California Dreamin` Part Two: Ski Heavenly

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12/19/2015
California Dreamin' Part Two Ski Heavenly | The Brave Ski Mom
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California Dreamin’ Part Two:
Ski Heavenly*
OCTOBER 8, 2012 BY BRAVESKIMOM
http://braveskimom.com/california-dreamin-part-two-ski-heavenly
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12/19/2015
This time every year, the dreams start. The dreams of
snow, of skiing, of winter, of the trite, sentimental
White Christmas. I don’t even have to be asleep and
I’m dreaming. This year, I’m dreaming of snow in
California.
Why California? As a Coloradan, I have an inborn bias against California, most specifically against “Sierra Cement.”
You see, we in Colorado are smug. We think we’ve got the best mountains, the best resorts and the
best snow. Never mind that in California, their storms are measured in feet, while ours are measured
in inches. Never mind that scores of World Cup athletes hail from the Golden State (yeah, we’ve got
ours, too!) or that California has actually hosted a Winter Olympics, while the good people of
Colorado voted Citius, Altius and Fortius from our borders. Why would I travel to California when I can
stay home and ski?
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Why, indeed?
My Eyes Are Opened
Last March, I visited South Lake Tahoe
and spent two days skiing at Heavenly,
one day at Kirkwood and one day at
Sierra-At-Tahoe. I couldn’t have picked
a more desolate ski season for my first
visit. When the shuttle from Reno
deposited me at my hotel, it was 60
degrees outside. There was no snow on
the ground and astoundingly blue Lake
Tahoe beckoned much more than the
towering mountains around it.
This is winter at Lake Tahoe?
Still, I’m going back. Despite the less
than optimal conditions, I had a great
time skiing in California (and Nevada). I’m still a Coloradan, but I’ve got my California dreams.
Ski Heavenly
Day One: It’s tropical: 54 degrees at the base of the
gondola at 8:30 a.m. Luckily, the gondola is all about
getting taking you way up the mountain, where the
real Heavenly begins. One thing I love about
gondolas is that they give you an easy opportunity to
pump your fellow travelers for information. And
pump, I did. “I’ve never been here before,” I
explained. “Where should I ski?” The four men in my
cabin (who ranged from 8 to 68) were unanimous in
their agreement: stay on the Nevada side and ski the
In a normal year, you wouldn’t see this.
Comet and Dipper Express chairlifts. Did I mention
that none of them were local?
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Walking from the Gondola to Nevada. I love the novelty of skiing in two states on one ticket!
The gondola unloads near Tamarack Lodge, a beautiful new building with tons of outdoor seating for
soaking up the sun, and a Nevada-style après party most days of the week (Only in Nevada would
you find an après party, rated M for Mature, with go-go dancers — who knew they still existed?)
Also in this area are a new children’s learning center known as the Bear Cave, and Adventure Peak,
with tubing, snowbiking and sledding.
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The Tamarack Express heads up from the mid-mountain base. At the top of the mountain, it was
“breezy.” The views, however, were stunning.
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Unfortunately, the snow was not so
stunning and the wind was doing a very
effective job of blasting any remaining
loose snow from the mountain’s surface. After several fast, firm groomers, I decide
to visit the California side.
Adios Nevada, Hello Cali
Traversing over to California, I took the
Sky Express to the top of the mountain,
and was working my way around the now
sun-softened slopes. Since I was skiing by
myself, I continued chatting up my chairlift
partners, looking for tips and hoping to
find a local.
Finally, I boarded with Malcolm and John,
two sixty-something long-time locals.
They proffered some advice and we said
goodbye.
Trapped! By afternoon, wind closed the Sky Express and I found myself in the novel position of being stuck in
California, with no way of skiing back to the gondola. Not sure where to go, I was randomly exploring
when I met back up with Malcolm and John. I skied with them the rest of the afternoon, finding some
good corn snow in Powderbowl Basin, enjoying some soft, slushy moguls on Waterfall and Fall Line
and learning a lot about the lure and lore of skiing Heavenly.
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The Face: Seriously, sadly, closed.
With conditions being thin, Gunbarrel was closed which was a big disappointment. To get off the
mountain, we had to take a long cat track, Round-A-Bout. Part way down, I followed John into a
tree-lined chute, which gave me just a taste of the famous Face. A bus ride back to the gondola and
my first Tahoe ski day was over.
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Too thin to ski?
Day Four: Wondering what happened to days two and three? Day Two saw 16 inches of fresh in
South Lake Tahoe that resulted in an amazing day at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Day three found me skiing in
more wind at Kirkwood, the newest addition to the Vail Resorts’ family. But day four, well, day four
was the best.
Here’s why:
1) Locals! On Day Four, I was skiing with a group of writers and industry reps from the North
American Snowsports Journalists Association. The big advantage to being with this group is that the
resort wants to make sure you have the best day ever.
Heavenly didn’t disappoint. Our group was assigned to a long-time ski instructor, a long-time local,
and long-time freestyle phenom Wayne Wong, who back in his prime was one of the best mogul
skiers in the world. He’s still amazing and an incredible ambassador for the sport.
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Heavenly can be a confusing mountain for a newbie,
especially during a year when closure gates nearly equaled
open runs. But between these three men, our group skied as
much as we could, covering much of this big mountain.
2) Powder! This was Thursday, and it had snowed on
Tuesday. Amazingly, there was still powder – untracked
powder – in the trees, adjacent to groomed runs, at a busy
resort. “How can this be?” one of my skiing companions
exclaimed. How could this be? In Utah or Colorado, the lines
would have been taken, the snow skied out.
Wayne Wong and Friends at Heavenly.
But at Heavenly, we found fresh all over
the mountain, in the trees that line the
Olympic Downhill that leads to
Stagecoach Lodge, clear up to the top
of the mountain where there was now
enough snow to enjoy Milky Way Bowl,
one of the few advanced areas that was
open.
There still wasn’t enough snow to take
Our guide pointing out more places where we couldn’t go (but
can go next time! C’mon snow!)
advantage of double black Killebrew
Canyon or The Face, but the little taste
of off-piste skiing we enjoyed convinced me that in a normal snow year, Heavenly would indeed (I
have to say it!), heavenly.
3) Trees! I have to give a shout out to some of the best glades I’ve ever seen. The trees at
Heavenly are big, but never tight. Rumor has it that the tree skiing at Heavenly is so sublime because
during the 19th Century silver boom, trees were logged to build mine shafts. I was told that only one
species was good for mine shafts, so those trees were logged, leaving the other species behind. The
result? A dreamscape of perfectly spaced trees in an amazing natural playground.
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When You Go…
The south side of Lake Tahoe is home to Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-At-Tahoe. Heavenly and
Kirkwood are both part of Vail Resorts, while Sierra is independent. I wrote last winter about Sierra-atTahoe’s Star Wars Experience for budding snowboarders under age 6. I highly recommend it, if
you’ve got a grom of that age. The skiing was extensive with beautiful glades and a surprising amoun
of terrain. Over two feet of new snow made it especially fun, if a little disorienting. I honestly can’t tell
you where I skied. I must return.
Happy smiling skiers enjoying fresh snow at Sierra-at-Tahoe.
I wasn’t at Kirkwood on a good day. It looked good: the sun shining, the snow soft, the mountains
dramatically etched against a cobalt sky. But, the wind was so strong that the upper lifts never
opened. Like a kid in a candy store, I could taste the thrill of skiing this rugged range, but I couldn’t
make it happen. The day was still fun, ripping through gullies and playing on groomers, but I didn’t
have the Kirkwood experience. Again, I must go back.
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Kirkwood: Looking at the places we couldn’t go.
Lodging
I stayed at the Embassy Suites about 2 blocks from the gondola. It was pretty much perfect with two
rooms, breakfast and afternoon drinks and snacks. An indoor pool seals the deal if you’re bringing
kids. There is closer lodging at Marriott’s Timber Lodge, as well as the requisite variety of independen
condos, hotels and motels you’ll find in any ski town. For a family, I definitely recommend staying on
the California side (no smoking, no gambling and so on).
What’s New?
Heavenly is making some family friendly improvements this season, bringing back an 18-foot halfpipe,
after a three-year hiatus, and creating a new Kids’ Adventure Zone on the California side, to
complement the kids’ zone near Tamarack Lodge and the Bear Cave.
Now, all we need is snow.
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Enjoy!
*Related Posts: California Dreamin’ Part One: Kayaking Channel Islands National Park
© 2012 – 2014, braveskimom. All rights reserved. Any use or publication of content, including
photos, requires express permission.
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FILED UNDER: SKI RESORT REVIEWS, UNITED STATES, CALIFORNIA
TAGGED WITH: SKI RESORT REVIEWS, SKIING, SKI
COMMENTS
Katrina Woodrow says
October 8, 2012 at 12:38 pm
You were indeed lucky getting snow.
We have had a timeshare by the Heavenly lift (Heavenly Valley Townhouses) since
1999/2000 season and this was the worst New Year’s skiing we have had during all those
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12/19/2015
years and we only missed one year. Ironically the year before was among the best!
We travel every year from the north of England to ski at Lake Tahoe so everything is crossed
for a good dump of snow at the end of December!
Hope you enjoy your return trip!
braveskimom says
Yes, thank you. And you enjoy your skiing as well! Coming from the North of England,
you deserve the snow more than me! Cheers!
Keith Bare says
How much were the rooms at Embassy Suites??
braveskimom says
Good question: right now, for a weekend in January 2013, they are running about
$209 per night.
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California Dreamin` Part Two: Ski Heavenly

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