Heavenly receives 11" to 14" of snow; California Base to open

Heavenly Mountain Resort received 11-14” of new snow in the last 24 hours, allowing the resort to expand terrain and open the California side of the mountain on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31.

Heavenly will now offer three access points to the mountain, including the Heavenly Gondola at Heavenly Village, Stagecoach Lodge in Nevada, and California Lodge off of Ski Run Blvd. With the extra two mountain access points now open, the heavy crowds that have been at the Gondola all week should dissipate.

“This 14” of snow was a welcome surprise for us and really topped off the efforts of our snowmakers from this past week, enabling us to open the California side of the mountain,” said Pete Sonntag, vice president and COO of Heavenly. “Looking toward the New Year, we’ve got new snow, new terrain, and very positive vibes for 2015.”

On Wednesday, Heavenly will operate Gunbarrel Express, the Heavenly Tram, Patsy’s, Powderbowl Express, Sky Express and Canyon Express, for access to Ridge Run, Maggie’s, Patsy’s, lower California Trail, Skyline Trail, Sky Chute and EpicMix Racing for ski-through only. With the opening of Skyline Trail and lower California Trail, guests will be able to ski and ride to and from the California and Nevada sides and access top-to-bottom skiing and riding on the Nevada side. With the California opening, the resort will operate 15 lifts, accessing 23 trails and 10.6 miles of skiable terrain.

Heavenly’s festive holiday celebration wraps up on Wednesday night, as the resort and community welcome in 2015 at the Heavenly Holiday’s New Year’s Eve extravaganza in the Heavenly Village starting at 6:00 p.m. A live band, fire dancers and ice carvers set the mood for a high-energy countdown to the New Year, complete with a gondola ball drop at 9:00 p.m. to coincide with the East Coast New Year and finished off with a spectacular fireworks show.