Opening Day Photos and B-Roll from Northstar and Kirkwood: https://vailresorts-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/hgrandon/EryDWv3iUfxEjhIiHphC73sB9T4U7iTUWpfAvxao5FLu-A?e=CGgRfJ
LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Nov. 29, 2019 – Today, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort welcomed the 2019-20 winter season, after each receiving over two-feet of fresh snow in the last week. A winter wonderland of elevated family fun greeted guests at Northstar, while skiers and riders at Kirkwood dropped into their winter flow with fresh snow falling and 7-inches of new snow received in the last 24 hours.
“Mother Nature has delivered once again and we are pleased with the variety and amount of terrain we are able to offer our guests for the start of the season,” said Matt Jones, general manager and vice president of Kirkwood. “It’s fun out there!”
Kirkwood opened this morning with more than 100 acres of skiable terrain. Guests scored burritos, swag and their first fresh powder stashes of the season. Skiers and riders had access to beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain, with Chair 1, Chair 5 and Chair 11 opening for the season. Both groomed and natural runs offered guests access to incredible early-season conditions and plenty of deep, fresh snow.
Kirkwood’s Ski and Ride School offered lessons for levels five and above, while the Wall Bar and General Store fueled guests with offerings from upscale pub classics to grab-and-go snacks. With more storms forecasted this weekend, additional trails may be announced soon.
At Northstar, the Big Springs Express Gondola, Arrow Express and Vista Express chairlifts opened, providing skiing and riding access on seven beginner trails, including Lumberjack, Skid Trail, and Upper and Lower Main Street. An early-season terrain park on Upper Main Street included eight features and one jump. Northstar’s Ski and Ride School was open for beginner lessons.
The day began with 11-year old Keira Lahiff from Truckee, Calif., the winner of Northstar’s Opening Day S’mores Recipe Content, pressing the start button on the Big Springs gondola and taking her first runs of the 2019-2020 season at Northstar. Keira’s recipe for Strawberry Nutella S’mores was the S’more Fun Opening Day contest’s winning recipe. In addition to the once in a lifetime chance to light up the gondola and ride first chair, Keira, who is also on the Northstar Competition Snowboard Team, received a GoPro and got to see her winning s’mores creation served throughout The Village at the end of the day.
After the day of skiing, the village was alive with the sounds of music at the Rink Stage, which kicked-off an afternoon of family-friendly fun in the Village at Northstar. Guests enjoyed complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate around the Village Ice Rink, followed by the tree lighting ceremony and the start of Noel Nights from 5-8 p.m.
Northstar and Kirkwood’s opening days follow a successful opening at Heavenly Mountain Resort on Wednesday. Heavenly opened additional terrain on Friday, adding the intermediate trail Orion via the Dipper Express chairlift. Heavenly currently has 100 acres of open terrain, with 19 inches of new snow in the past 48 hours.
For the most current conditions and terrain updates, guests should visit SkiHeavenly.com, NorthstarCalifornia.com and Kirkwood.com.
Early Season Conditions
Guests are reminded that limited terrain and early season conditions exist. Early season snowfall is not always indicative of new terrain openings. Mountain operations teams need time to safely conduct their jobs, and each resort will continue to open terrain once it’s safe to do so. Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood require all skiers and riders to observe all posted signs and warnings. Closed trails may contain hazards due to limited natural snow coverage and snowmaking operations. For the safety of all guests, please keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
Vail Resorts Extends Pass Deadline to Dec. 2
With Tahoe resorts now open, Vail Resorts is extending the pass purchase deadline to Dec. 2 to give pass holders more time to lock in their Epic Pass, Tahoe Local Pass, Tahoe Value Pass, new Epic Day Pass, or any products in the Epic Pass.
New for the 2019-20 season, Vail Resorts launched the Epic Day Pass allowing guests to ski world-class resorts for up to 50 percent off of lift ticket window prices. For as little as $95 per day of skiing at any of Vail Resorts’ North American resorts, the Epic Day Pass is perfect for those skiers and riders who may not need the unlimited skiing offered by traditional season passes but want the same flexibility. Guests can also lower their cost per day by adding more days. Guests can purchase season passes and start planning their next winter vacation today at www.epicpass.com.
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Media Contacts:
Russell Carlton, Rcarlton@vailresorts.com, (775)-586-4451
Joanna McWilliams, Jlmcwilliams@vailresorts.com, (775) 586-4461
Kayla Elias, Kelias@vailresorts.com, (530) 562-3866
About the #TahoeTrifecta: Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood
The #TahoeTrifecta offers skiers and riders three world-class resorts with more than 10,000 acres of terrain to explore and endless possibilities for on-mountain fun and incomparable après and dining options. All three resorts are located throughout the Lake Tahoe region, making multi-mountain ski trips accessible for travelers. Heavenly is the social Lake Tahoe mountain playground with truly inspiring beauty that spans two states (California and Nevada); Northstar is California’s relaxed luxury destination offering attentive focus on creating timeless moments and peace of mind for every guest, in a pristine setting with top-tier amenities; and Kirkwood is the California resort that provides a pure mountain escape with an authentic community of like-minded skiers and riders that make it their winter escape.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 37 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.