Heavenly ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Heavenly
Overview
Sitting at 1898m on the southern shores of Lake Tahoe, America's highest and largest alpine lake, is the wonderful Heavenly ski resort.
With 2/3 of the resort in California and 1/3 in Nevada, the contrast of Las Vegas styled bars with neons and the more refined establishments is striking and thats one of the reasons why Heavenly is so popular - it provides the very best of both worlds.
Après-ski
You will be hard pushed to find a better resort for lively apres-ski with Vegas-style action stacking chips in the casinos, all-night dance clubs, world-class shows and five-star dining.
With 165 restaurants and over 100 bars and clubs, there is simply too much choice and never a dull moment in this ski resort!
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 2578m |
| Top lift | 3968m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Ski area (acre) | 4800 |
| Longest run | 8 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 0 km |
| Season | Nov - April |
| Snowboard parks | 4 |
| Heli Skiing | ✔ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Very lively and great fun |
Ski area guide
Ski holidays in Heavenly are tailor made for any level of skier and snowboarder but particularly for beginners and intermediates with around 65% of the 97 pistes reserved for them. With an average of 360 inches of snow on the mountain and 125 inches at lake level, snow cover is pretty much certain although just in case, nearly three quarters of the trails have snow making machines.
Beginners
Taking the gondola from Heavenly Village brings you to the excellent beginner areas around California and Boulder lodges.
Intermediate
Skiing around the Heavenly trails is tailor made for intermediate skiers although as some of the ski areas are a little fragmented, snowboarders will find some of the long flat sections connecting them a little frustrating - surfing the off-piste powder more than makes up for a little inconvenience. One of the best places for intermediate skiers is above East Peak Lodge on the Nevada side of the mountain looking down in to the desert with lots of long cruising pistes.
Advanced
Approximately one third of the ski area is dedicated to experts with steep chutes everywhere to test the best such as the near vertical chutes of Mott and Killebrew Canyons coming out of the Milkyway Bowl! If you like moguls the size of elephants then try the famous Gunbarrel piste!
Cross-country
Heavenly does not provide any Nordic skiing trails and so your best option is to head to Kirkwood ski resort.
Snowboard
There are several terrain parks on the Californian side that cater for all levels. Progression Park is part of the Kids Adventure Zone and is ideal for absolue beginners with small rails and gentle jumps. High Roller Park at the top of the Canyon Chair is for experts only with a 5.5m high 135m long half-pipe!
Heavenly lodging
There is a very wide selection of places to stay from luxury lakeside lodges and traditional wooden cabins to large residence style apartments. Most of the accommodation in Heavenly Village is conveniently located close to the shops, bars and restaurants and you are never more than a few minutes walk to the gondola. If you are renting a chalet or apartment outside of the village, you will need to take advantage of the free shuttle bus that takes you to the ski lift.
See all rentalsThings to see & do in Heavenly
If you don't fancy skiing or the weather is not that great, then there are plenty of other activities to keep you occupied. A good option is a trip to Adventure Peak which has the largest tubing operation on the West Coast with five 500-foot-long lanes with a 65-foot vertical drop.
- Ski bikes
- Spa
- Night skiing
- Tobogganing
- Ice skating
- Cinema
- Bowling
- Cruise around Lake Tahoe on a paddle steamer
- Snowmobile safari
Our view on Heavenly ski resort
This ski resort has a big reputation for extreme skiing and very challenging terrain with great fun to be had by all both on and off the piste. Similar ski resorts to Heavenly include Whistler in the Canadian Rocky Mountains - acres of fabulous on and off-piste ski terrain.
