Heavenly at Lake Tahoe to add ropes courses, zip center to summer choices

Cultivating a passion and appreciation for the outdoors is a year-round task, and Heavenly Mountain Resort is stepping up to the challenge by expanding its summer operations to include more interactive, family-friendly learning experiences.

“Lake Tahoe is a year-round destination, and there is a tremendous opportunity to offer more summer activities at the top of the Gondola,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s general manager. “Our hope is that visitors of all ages and backgrounds are able to create life-long connections to our National Forests through adventure, play and recreation.”

Included in the new offerings at Adventure Peak will be two ropes courses, a canopy tour and a zipline center. These year-round activities, weather permitting, will add to the already existing year-round tubing hill and summer-only hiking trails, free-standing rock wall and Spider Zone climbing tower at the top of the Gondola to create an experiential outdoor environment.

“These new activities will utilize our existing resort infrastructure and have been designed to blend seamlessly with the natural environment. They represent the types of high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities that align well with the objectives contained in the TRPA’s new Regional Plan and the Forest Service Land Management Plan for resource-based, sustainable recreation,” said Andrew Strain, vice president of planning & governmental affairs for Heavenly. “We appreciate the support and engagement of both agencies throughout the project design and review process to help us create a more complete experience at the top of the Gondola.”

A new, four-line zipline center will be located in the area between the Heavenly tubing hill and the Big Easy chair lift. The four parallel lines, approximately 1,000 feet in length, will run parallel to the Big Easy lift, with the landing platform located near Tamarack Lodge. Participants will ride the Big Easy lift and utilize a short hiking trail to access the takeoff platform at the top of the zip lines. The zipline center is intended to introduce participants to zip lining over short distances.

The two new ropes courses and canopy tour include: the Discovery Forest Canopy Tour, the Black Bear Challenge and the Boulder Cove Challenge.

The Discovery Forest Canopy Tour is a tree-based zipline canopy tour designated for a wide range of visitors with differing ability levels. Located in the forested area between Tamarack Express and Big Easy run, the course is a self-paced aerial tour designed specifically for children, families and new participants. Trained guides will be stationed at key locations within the Discovery Forest to observe activities, provide environmental and interpretive information, and ensure that platform transfers are done properly.

A self-guided climbing structure known as the Black Bear Challenge will be located adjacent to the existing Bear Cave Children’s Ski & Ride School building. It includes two levels of rope bridges, walkways and similar climbing activities. Participants will be tethered to the structure with safety harness equipment and can move back and forth across the different climbing elements, as well as vertically on different levels. It will allow participants to develop skills and gain confidence as the level of difficulty increases.

The Boulder Cove Challenge will be a self-guided, challenge-type activity consisting of a series of vertical wooden columns, platforms and rope walkways and bridges. Built near the base of the Gondola stairs, behind the existing trail map signs, the Boulder Cove Challenge layout will be curvilinear in nature and will closely follow the landform into which it is set. The routes, which will vary in degrees of difficulty, will be stacked vertically with two routes per level. Designed to accommodate skill levels that range from the very young to the very athletic, participants will be outfitted with harnesses and are continually secured to an overhead belay line.

Construction on these summer projects is set to begin in mid-June, with an estimated opening in either late summer or in time for the 2013-2014 winter season.

Also included in the new summer additions is a permanent outdoor amphitheater at the Mid-Station Observation Deck. Tucked into a wooded area adjacent to the Observation Deck, the new terrace will feature multiple seating levels and will be created from natural stone and wood for an authentic, rustic setting. The sapphire blue waters of Lake Tahoe will provide an iconic backdrop for wedding ceremonies, private parties and company outings throughout the summer months. Construction of the venue is set to begin in July, and it is slated to open in summer 2014.

“Thank you Heavenly for adding more great recreation opportunities in South Lake Tahoe, the recreation Capital of the Sierra,” said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tom Davis. “It just keeps getting better.”

Heavenly Summer Operations
Heavenly Mountain Resort will operate the scenic Heavenly Gondola on May 25-27, 2013 from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. for Adventure Peak activities, including hiking, a climbing wall, and the Spider Zone Climbing Tower. Tamarack Lodge and Bar 9150’ will both be open at the top of the Gondola for dining and refreshing beverages. Café Blue will be open at the Mid-Station Observation Deck, which provides unrestricted panoramic views of Lake Tahoe. For more details and upcoming summer events, visit www.skiheavenly.com or call 1-800-HEAVENLY.