The Skiers' Guide to Heavenly

Heavenly and Tahoe need more snow! Tree skiing is usually phenomenal and powder good when there is snow.

Not a lot of snow in California this winter (so far) we’ve had one good storm leaving heavenly with a decent base layer. Their snowmaking is is top notch and provided some decent powder sections on their runs. Their park sections aren’t great and only two small sections on the entire resort. It always feels more like a skier’s mountain here. Crowds weee low being the middle of the week - no waits on the lifts. Their alcohol is pretty pricey - cocktail $20. We enjoy coming to heavenly though for the town and easy access to the gondola. There are a ton of hotels at different price points, but if it’s in your budget it’s great walking outside and straight on the gondola.

I went over Valentine's Day weekend and it was a ton of fun. I was skiing with two friends and had a great time

Pros: large resort, modern detachable lifts (mostly), 3 base areas, decent snow quality, many mogul runs, trees etc, family friendly resort.

Cons: extremely complex navigation, many "valleys" from which getting out is hard, not good enough parks for different levels. Large crowds in some areas, not enough challenging terrain, no bowls, quite a few flat traverse areas.

This place has so many blue runs and we had a lot of fun exploring the mountain from east to west.
The ski school at the California Lodge was amazing, they made my kids a special vega lunch and they learnt a lot! The ski school on the other side at the Gondola was a different experience, they started very late and were back teaching them how to put skis on and not focusing on building the skills they already had. They also didn’t get a lunch because they were vegan so finished the day hungry, cold and tired.
We always rent from the California Lodge and the gear was exceptionally good this year. I got to try the Nordica back fastening boots which were so comfortable!
Loft lines after the holidays were no problem at all. I wish they had vegan options at the restaurants on the mountain.

My friend and I visited Heavenly over MLK weekend and we had such a great time exploring the village and eating at the amazing restaurants in the area. We tried Hell’s Kitchen 10/10, Saltgrass Steak House 4/10, and Wolf 1000/10. The views from the gondola are gorgeous of the lake and snow covered mountains. I am a beginner snowboarder and this is not a beginner friendly resort. They do not have a lot of green runs and the blue runs that I went on were narrow with lots of cat walks which is not fun for any snowboarder. Overall we had a great time and the nightlife was excellent. Would definitely come back once I’m a more experienced snowboarder to hit the slopes!!

Heavenly is a great resort with a lovely village. It is quite pricey, but the views are incredible and runs are very fun especially if a storm blows through!

Poorly designed resort with multiple flat traverses required to navigate the mountain. Very crowded greens and blues, but great powder hiding in blacks and trees

Great place, easy access. California and Nevada sides. Many lifts,runs. A great gondola to restraunt at top. Super accomodations!

This is my home mountain. It has amazing views you can’t get anywhere else. The skiing is fun when it’s not busy. Lots of tourists ski here. This is not a beginner friendly mountain.

It was our first time skiing when we went to Heavenly Ski Resort. It was nothing short of amazing. We booked lessons the instructor was very kind and dedicated. We learned a lot for a very short (2 hour) class that we felt confident enough to do runs on a bunny hill. We went back this December and we were able to ski the bunny hills even better and felt like we were finally getting good at least. There were a lot of beginner friendly areas. I highly recommend this place to beginners especially their ski lessons.

Very low snow
limited terrain
No off piest runs tree or powder
Warm 51 F man-made low storm activity in Tahoe Sierra Nevada

for being a really slow season, they have done a good job making snow and have limited runs open. With that said those runs are very crowded. I think they are doing a decent job trying to alleviate some of the stress of this.

Easily my favorite resort in the US. Can ski in two states. Has expert gate controlled terrain. Easy shuttle down to the casinos.

Beautiful place in general ....the mountains, the access. Runs are always well groomed ...great place

Beautiful resort, great skiing opportunities…I recommend highly, long time customer. Great skiing conditions!

Been to Heavenly twice and had a great time both times. Good runs and not crazy busy. Did a single snowboarding lesson to help technique and ended up being the only student so got one-to-one instruction, which was nice. Looking forward to next time I can visit.

Heavenly has one of the best parking situations in Tahoe, and while this might seem a moot point, it’s very important. As if there’s no parking you can’t get in to some of these places. Heavenly is divided into Nevada and California. There’s plenty of room, and although one of the more popular ski resorts. If the entire mountain is open it doesn’t feel stuffy. However, if you’re on the most popular runs with the views. Then those chairs and runs are extremely packed. Terrain park is great, and has a lot of big jumps. There’s a couple of different spots to eat on the mountain. And South Lake Tahoe has a bunch to offer.

I really love heavenly when the snow is good. The expert terrain all around mott and killebrew is suitably challenging and hosts a wide variety of cornices and jumps and certainly the Y. Pistes are clear and wide with some great tree skiing in the middle with lifts that when there is snow are kept open very often and rarely fail. Staff are incredibly friendly and will always help kids getting on the lifts. Great resort for gnarly terrain chasers and family trips!

Heavenly Ski Resort has something for everyone. Family friendly, great food,and atmosphere. The views of Lake Tahoe are breathtaking!