Like all ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe region, the three Vail Resorts – Kirkwood, Heavenly, Northstar – have all benefitted from the recent snow storm that blanketed the area.
The latest storm delivered various amounts of new snow to Tahoe ski resorts, bringing 17 inches to Kirkwood Mountain Resort, 8 inches to Northstar California Resort and 3 inches to Heavenly Mountain Resort overnight.
“This storm gave us that extra little boost we needed to get some of our prime skiing and riding open, including top-to-bottom, and additional snow in the forecast for next week will really set all three Best of Tahoe resorts up nicely for the holiday period,” said Casey Blann, general manager of Kirkwood. “Between new snow, more open terrain and some great high-energy events, Tahoe is the place to be this weekend and for the holidays.”
Kirkwood: With more than a foot of new snow, Kirkwood opened Cornice Express (chair 6) Friday and will open additional terrain today (Dec. 13), including chairs 1 and 11. Kirkwood will now offer all ranges of terrain from beginner to advanced.
Kirkwood will be hosting the first AIARE Level 1 clinic of the season on Dec. 19 and will be host to the first E:K Ladies only Discovery Series clinic. Kirkwood’s signature New Year’s Eve celebration is scheduled Dec. 31 in the Village Mountain plaza at 6pm with their annual torchlight parade and fireworks display.
Northstar: The resort opened additional terrain Friday, including popular trails such as Lookout Road, Flying Squirrel, Cowboy Pass, Northern Lights, Christmas Tree, Upper Jiboom, Lower Chute, Magic Moguls, and Forerunner.
Zephyr Lodge, the resort’s flagship mountain dining location, is scheduled to open for the season today. Signature holiday festivities and culinary events are scheduled for the approaching weeks, including the Northern Lights Festival Saturday Dec. 13 and Noel Nights Thursday, Dec. 18.
Commencing Friday, Dec. 19 and new for winter 2014-2015, Northstar will host tōst – skiers and riders are welcomed with a commemorative toast of bubbly on East Ridge each day at 2 p.m. The first dinner the Mountain Table dinner series, will also be hosted Friday, Dec. 19 – guests ride to the top of the mountain via gondola to savor a gourmet, multi-course dinner in Zephyr Lodge from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are available at NorthstarCalifornia.com.
Heavenly: Due to power issues, the resort in South Lake Tahoe is not open today. Heavenly hopes to be offering skiing and snowboarding Sunday.
Winter Ignite, Heavenly’s kick-off party to the season, culminates this weekend with the ‘Pretty Faces’ movie premier, comedy from Daniel Tosh, and a free concert by Young The Giant in Heavenly Village. For more details, visit www.skiheavenly.com/winterignite.
After this weekend, Heavenly’s focus will shift to celebrating the holidays with the start of Heavenly Holidays on Dec. 20. The 12 days of festivities will conclude on Dec. 31 with a New Year’s Eve celebration complete with a live band, gondola ball drop and fireworks.
Bypass the Ticket Lines: Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar are offering up to 25-percent savings on advanced purchase lift tickets this season via the new EpicDay Lift Tickets platform, now available across all Vail Resorts. Tickets can be purchased through an easy-to-use online and mobile site, www.snow.com/epicday, and picked up at a designated EpicDay Express Ticket Pick-Up lane at each resort.
SKI RESORT OPENINGS
- *Boreal Mountain: Nov. 18
- Northstar California: Nov. 21
- Heavenly Mountain Resort: Nov. 21
- *Mt. Rose: Nov. 21
- Squaw Valley: Nov. 26
- Sugar Bowl: Dec. 6
- Kirkwood Mountain Resort: Dec. 6
- Diamond Peak: Dec. 11
- Alpine Meadows: Dec. 12
- Homewood: Dec. 12
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Dec. 12
- Donner Ski Ranch: Dec. 13
- Soda Springs: Dec. 13
- Homewood Mountain: TBA
- Tahoe Donner: TBA
- Diamond Peak: TBA
- Granlibakken: TBA
*Both Boreal and Mt. Rose opened briefly in early November
