Heavenly opens new terrain for holiday weekend

Vail Resorts announced the opening of the Terrain Park and Mombo Trail just in time for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, one of the biggest winter weekends in South Lake Tahoe.

Groove Park is Heavenly’s most popular progression park, providing an ideal learning environment for beginners with a variety of features including five rails, one bonk and two jumps.

“Heavenly’s extensive snowmaking system continues to be instrumental in opening new terrain,” said Pete Sonntag, vice president and COO of Heavenly. “We have highly experienced grooming and terrain parks teams to thank for adding these fun and well-manicured zones to this holiday weekend. The technology we use to build parks and groom out trails is truly state-of-the-art, and you can really tell when you’re out there on the snow.”

Groove Park will be the location for the Heavenly Ski & Snowboard Foundation’s Groovers Challenge Series on Sunday, January 18, as well as February 8 and March 8. The event is open to skiers and snowboarders ages 12 and under, with awards given to the top three athletes from the 10-12, 8-9, and 7-and-under age categories. A panel of four judges will rate three runs based on difficulty, creativity and overall impression. Registration for the Groovers Challenge is from 7:00-9:00 a.m. at the Heavenly Ski & Snowboard Foundation building located near the Aerial Tramway at the California Base area. The cost is $30 for the single event or $75 for all three events. Athletes will have the opportunity to practice in Groove Park from 9:00-10:00 a.m., at which point competitors meet before the 10:30 a.m. event. Skiing or snowboarding spectators are welcome at Groove Park to enjoy music from the DJ Cat as the announcer calls out all the action from the slopes. For more information or to register online, visit Eventbrite.com.