Heavenly Mountain Resort is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

located on the California–Nevada border in

South Lake Tahoe South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada. The city's population was 21,330 at the 2020 census, down from 21,403 at the 2010 census. The city, along the southern edge of Lake ...

in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It opened for business on December 15, 1955 and has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities. The resort has within its permit area, with approximately 33% currently developed for skiing, boasting the highest elevation of the Lake Tahoe area resorts with a peak elevation of , and a peak lift-service elevation of . Since 2002, Heavenly has been owned by

Vail Resorts Vail Resorts, Inc. is an American mountain resort company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company is divided into three divisions. The mountain segment owns and operates 40 mountain resorts in four countries, Vail Resorts Hospitality o ...

, which also operates Northstar California and

Kirkwood Mountain Resort Kirkwood Mountain Resort is a year-round resort in Kirkwood, California, south of Lake Tahoe. The resort focuses on skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking and mountain-biking in the Summer. Kirkwood is one of the region's larger res ...

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...

and seven other ski resorts in Colorado, British Columbia, Idaho, Vermont, New Hampshire, Washington, Utah, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin (

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numer ...

, Breckenridge,

Okemo Okemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in the town of Ludlow, Vermont, United States. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US Family Snow Resort. History Okemo was founded in 1955 b ...

Snowbasin Snowbasin Resort is a ski resort in the western United States, located in Weber County, Utah, northeast of Salt Lake City, on the back (east) side of the Wasatch Range. Opened in 1939, as part of an effort by the city of Ogden to restore t ...

, Sun Valley,

Mount Sunapee Mount Sunapee (or Sunapee Mountain on federal maps) is a mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire, United States. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three ...

Crested Butte Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is in Gunnison National Forest, northeast by east ( bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Col ...

, Stevens Pass, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Park City Resort (Canyons), Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton, and

Wilmot Mountain Wilmot Mountain is a ski area in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. It is located in the community of Wilmot and lies in both the Town of Randall and the village of Salem Lakes, just north of the Illinois border. Located in the southern regio ...

Whistler Blackcomb Whistler Blackcomb is a ski resort located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. By many measures it is the largest ski resort in North America and has the greatest uphill lift capacity. It features the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for moving between ...

). With an average of of

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...

annually, and one of America's largest snowmaking systems, their ski season usually runs from mid November to mid April. Heavenly is notable as the resort where Congressman and singer

Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...

died after hitting a tree on January 5, 1998.

Ski Lifts

The lifts built by Doppelmayr are the Big Easy, Canyon Express, Comet Express, Dipper Express, Galaxy, Gondola, Gunbarrel Express, Mott Canyon, Powderbowl Express, Sky Express, Stagecoach Express, and Tamarack Express. The lifts built by Yan are Boulder, First Ride, Groove, Patsy's, and The Ridge. SLI built Olympic, and World Cup. The oldest lift is World Cup, having been built in 1969. Mott Canyon also closes at 3:00 during the day thus its trails are closed too. Mostly high-speed detachable quads serve the resort. The longest lift is the Gondola by a significant amount. Two six-packs serve skiers; the Tamarack and Powderbowl Express chairs. Most of the lifts close at 4:00 PM with the exception of the Mott Canyon lift, which closes at 3:00, the Yan and SLI double lifts have a very similar appearance in chairs to lines, to terminals, only the bull wheels are different.

References

External links

* * {{Sierra Nevada 1955 establishments in California 1955 establishments in Nevada Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Nevada Buildings and structures in El Dorado County, California Landmarks in California Landmarks in Nevada Ski areas and resorts in California Ski areas and resorts in Nevada Tourist attractions in Douglas County, Nevada Tourist attractions in El Dorado County, California Vail Resorts