Heavenly Mountain Resort
Ski resort in California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort in the western United States, located on the California–Nevada border in southeastern Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It opened as "Heavenly Valley" 71 years ago on December 15, 1955,[1] and now has 97 runs and 30 lifts spread between four base facilities in both states. The resort has 4,800 acres (7.5 sq mi; 19.4 km2) within its permit area, with approximately 33% currently developed for skiing, boasting the highest elevation of the Lake Tahoe area resorts at 10,067 feet (3,068 m) above sea level, with a maximum lift-served elevation of 10,040 feet (3,060 m).
El Dorado County, California / Douglas County, Nevada/Alpine County, California
| Heavenly Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The gondola lift base in South Lake Tahoe in 2005 | |
  Heavenly Mountain Resort Location in the United States  Heavenly Mountain Resort Location in California | |
| Location | El Dorado-Toiyabe National Forests El Dorado County, California / Douglas County, Nevada/Alpine County, California |
| Nearest city | South Lake Tahoe, California |
| Coordinates | 38.9353°N 119.9400°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Vail Resorts |
| Vertical | 3,812 ft (1,162 m) |
| Top elevation | 10,067 ft (3,068 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,255 ft (1,907 m) |
| Skiable area | 4,800 acres (19.4 km2) |
| Trails | 97 total  20% Easier 45% More Difficult  35% Most Difficult |
| Longest run | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) (Olympic downhill) |
| Lift system | 25 total: 1 high speed gondola, 1 aerial tram, 2 high speed six passenger chairs, 8 high speed quads, 1 fixed grip quad, 4 triples, 2 doubles, 2 surface, 4 magic carpets |
| Lift capacity | 52,000 passengers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 3 – Groove Park, Lakeview Park, Mombo Park |
| Snowfall | 360 inches (30 ft; 9.1 m) |
| Snowmaking | Yes |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | www.SkiHeavenly.com |
Since 2002, Heavenly has been owned by Vail Resorts. With an average annual snowfall of 360 inches (30 ft; 9.1 m) and an extensive snowmaking system, the ski season usually runs for five months, from mid-November to mid-April.
Heavenly is notable as the resort where Congressman and singer Sonny Bono died after hitting a tree on January 5, 1998.[2]
Lifts
| Lift Name | Manufacturer | Year built | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Easy | Doppelmayr CTEC (4-CLF) | 2003 | 1600 pph |
| Canyon Express | Doppelmayr CTEC (4-CLD) | 2003 | 2600 pph |
| Comet Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 1988 | 2800 pph |
| Dipper Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 1994 | 2800 pph |
| Galaxy | Doppelmayr (3-CLF) | 2018 | 1800 pph |
| Heavenly Gondola | Doppelmayr (8-MGD) | 2000 | 2800 pph |
| Gunbarrel Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 1998 | 2660 pph |
| Mott Canyon | Doppelmayr (2-CLF) | 1991 | 1000 pph |
| North Bowl Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 2022 | 2400 pph |
| Olympic Express | Doppelmayr CTEC (4-CLD) | 2007 | 2400 pph |
| Powderbowl Express | Doppelmayr CTEC (6-CLD) | 2004 | 3600 pph |
| Sky Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 1992 | 2400 pph |
| Stagecoach Express | Doppelmayr (4-CLD) | 1998 | 2800 pph |
| Tamarack Express | Doppelmayr (6-CLD) | 1997 | 2400 pph |
| Aerial Tram | VonRoll (50 Tram) | 1984 | 650 pph |
| Boulder | Yan/Riblet (3-CLF) | 1988 | 1800 pph |
| First Ride | Yan (3-CLF) | 1998 | Unknown |
| Groove | Yan (3-CLF) | 1992 | Unknown |
| Patsy's | Yan (3-CLF) | 1982 | 2000 pph |
| World Cup | SLI (2-CLF) | 1969 | 900 pph |
Heavenly's lifts mostly consist of Doppelmayr's detachable chairlifts. Some older Yan and Riblet fixed grips still remain.
There is a gondola linking Heavenly Village from the actual resort.
Climate
| Climate data for Monument Peak (CA) 38.9255 N, 119.9021 W, Elevation: 9,669 ft (2,947 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.2 (1.2) |
33.5 (0.8) |
36.5 (2.5) |
40.8 (4.9) |
48.9 (9.4) |
59.0 (15.0) |
68.2 (20.1) |
67.5 (19.7) |
61.3 (16.3) |
51.2 (10.7) |
39.9 (4.4) |
33.7 (0.9) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.0 (−3.3) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
38.0 (3.3) |
47.1 (8.4) |
55.9 (13.3) |
55.2 (12.9) |
49.2 (9.6) |
40.2 (4.6) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
37.5 (3.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.8 (−7.9) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
19.4 (−7.0) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
35.3 (1.8) |
43.7 (6.5) |
42.9 (6.1) |
37.1 (2.8) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
22.5 (−5.3) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.94 (151) |
5.16 (131) |
5.38 (137) |
3.15 (80) |
2.45 (62) |
0.93 (24) |
0.39 (9.9) |
0.38 (9.7) |
0.61 (15) |
1.80 (46) |
3.32 (84) |
6.07 (154) |
35.58 (903.6) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[3] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Heavenly Valley, California, 1991–2020 normals: 8582ft (2616m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.0 (3.9) |
38.7 (3.7) |
42.2 (5.7) |
45.5 (7.5) |
52.5 (11.4) |
60.6 (15.9) |
68.7 (20.4) |
67.8 (19.9) |
62.4 (16.9) |
52.9 (11.6) |
43.7 (6.5) |
37.8 (3.2) |
51.0 (10.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.3 (−1.5) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
34.3 (1.3) |
41.5 (5.3) |
49.1 (9.5) |
56.7 (13.7) |
55.7 (13.2) |
50.9 (10.5) |
42.3 (5.7) |
33.8 (1.0) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
40.1 (4.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
30.5 (−0.8) |
37.6 (3.1) |
44.6 (7.0) |
43.5 (6.4) |
39.2 (4.0) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
19.1 (−7.2) |
29.2 (−1.5) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.65 (144) |
5.18 (132) |
5.20 (132) |
2.94 (75) |
2.43 (62) |
0.85 (22) |
0.36 (9.1) |
0.37 (9.4) |
0.60 (15) |
1.81 (46) |
3.30 (84) |
5.85 (149) |
34.54 (879.5) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation)[5] | |||||||||||||
