Westbound Boarder

Perfectly poised in South Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Ski Resort deserves the title it boasts. I know it is cliché, but this place is truly heavenly. Sprawled across the California/Nevada border this resort has epic shredding and almost even more epic night life (casinos included) and the view from the top says it all. Overlooking the 22 mile lake and the Casinos of South Lake Tahoe, this place is where the shred scene meets the night life.

With over a foot of fresh and mostly clear skies, our Weekend shred sesh in Tahoe was absolutely perfect. Up early on Saturday to ensure fresh tracks, we met up at the bottom of the Gondola and were on our way. We were lucky enough to have a couple of tour guides to show us the best spots on the hill to ride, which means we have some sweet tracks to tell you about. As Heavenly has over 4,800 acres, sprawled over 3,500 vertical feet, this place is massive and the tour guides were a treat and not to bad to look at, either (just sayin).

We were at the top of the Gondola ready to begin our day at about 9am and the first thing we noticed was how empty the place seemed, there was no one on the lifts or the runs. Apparently with the casino night life and the fact that the bars that don’t close, people generally get a later start at Heavenly, which is fine by me.

You know you are shreddin a rad hill when the theme of the day is, “that was the best run of the day!!!” No joke, after every run we took, we had a new fav and could not imagine it getting any better. But it always did. We spent the first part of our day charging any and every tree run we could find around the Olympic Chair lift, which was a perfect way to warm up. From Olympic we headed over and Conquered Mott and Killebrew Canyon’s, which boast amazing views of the rain shadowed Nevada side at the boundary of the resort. We worked our way over to Sky Express and hiked around to find an unscathed canyon and then moved on to the hands down, best run of the day….

The abundance of sick tree riding covered in cornices didn’t hurt the Heavenly vibe. There were drops around every corner and the trees were perfectly spaced, enabling you to charge through them full force. With that, it is all about the North Bowl at Heavenly. With two old school, slow, triple chair lifts, you won’t find too many people in these parts as they don’t want to put up with the lift; but it is more than worth it. Make your way over to north bowl and find The Burn and Nevada Woods. Talk about unscathed, fresh pow, tree runs, with perfect drops and pitch. These are the runs you dream about and were without a doubt the best run of the day…until we made our way over to Maggie’s Canyon on our way to lunch.

We ate lunch at the only full-service dining experience on the Heavenly Mountain, The Gunbarrel Grill at the Lakeview Lodge. This place features Napa Valley-influenced California cuisine and an array of select meats, cheeses, grilled vegetables and a gourmet salad bar. The Gunbarrel Grill offers wonderful entrée selections at great prices, (for the mountain anyways) as each entrée at about $20.

We wrapped up day one on the hill with a park session at the small park underneath the Groove Chairlift (which is just up the hill from the Gunbarrel Grill).

To my surprise, the more I bragged about Heavenly, the more I heard people talking smack. The complaints were predictable, that this place is so big and I found myself traversing all day. Guess that is what happens when you stick to the groomers all ? I guess with any mountain you don’t know, this can be your first visit experience. However if you make a plan (or stick to our tips from above)…I am sure you won’t be on this bandwagon. This weekend to Heavenly was one of my top five ride sessions for sure. So don’t overlook it if you are planning a trip to Tahoe. Also, the night life is legit, so there is totally something for everyone!

Check back soon for our South Lake Tahoe night life review!

2010 has come and (almost) gone (Happy New Year’s Eve!) and looking back on the ups and downs, there is one Shredolution that Danielle and I set out to accomplish last year and far surpassed – visit at least 2 new snowboard resorts in 2010.  In 2010 alone, we visited more than 25 resorts between the two of us, so we sat down to rank our favorites.  It was a rather difficult thing to do, considering we liked each and every resort for very different reasons, but after debating for a few hours, we finally narrowed down our favorites in order of ranking.  Our list is below!

1. Vail: The best thing about Vail is that it literally has everything. How is that possible? This resort is MASSIVE (well over 5,000 ski-able acres!!!). They have a great ski/snowboard school, tons of groomers, over 30 lifts granting access to bowls, chutes, back-country, tree runs and more. They even have multiple terrain parks for each and every skill level with almost too many features to hit. It is all of this versatility that makes Vail our number one resort to visit, as there is something for everyone!  Insider Tip: One thing is also for sure, if you can handle the double blacks, head directly back to Blue Sky Basin. Be sure to give yourself time to get back there as it is quite the treck, but is is soooooo worth it. (Learn More)
2. Mammoth: It is big, versatile and has something for everyone. (Learn more)
3. Heavenly: If your idea of a fun day riding is shredding groomers until you can’t shred no more or hanging at the local dive bar after a long day of riding, then Heavenly is most certainly not the resort for you.  If you have always longed for Vegas to build a mountain-themed casino, on the other hand, then Heavenly may be just your style.  Heavenly is a super fun resort, but only if you take the time to travel off the beaten path.  While the groomers and parks are nothing to brag about, Heavenly has some of the best tree runs around; a perfect place to ride if you love shredding neverending pow and exploring interesting places.  But let’s not forget the nightlife – unlike most mountain resorts, Heavenly is one of the few that sits right on a landmine of Vegas-style Casinos.  It’s the perfect resort to take a trip to if not everyone in your group has their sights set on riding.
4. Cerro Cathedral: After a long, snowy winter riding, what more could you ask for?  More snowboarding, of course!  Cerro Cathedral, located in Bariloche, Argentina, is the place to go if you want to experience both killer riding and the fun, local Argentinian culture.  Their backcountry terrain is unreal, and there is so much to explore beyond groomed runs.  And the best part?  Their season runs during our summer, so you can literally snowboard all year round if you are so inclined.
5. Breckenridge: If there’s one word we could pick to describe Breckenridge, it would be, well, awesome?  Breck has some of the best terrain parks, and even some great terrain (if you can manage to move yourself outside their parks).  One of the coolest things about Breck, though, is that everyone on the “who’s who of snowboarding” list rides here, has ridden here, or plans to ride here later this season.  You can literally sit at the top of the park for hours and just watch people ride through – it seems as if everyone who rides at Breck is pro! (Or maybe just everyone who is pro rides at Breck?)  Combined with a laid-back atmosphere, high profile events and fun nightlife, Breck offers the complete package. (Learn more)
6. Snowbird: A Steep, deep, powder hounds heaven. Snowbird is not a place for the beginner, as there is not really any easy way down the hill. My favorite part of this resort? They don’t waste away Utah’s, ‘best snow on earth,’ with the dreaded groomers. Snowbird has everlasting powder and a one-of-a-kind tunnel that takes you through the mountain on a conveyor belt to the backside of the mountain, a must see when you visit Snowbird. Insider Tip: the Snowbird Tram increases the price of your lift ticket, but does not give you access to additional terrain (assuming the other lifts taking you to the top are open). Not too exciting so save your extra cash and just buy the day pass sans Tram access.
7. Alyeska: Located in Alaska only 30 minutes from Anchorage, this resort is mellow, full of light fluffy powder and has literally the hands down best view from the top of a resort. A real package deal, and with lift tickets only running $60 bucks, it is budget friendly, too.
8. Mt. High: It may be small, and the snow may slightly resemble a small, flowing creek anytime past noon, but this resort’s got character.  Located only 45 minutes to an hour outside of LA, Mt. High is LA’s hidden gem.  It’s often overshadowed by Big Bear, but IMHO, this resort knocks Bear out of the park – it’s closer, it’s mostly straight highway driving (unlike the windy road to Bear that can take 2 hours or more to get down), and its terrain parks are just as good, if not better.  And the best part?  If you so desire, you could ride hard in the morning and still be on the beaches by 1.  Now that’s the life! (Learn more)
9. Timberline: Located at our home base Mt. Hood, Timberline will always hold a special place in our hearts. Compared to it’s direct competitor, Mt. Hood meadows, Timberline boasts INCREDIBLE terrain parks, virtually no lift lines and it is open all year (yes, even all summer). A must visit on your trip to Hood, especially on the weekends when Mt. Hood Meadows has the long lift line fever.
10. Solitude: This is one of the most underrated resorts we have been too. As Utah is packed full of top rated resorts (over 11 within an hour of the SLC airport), Solitude does not have the street cred. it deserves. With versatile terrain including tree runs, amazing steeps, powder stashes and natural cliff drops, Solitude really has something for all riders (yes, they even have the groomers). On top of the excellent terrain, Solitude has a laid back vibe and nearly no lift lines.

For more “Best of 2010″ posts, check out The Top 10 Easy Tricks to Learn Before 2010 Ends and Top 10 Safety Tips to Remember.

The snow is falling and the lifts are calling our names. With opening weekends all around the West, I wanted to give a few shout-outs. We have got Timberline who closed for the summer early September and opened for Winter early Oct. No contest, Mt. Hood wins. We have Mammoth, Snowbird, Brighton and Breckenridge all opening THIS week and Heavenly & Squaw Valley shortly behind opening next week. No matter how you swing it, we have got most resorts opening within the next week…Hello snowboard season!

Breckenridge

Mammoth

It is Friday (finally), so here are our favs of the week:

• Apparently you don’t have to be able to walk, to snowboard. Check out this incredible video of a ONE year old mini shredder. Ya, you heard me right, now go see for yourself.
• Free Jack Johnson Concert! Help out the environment and yourself all at the same time. What have you got to loose?
• Helmets really are cool! As reported on Transworld Business and a recent study by the National Ski Area Association (NSAA), 57% of skiers and snowboarders are wearing helmets. Think about it.
• As if the Vail Resorts are not classy enough, check out their 75-85mill in upgrades Heavenly, Vail and Keystone will be experiencing just in time for next years winter season. Now even more of a reason to check out these resorts next season.

As much as I’ve been enjoying reports of the new two feet of pow here at the SoCal mountains, NorCal is seeing even more.  Check out this awesome shred video from Heavenly at Lake Tahoe!  The only thing missing from this video is the snowboarders

Big Powder Day @ Heavenly – 1.21.10 from Heavenly Mountain on Vimeo.

Danielle and I have been quite the world travelers lately.  Well, US travelers, anyway.  Danielle just spent what I hear was an amazing week in Hawaii, and a day later she took off for a week in Alaska!  Not without a fair share of surfing/snowboarding, I’d imagine.  And me, I’m in Vegas right now for a marketing conference, enjoying my first break of the entire couple of days. (Whoever said you can’t get business done in Vegas… obviously didn’t go to my conference :/ )  And when I found this e-mail in my inbox, I couldn’t help but not share my excitement with you all.

Tomorrow, Heavenly ski resort in Tahoe (Nor Cal) will open for the season with nearly 40 acres of skiable terrain accessed by the Heavenly Gondola, Tamarack Express and Dipper Express Chairlifts.  Heavenly will open at 9:00am and lifts will operate until 4:pm, and will continue to operate from 8:30am – 4:00pm on weekends, and 9:00am to 4:00pm on weekdays throughout the duration of the season (weather permitting, of course).  And, if that’s not good enough news, it is rumored that a big storm is supposed to pass through Lake Tahoe on Friday, bringing long a foot of new snow with it.  So this weekend in Tahoe should be pretty legit.

Love that El Nino is bringing us fantastic skiable terrain a few weeks earlier than usual.  Can’t wait to make my season debut run at Hood next weekend.  I haven’t had the opportunity to make it up to Heavenly or any other Tahoe resort in quite a few years, but I’d like to visit at some point.  In fact, I didn’t buy a season pass this year so I could actually spend some more time traveling to different resorts, instead of limiting myself to just one resort.  Mammoth’s on the list this year, along with Park City, Vail and Breck.

How about you?  Which resort are you excited to ride this season?

Heavenly Mountain Resort, one of Lake Tahoe’s premiere resorts and also a member of the Vail Resorts family, issued an announcement today highlighting several of the improvements they made or plan to make in preparation for the 2009/2010 ski and snowboard season.

First of all, as most resorts do, they’re continuing to make trail enhancements, whether it be widening at certain locations or other necessary projects.  They’ve also purchased some new grooming machines and added a magic carpet lift to their tubing hill.

Skiheavenly.com will also launch a new Web site this fall, and it sounds pretty awesome.  Upgrades include: A resort map using Google mapping technology that will give users in-depth knowledge of all the attractions and amenities in the immediate vicinity; an immersive, 360-degree virtual tour gallery that puts the user right in the middle of a high-quality video experience; and a trip folder that allows the user to plan their trip over time, with the ability to save, retrieve and share particular aspects of certain trips or whole itineraries.

One of the improvements that most interested me is that their Terrain Park Crew has just gone back to create a whole set of new jibs, most made from 100% recycled materials like highway barriers, water drums and corrugated pipes.  New jibs, sustainable materials, win-win!

And the best part?  They added the “Epic Mountain Burger” to the menu   What is this Epic Burger, you ask?  Well, I’d try to describe, but I’ll let Heavenly’s description do the talking: “Heavenly will serve a high-quality, gourmet burger that has been completely reworked from the bottom up and will set the quality standard for a mountain resort burger. The Epic Mountain Burger will have two fresh quarter-pound patties of specially-seasoned Angus beef, and will be surrounded by fresh lettuce, tomato and a specialty bun.”  Now that sounds like a burger to me.  Guests will also be able to pre-purchase a mountain dining card to use on the hill, and they’re also featuring a new “Lunch for Less” menu.

As I mentioned early last week, I caught up with five people from the Vail Resorts crew during their stay in LA last Tuesday.  As a blogger located in sunny Southern California, I don’t often get the opportunity to attend or write about ski resorts in other parts of the US, so it was really nice to be able to meet the staff face-to-face and learn about what the 09/10 ski season will bring.  Wait a minute… “Ski season,” you ask?  “But it’s summer!” Well yes, this is true, but it is never too early to begin thinking about the winter ahead and planning out your trips for… next year.

Typically, each winter Danielle and I take one or two big ski trips a year, and last year we decided to forgo the usual Whistler/Blackcomb trip in favor of something a bit more local… Colorado (read our review here!)  We decided on Vail because our good buddy Kevin just got a job as a ski instructor there, and we thought that a trip to visit him was well in order.  Plus, what a great opportunity to visit a new hill!  Now, I’ve been to several different ski resorts across the country (and if you include Whistler, I can officially say “across the world” ) but Vail was a new one for me.  However, I’m so glad we did go.  The snow was amazing, the people were great, and the resort truly lived up to its “luxury” reputation.  However, Vail is only one mountain in the Vail Resorts family, and I’d highly encourage you to check out all five resorts when planning your next trip East.

To make your research a bit easier, I’ll briefly recap the five resorts in the Vail Resorts family below and highlight a couple of the features that makes each mountain unique from its brother.

Vail Mountain – “Like Nothing on Earth”

Seriously, read our review.  And our second.  And check out their Web site.  Need I say more?

Beaver Creek - “Not Exactly Roughing It”

While Vail is known for its luxury and class, Beaver Creek sways more on the intimate side.  It is a nice, quaint little resort tucked away from the rest of the land, so you truly feel like you’re getting a relaxing vacation.  With several restaurants, museums, shopping, and relaxing spas in three villages and two towns (Avon and Edwards), there is plenty to do; and the town is certainly family-friendly, too (SKI Magazine recently called it “consummate kid-friendly resort”).  But don’t forget about the riding – during the day, Beaver Creek boasts 149 trails, 17 chair lift, and several great terrain parks (4 parks and 1 pipe).

Breckenridge

Hosting events such as the Dew Tour, Breckenridge has slowly grown into its reputation of being the “cool,” more “hip” brother mountain in the Vail Resorts family.  Breckenridge is definitely more well-known as the Colorado snowboarder favorite, and with its five stellar parks and four pipes (all which can be seen on “Breck 1080” – the Resort’s interactive trail map), what’s not to like?  This resort also boasts the Breckenridge Freeride Team, which is a team of both pros and local up-in-coming riders; its nice to see a resort putting time and effort into the newbies of the sport.  So in sum, 155 trails, a good variety of parks, 76 bars, and 20,002 pillows (???), and a fun night life, Breck is the place to be.

Heavenly

If Breckenridge is the cool hip brother, then Heavenly is, well, the other cool, hip brother; maybe even the cooler, hipper brother… okay, wait… the cooler, hipper sister   Being the only resort in the Vail family to be located outside of Colorado, Heavenly is the perfect home hill for Nor-Cal residents, and a great “home away from home” for the people like me who are only about six hours away.  Now, there’s plenty to do on the mountain at Heavenly – the California sunshine combined with the 30 lifts, 95 trails and killer terrain parks certainly makes for one great day.  But when night falls… well, let’s just say you better not waste all your energy skiing   Heavenly has quite the reputation for being one of the best party mountains.  The resort even has Vegas-style casinos and an awesome music scene.  Oh, and of course more than 100 bars and night clubs.  Party on, Heavenly!

Keystone - “It’s All Here”

Their tagline says it all.  While most ski resorts claim to have it all, Keystone really does.  Though I haven’t heard too much about this resort and can’t personally speak to many of its differentiators, this resort has everything from dinner sleigh rides (!!!) to guided snowcat skiing and riding.  Oh, and they are the only resort in the Vail family to offer night skiing, which is awesome if your goal is to get as much riding in as possible.

So there you have it.  Five great resorts, one big family.  And in case you can’t decide which resort you’d like to go to (after all, they all sound great!) check out their Epic Pass promo going on so you can attend all five resorts for the price of one.