a tree and adjust the track you're listening to on your iPod. I will try to avoid you in the middle of my beautiful run, but later in the day, I may be tempted to stop sharply and cover you in snow.
So, this brings me to how a grad student can ski Heavenly and enjoy it. Student passes are an amazing deal. Yeah, you don't get buddy passes or 10 days at Vail, but they are $269! That is just a little more than 3 full day tickets. Plus, you don't have to wait in the endless line to buy tickets at the bottom. Also, Heavenly may be filled with an awkward combination of beginners and idiots, but every time I have been able to find a few runs that are nearly empty and with beautiful snow. No, I am not telling you where they are.
I also secretly enjoy any mountain that is rough on snowboarders. You sit in the middle of my path, knock down the moguls, and take ages around the lift, buckling and unbuckling. I enjoy seeing you work a little. However, Heavenly seems to have made a lot of effort to accommodate snowboarders by providing three different terrain parks around the mountain.
Heavenly also provides really convenient shuttle service from the hotels on Tahoe Boulevard to the gondola, meaning that you don't have to deal with the parking issue, and can just leave your car in the hotel lot.
So, yeah, Heavenly has its problems. But I will continue to eat my lunch on the lift, enjoy the dwindling price per day of skiing, and appreciate the view and few nearly empty runs.
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1 STAR-it's a mountain with snow...never a bad thing
1 STAR-the views...breathtaking...best in Tahoe
1 STAR-it's a big mountain...a Cali side and a Nevada side
This isn't my favorite place to snowboard in Tahoe (Alpine Meadows is), but it isn't bad either. The views are show-stopping. This is why tourists do stupid things like stop in the middle of a run, whip out their camera and start snapping photos. If you haven't seen it before (and sometimes even when you have), that vista of Lake Tahoe stops you in your tracks. I mean, come on...who ISN"T awestruck by its beauty?
Natural beauty and vistas aside, this is a MAJOR resort...tourists everywhere...parking lot is a mess on the weekend, so try during the week. Forget Holiday weekends...too many people. Or go for first tracks in the AM. They groom just about everything, or so it seems, so good luck getting any fresh powder. The food is mediocre and on the pricey side...especially given its mediocrity. Eat a big breakfast before you come and bring snacks in the car for when you break for lunch and for the drive home.
I can't comment on the lift ticket prices, as I was here on a state pass.
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There are many reasons why I cannot stand this resort. Here are just the top five reasons why:
5. The resort is just too big. Because of this resort i have now decided that I am never going to board at a resort that crosses state lines! There's just too much going on here!
4. Heavenly is TOO CROWDED! There are too many people. The runs are covered with people, and there's not room to maneuver, and board comfortably.
3. It's too flat. Usually I love going to the summit at a resort, but this was not worth it. If you snowboard, stay away from the summit. You just can't get enough momentum to keep going. The summit run is lined with snowboarders who thought the run would be sweet, and, like I, discovered that it totally blew!
2. Chair lift lines are ridiculously long. I spent more time standing in line for the chair lift, than i actually spent on the runs themselves. I didn't pay that much money to stand in line all day!
1. This place has the RUDEST skiers I have ever seen. If you're a skier, I'm sorry, but this place gives you a bad name. I've never been to a resort where so many people were just down right rude. I know there's some tension between skiers and snowboarders, but give me a break, you don't have to clip my board, and yell at me when you're about to run into me. Most importantly, I can't help it if I lose momentum on the flat runs, and I can't control where I fall... I'm not trying to inconvenience people, So lay of the rude remarks when I'm accidentally in the way.
Snowboarders: Stay away from this resort! It was definitely overpriced misery!
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This resort is located in a more poppin' area of Tahoe... near the casinos and very close to the lake so if you don't feel like snowboarding or skiing during your vacation, you definitely have other alternatives.
There is definitely a sight to be seen when you reach atop the mounain from the lifts. Whenever I go, the lines aren't too long and snow is a hit or miss but that goes for any resort.
This place is good for beginners and new intermediate snowboarders... anything beyond that, you'll easily get bored of this place. Lift tix are $81 and my season pass came out to like $300ish with my student discount.
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If you like parking spot hunting this is the place for you! They are tons of other resorts within 30 minutes of this place that have much better runs, better parking and less people.
If you're a non-season pass holder you're going to pay out the ass for a lift ticket. (70-something dollars! ouch!)
Extra star for the spectacular view of Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain... wow wow!
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ditto everything I said about squaw. Five stars for weekdays and one for weekends.
Motts and Killbrew are consistently good, not very open though, lots of obstacles so heads up.
Food is really expensive so go to Safeway in the morning and pick up a sandwich (half the price and twice as good as anything you'll pick up on mountain)
24-hour Ski Report Line
775-586-7000, press 1
Great views but hard to get around sometimes and the lines can be hellish.
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