News Archive

Heavenly Fires Up West Coast's Largest Snowmaking System
Resort’s Ability to Cover 73 Percent of its Trails in Machine-Made Snow Gives
Early-Season Certainty to Skiers and Riders
 
Heavenly Mountain Resort, Lake Tahoe, Calif./Nev. – October 27, 2009 – As certain a sign of the oncoming winter as any the Sierra have to offer, super-cold temperatures have allowed Heavenly Mountain Resort (www.skiheavenly.com) to begin making snow last night.  Signaling that the Lake Tahoe snowsports season is just days away if temperatures continue to cooperate, the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system gives Heavenly’s guests confidence that they will be skiing and snowboarding on the best snow surfaces at Lake Tahoe on Heavenly’s opening day, scheduled for Friday, November 20, weather and conditions permitting.
 
Under optimum conditions, Heavenly can cover 73 percent of its trails in machine-made snow, by far the most in the Lake Tahoe basin. In more visual terms, Heavenly can produce three-and-a-half feet of snow over one acre in an hour. That’s enough snow to blanket a football field with eight-and-a-half feet during an average three-hour game.
 
“It’s comforting to know that when it’s cold, we have snow,” said John Wagnon, Heavenly’s vice president of marketing and sales. “Our guests can be confident that come opening day they’ll be skiing and riding on the best and most consistent snow surface at Lake Tahoe.”
 
Heavenly has begun making snow at the top of the Gondola and on California Trail.
 
With the power of the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system creating excellent early-season conditions, it is the perfect time to purchase Lake Tahoe’s best snowsports value – the $369 Heavenly season pass. Heavenly is also offering its “Refer a Friend” program (www.skiheavenly.com/friend), open to all adult Heavenly Pass holders, as well as Heavenly College Pass holders. It offers $20 in “mountain money” redeemable at all on-mountain dining and retail establishments for each referred friend who purchases a Heavenly Pass, Heavenly College Pass or Epic Pass. And everyone benefits: The referred friends receive a $20 discount on the $369 Heavenly Pass, reducing the price to just $349. Pass holders can refer as many friends as they want, and will be paid for each successful purchase in a one-time payout, sometime in mid-January. Referred friends cannot have owned a Heavenly Pass in the last two years (2007-08 or 2008-09).
 
Heavenly is also offering its popular “Holidays on Us” vacation package (http://bit.ly/26xCEg) where guests get the fifth holiday night free when they purchase four consecutive nights. This offer includes Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day and Easter Sunday, but must be booked by Halloween, October 31, 2009! 
 
For information on booking a snowsports vacation package or purchasing a Heavenly season pass, or to monitor the snowmaking process via Heavenly’s web cams, visit www.skiheavenly.com.

# # #

News Alerts
Don't miss out on our updates. Enter your details below to keep up with our latest news.
* Required Fields
Global Resources Feature Box

Resources

If you are a member of the media and have an inquiry or information request, we encourage you to e-mail the Vail Resorts communications and media relations team.

Press Kit