gondola

Heavenly Mountain Resort had to postpone their Opening Day to Saturday due to the region's high winds today. They'll have 1.5 miles of open runs with the Gondola and Tamarack Express running. On the north shore, Northstar is opening on Saturday as well with 3 lifts and 4 runs opened. Kirkwood has been making snow to go on top of the 9" of fresh powder received in this week's storm. They are planning on opening Monday but will not know for sure until Sunday's efforts and weather determine that.

Heavenly Mountain Resort's proposal to expand to year round, non-skiing activities is now under review by the U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Heavenly's plan is to create a summer experience for guests with the addition of zipline and skycycle canopy tours, a mountain bike park, a ropes course, water activities, hiking trails,mountain excursion tours and nature interpretation.

In anticipation of a November 22, 2013 opening day, Heavenly Mountain Resort has fired up the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system and has begun making snow at the top of the Gondola and on California Trail. The resort received its first significant snowfall of the season last night with 6-8 inches of snow overnight on the mountain.

The second Heavenly Mountain Run on Sunday, Sept. 1, takes runners from the California Base Lodge at 6,565-feet, 5.8 miles, up Maggie’s to Hellwinkles and along the California Trail to the top of one of Lake Tahoe’s largest four-seasons resorts.

The run finishes at the Tamarack Lodge at an awe-inspiring 9,150-feet. Runners can enjoy a scenic ride down the Heavenly Gondola back to the base or descend on their own.

Finishers will be greeted by cheering fans and a post-race spread of food, drinks, and activities for all ages.

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.”

With access to more than 10,270 skiable acres at three premier mountain resorts—Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort — Lake Tahoe’s only true three-mountain season passes provide season-long access to the most diverse and quality experience Lake Tahoe has to offer. Starting today, Lake Tahoe skiers and snowboarders can lock in the lowest guaranteed price on a season pass for the 2013-2014 winter season (www.bestoftahoe.com) for as little as $389.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is putting on the Ski with a Ranger at Heavenly Mountain Resort Jan. 18-April 12.

Participants will learn about the mission and role of the Forest Service in ski area management, improve their understanding of natural resource issues, and learn about environmental stewardship.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit invites the public to Ski with a Ranger as part of interpretative tours at Heavenly Mountain Resort beginning Jan. 18 through April 12, weather permitting.

On the tour, participants will learn about the mission and role of the Forest Service in ski area management, improve their understanding of natural resource issues, and learn about environmental stewardship.

Dear Tahoe community, we are all mourning the horrible, heart-breaking massacre of young children and educators in Connecticut yesterday. These were the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews of people who loved those precious little ones as much as we do our own. This is the second mass shooting just this week and gun safety experts report that there have been 31 school shootings in the US since Columbine in 1999.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2013 Winter Trek Express program on Monday, December 17, 2012.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service front desk at (530) 543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Winter Trek Express is a 5th-grade environmental education program that takes place at Heavenly Mountain Resort via the gondola. Forest Service rangers lead the class through the wilderness to learn snowshoe skills and discover winter adapting animals.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is asking for public input on proposed summer projects at Heavenly Mountain Resort. These projects are consistent with the improvements identified in Heavenly's Master Plan Amendment and are intended to improve the overall quality of the visitor experience. In addition, these projects would provide for high-quality summer recreational uses of National Forest System land as directed by the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011.

S. Klaus Schmidt prepared for the onslaught Wednesday. In his blue Vail Resorts uniform and with the clock ticking down to 9 a.m., he manned the gate at the gondola that would open to release th...

Skiers and boarders waited in line Wednesday morning to be one of the first people on the gondola when Heavenly Mountain Resort opened at 9 a.m. Couldn't make it to the slopes this morning? Not ...

Powerful early-season storms combined with the area’s largest snowmaking operations have allowed Vail Resorts’ Lake Tahoe mountains – Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort – to open early with 111 acres. Heavenly and Northstar will open on Wednesday, Nov. 14 with a combined seven lifts and eight trails, totaling 51 acres.

After attending the State of the South Shore Economy Public Forum held on October 23rd, 2012 I was inspired to draft a response to the questions about economic revitalization that were asked at the meeting. I feel like our group had many salient ideas that were not properly represented. Also, I have noticed that people are quick to offer ideas like “reduce unemployment”, “beautify the city”, and “improve recreation”, but they are typically unable to offer suggestions on how to make those ideas a reality.

With Nov. 16 as its opening day, the countdown is on at Heavenly Mountain Resort. From intense competitions and events to the return of the halfpipe, excitement is stirring at Lake Tahoe’s largest winter playground.

Join us for an evening of sipping, shopping, eating, and enjoying. Registration for the event will be held from 3:45-5:30pm in front of the gondola by Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. Participating stores include:
Pacific Crest Gallery, Sealed With A Kiss, Up Shirt Creek, Powder House ATG, High Chaparral, Apricot Lane Boutique, Blue Sky, Tahoe Duck Tours, KTHO Radio, and more.
Proceeds benefit Tahoe Tallac Historic Site & the Valhalla Summer Arts & Theatre Festival. Go to www.valhallatahoe.com for more information.

Put away the flip flops and pull out the ski boots. There are less than 80 days until winter, and it’s time to take inventory of that gear closet. From boots and bindings to boards and skis, the 26th Annual Heavenly Sports Tent Sale has anything an eager skier or snowboarder might need for this El Nino winter at up to 75 percent off.

We are seeing a trend towards intimate weddings for our brides and grooms and this isn't just a Lake Tahoe wedding trend, it's widespread. An intimate wedding is a celebration of two people being married with a few friends and family members present as they begin their new life together.

Why are intimate weddings on the rise?

With an extremely high threat of forest fire at Lake Tahoe and the Sierra this summer, Heavenly Mountain, Northstar California and Kirkwood resorts have put a number of precautionary measures in place, including banning all smoking on their respective mountains for the summer.

Heavenly Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe honored five recipients of the Heavenly Mountain Resort Community Scholarship Program at a luncheon Wednesday at Tamarack Lodge, located at the top of the Heavenly Gondola.
For the ninth consecutive year, Heavenly Mountain Resort awarded $4,000 scholarships to five recent high school graduates, bringing the resort’s overall commitment to the Heavenly Mountain Resort Community Scholarship Program to $180,000. The scholarships are designed to help further the education of local area students.

Loop road poop road, you do realize that the state is going to do what they want, how they want and when they want with concerns to the Loop road. This is probably the best chance we have to get out of our financial obligation with regards to pensions, healthcare, unsound financial decisions, raising taxes, giving away the keys to the city to every con artist around and quite possibly the clap.

A ride on the Heavenly Gondola transports Lake Tahoe sightseers to the Mid-Station Observation Deck, a 14,000 square-foot platform nestled among massive granite boulders nearly 3,000 feet above the lake. Offering unparalleled views of the Desolation Wilderness, Carson Valley and, of course, the sparkling waters of Lake Tahoe, the Observation Deck also features Café Blue, an outdoor dining area serving coffee, beer, cold beverages, hot chocolate and snacks.

Several environmental gains over the last five years have been made at the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s “Threshold Evaluation Report” released Wednesday, which highlights water quality as a continued area of concern.

The comprehensive report offers a snapshot of the health of the ecosystem in the Tahoe Basin by documenting the status and trends of more than 100 environmental standards ranging from air and water quality to fish and wildlife. The biggest improvements were documented in air and water quality, and scenic resources.