Heavenly Mountain Resort and Kirkwood open Saturday

With the fresh snow and more in the forecast in the coming days, both Heavenly and Kirkwood have announced they will open for skiing and riding on Saturday, December 11. Temperatures have been steadily dropping and their snowmakers have been working around the clock to prepare the resorts for opening.

Vail's other resort at Lake Tahoe, Northstar, continues to evaluate the forecast and will share an update on its opening day soon.

Each resort is unique in location, terrain, weather patterns, altitude, and needs to open for the season so opening dates differ.

Opening Day facts:

Terrain:
- Heavenly – Gunbarrel Express, Aerial Tramway, Patsy’s Chair, and Powderbowl Express will begin loading at 8:30 a.m. with skiing on Patsy's and Maggie's trails

- Kirkwood – Chair 5 (Solitude) will begin loading at 9am, with Outlaw trail open for skiing and riding.

Opening Day Mountain Dining:
- Heavenly – Tamarack Lodge, Café Blue, Stein’s, and California Lodge

- Kirkwood – Wall Bar, K Bar, Monte Wolf’s, and the General Store

Health + Safety Information: Detail on all health and safety protocols is available on each resort website (Heavenly and Kirkwood); key things to know include:
- They will not have a mountain reservation system this season and will load lifts and gondolas at normal capacity, optimizing guest movement around the resorts.

- Face coverings are required for guests in all the indoor spaces. including restaurants, lodging properties, restrooms, and retail and rental locations, and on buses.

- Guests ages 12 and over will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to dine at indoor, on-mountain cafeteria-style restaurants. This requirement includes those guests 12 and over in our ski and ride school programs that include lunch.

- Guests should book reservations for on-hill dining via our EpicMix app or via the resort website. This year, reservations will be available beginning the day before, so it’s easy to plan your weekend.

Early season protocols are in place: Early season conditions currently exist, and we require skiers and riders to observe all posted signs and warnings for their safety. Closed trails may contain hazards due to limited natural snow coverage and snowmaking operations.