Plenty of snow, people cover Heavenly’s slope on Day 1
By Kathryn Reed
“The snow was truly epic.”
That’s how season passholder Michael Brown of Stateline described opening day at Heavenly Mountain Resort.
California Trail at Heavenly on opening day Nov. 20. Photos/Kathryn Reed
He wasn’t at the gondola in time to get “first chair” – he had to settle for the second car. But he beat the snowboarders in front of him who had to lock in to their bindings to be the first one on California Trail this season.
Heavenly had to delay the start of the season a day because Mother Nature was whipping up winds that made it unsafe to fire up the lifts Friday. Not the case a day later – Nov. 20.
What started off as a sunny, blue-sky day Saturday at lake level gradually turned to partly cloudy and was back to winter conditions by early afternoon. It was much the same on the mountain.
Charlie Smith of South Lake Tahoe was taking advantage of having bought a Double Whammy pass to ski Sierra and Northstar and being able to turn it in for a Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass. This is all possible only this year because of Vail’s purchase of Northstar last month.
He took one run before needing to warm up in the Umbrella Bar at the confluence of the gondola debarkation, Tamarack lift and Adventure Peak Grill. He said the run was great. In the bar he did wince a bit at the $9.41 for a shot of Bushmills whiskey.
Others were happy to have a flask of peppermint schnapps in their pocket to add to hot cocoa. Still others parted with $8.85 for a Stella.
The gondola started running at 8:30am, with a line of eager skiers and boarders. People were already heading home before 10am. Passholders often just ski a couple hours, but with only run open and it starting to get busy, it was enough to chase some people off the mountain.
For those who paid the $62 to ski one run, well, it’s debatable if it was worth it. Though, there’s always something special about opening day at any resort.
Daily prices will keep going up. Go to Heavenly’s website, put in the date you plan to be there and the price comes up. Still, like all resorts, a season pass is the best deal as long as you don’t want to ski on the blackout dates.
California Trail, though covered without an obstacle to be seen, was littered with bodies. To the skiers’ left was a mini terrain park that was getting substantial traffic on its various features.
More trails will open as conditions permit – which Heavenly officials say will happen today. Dipper Express will be open, giving access to Orion and Bigger Dipper trails. This will greatly spread people beyond Tamarack chair. East Peak Lodge will also be open.
At the base of the Tamarack chairlift is the Tamarack Lodge that from the outside looks ready to serve the masses. Heavenly’s multi-million dollar lodge will open in February.
An unfortunate sight was a dad yelling at his daughter who was about 7 to turn her snowboard like his. This “Little League parent” behavior is always sad to see, but really, did he need to do this on Day 1 and in cold, snowy weather – especially when staff at the base of gondola urged beginners to come back another day.
Another piece of advice – put the bar up on the chairlift before the skis hit the snow at the end of the lift. And don’t hold the bar down again, buddy. It’s a good thing you skied off fast.
One guy visiting from Michigan decided on the offhand chance Heavenly opened he’d have his ski clothes with him. He was making the most of it under gray skies and windy weather. He was ecstatic to be on the lift no matter the weather.
A foursome from Vegas ventured up to the Umbrella Bar to check things out. They, unlike another group of lookiloos, were dressed for the weather. The other group showed up in tennis shoes.
Staff was on top of their game on Day 1. The guys at both ends of the gondola, coming and going, were super cheerful and eager to put skis and boards on/off the cars. Missy at the Umbrella Bar was handling the crowd as people wanted to drink and beverages weren’t quite available because the bar and portable food station had to be dug out and stocked before service was available.
Heavenly’s website will keep listing what lifts and runs are open. With the winter storm warning in effect through 4pm today, powder day is likely what people will experience today.
Dear Kathryn Reed:
How is it that Sierra At Tahoe can stay afloat if everyone buys a Vail Pass?
Even if Sierra can hold its own without the cash inflow that season passes generate, won’t it cripple SAT’s ability to stay profitable in the long run?
Is this just veiled takeover move? Will SAT be Vail’s “West Heavenly” next season, after SAT’s falling profitability, or even bankruptcy?
At $60 a ticket for the thrill of one packed intermediate level run and $10 a shot, Vail certainly does know how to generate profit. Welcome to Vail, CA. Where one corporation is sucking the life out of a community while giving NOTHING back. Hell, they can’t even be bothered to pay city taxes…We make nothing from this corporation and are forced to lick their boots as they rob us of our own mountain.
Didn’t the marketing dept. just last week tell us that they could cover California in 10′ of snow in an hour? (WWP!) And, yet all those people forced onto 1 run even with several feet of natural snow? Opening Dipper must not have computed in their daily profit forecast…
Anyone up for Monopoly? Maybe a vampire show?
Fret not Chuck. SAT is the profitable resort and no longer has to share those profits with their cash-sucking sister North Star. I hope SAT stays independent of Vail but the owner is an investor looking for profits. Even Ben & Jerry’s eventually sold out to corporate America. It’s what capitalism is all about after all.
Ski resorts usually manage their openings the way Heavenly did yesterday. Get one run open so you can say you’re open and do it before you’re fully staffed; saves the snow and the payroll budget. I wish they’d open the entire resort for us but they always save it up for the big holiday weekends. Dang.
As with all things in this town involving money, stay tuned …
$62 for 1 open run? Haha that’s a good one. There is obviously no truth to the rumors about the town going broke.
Which begs the question…why then are the residents the ones being surcharged for the Clean Tahoe program, and not the tourists who do the littering and have to be cleaned up after?
Steve,
You are sadly misinformed with regard to Clean Tahoe. I worked there almost 6 years, and continue to respect the Program. Not only do they clean up the public “tourist-littered” highways, but your neighborhood, and mine as well.
The Clean Tahoe Program gives locals a chance to clean up their property each spring and dump it all for $5. They are there when someone dumps a couch in front of your house, or you put out your trash in an old plastic trash can with no lid and the bears scatter it everywhere. They are there to help a senior citizen with special trash removal needs they can’t manage on their own – usually at no cost. They pick up that ragged, snow-soaked, disintegrating mattress from the lot next to you when it emerges from the snow in the spring.
Sad but true – Tahoe locals do more than their share of littering. I doubt many tourists drive up the hill from Sacramento just to dump their old couch, refrigerator or mattress behind a big pine tree at the end of Sierra Blvd.
You might want to compare what locals pay the City for City services, or STR for trash services with the pittance of funding Clean Tahoe operates on, with a small staff, yet still does their job every day – snow or sunshine – for YOU.
I suggest you call up Ellen Nunes, the Program Manager, at 544-4210 and apologize. Ask her about what Clean Tahoe does. It seems you really don’t know. As always, she will be informative and gracious.
Joann Eisenbrandt
South Lake Tahoe
Another great timely article, congrats.
The photo of California trail only confirms the wisdom of my decision NOT to attempt to ski on Sat. What a zoo!
In past years, Dipper was always ready on opening day with very decent machine-made snow. With so much natural snow yesterday…what happened? Was it indeed greed, a mechanical problem or just a poor management decision??
Amen to Joanns’ defense of Clean Tahoe. They are are great organization and sadly–yes–there are far too many “locals” who treat our environment as their personal trash heap and pet latrine.
I heartily agree with Joann! Clean Tahoe is one of the few programs where we receive a fair return for our dollars. It has improved mightily since the removal of a certain Board member and his crony who were running it for their own benefit. I believe the Grand Jury investigated the improprieties (credit cards given to girlfriends, purchases of personal property with Clean Tahoe funds, personal use of Clean Tahoe equipment, etc.)
Locals litter as much or more than tourists, but regardless Clean Tahoe cleans it up! Cudos Clean Tahoe!
Can’t wait to ride Mother Nature’s natural at Sierra on Tuesday!
CHUCK, THE HEAVENLY GANG(PATROLERS) WERE AT IT AGAIN YESTERDAY, BLOWING THE SWEET SMOKE SINCE THE WIND SLOWED DOWN THE LIFTS,ALMOST TOOK A PIC SENT IT TO KAE, SO YOU TO, CAN SEE THE SAME THING I SEE.
THEY DEFINATELY NEED A URINE TEST EVERY TWO WEEKS FOR MOUNTAIN SAFETY,SPECIALY WHEN THEY LEAVE THE PROPERTY WHILE ON THE CLOCK.
Pretty harsh allegations, Hard. Especially since you say you SHOULD have taken a picture. But apparently you didn’t, so unless you have proof maybe you should just shut up.
Dog ,I’ll get you a few pics to shut you up……..been going on for long time,right here for 8 years,stand out in open,digital time ,dates don’t lie.
Truck with logo,or do you need to call in the plates too doggy?
I’m all for legal pot, but sure hell don’t want any medical person working on me or carrying me down a mountain buzzed ,do you doggy?
Doggy give me a yahoo address ,I’ll forward.If not, swallow this!
OMG We could no longer take the snow, so we moved to Florence,Oregon. We do not have to shovel rain.
Today will go down in infamy. We woke up to what lookes like the start of ski season. Already noted a kid sno-boarding, usually sandune-boarding.
At 84 and holding we may move back down to san Diego.
Started snowing again.