Reviews for Heavenly

Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Heavenly that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Heavenly stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Heavenly review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.

Reviews for Heavenly

Total (3.5)
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171 Total Reviews:
5 Star Reviews (47)
4 Star Reviews (52)
3 Star Reviews (27)
2 Star Reviews (26)
1 Star Reviews (19)
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Tom B
Skied for over 50 years. The only reason I would come back here is if my son still lived in CA. Better skiing other areas in the north American areas.
Views of the lake are wonderful
Way to quick to close lifts. Very little grooming for intermediate skiers.
David Sams
Been skiing H for 15 years. Last 5 or so it has descended into mediocrity. Little grooming, never a black any more (much less than before). Less snow making so few runs open before mid-late Jan. where used to be Xmas week most of mountain was open. Close gondola when a hint of a breeze develops and crappy bus service to the other base areas and hour-long lines. Heck, they don't even do their snow monitor correctly: don't clear the measuring pad daily but let it accumulate and measure the total depth (no compensation for melting, shrinkage, blowing) So under report by 50%
Lots of blue and green terraain
no groomed blacks. long lines. frequent lift closures. little snow making
bonnie robins
I was shocked how good the snow was today. California side, soft snow off the groomers…Ridge bowl and High Five soft bumps. Trees in dipper woods, excellent snow. Lower down on Nevada side a little sparse, but overall really good skiing. Also, not too crowded for a Sunday.
Snow was surprisingly good today.
Skiers who ski frequently, often bring their own lunch and snacks to the Mnt. Don’t bother to bring a tea bag or packet of cocoa. Vail resorts won’t give you an empty hit cup. Have to pay $6.50 for a cup. With a day ticket at $250+ one would think they co
Scott Lookingbill
Heavenly no longer makes enough snow on the main runs in low snow years. Heavy damage to my new skis over the holidays from hitting loose rocks on the few slopes that were open.
Great tree skiing and spring skiing
Poor snow conditions in early season. Rocks on the groomers.
Chase Kelley
Heavenly has been getting worse and worse over the years in my opinion and just when I thought the money hungry Vail Resorts couldn’t get worse after charging $209 for a day pass for a mountain that is maybe 10% open they charge $131 for a so called discounted “Buddy Pass” for the day. Then we stand with thousands of oversold ticket holders at the top of Gunbarrel for over two hours after hiking with hundreds of other paying customers cause lift lines were so long just to get down the mountain and exit the God for sakes “Heavenly Ski Resort”. Kids freezing, people passing out in line, no heavenly employees directing the heard of shoulder to shoulder customers suffering due to oversold crowded conditions. I have been skiing heavenly for 35 years and this was the last experience I will have there. I can tell you that I’ve never seen people so disappointed with an operation in my life. So sad.
The view. That’s it.
Crowded, expensive, profit is priority before customers.
The amount of snow in Tahoe this winter was incredible, but the downside was that neither the resort, nor town of South Lake Tahoe was ready to handle it. the director of mountain operations opted to close the main gondola every time the wind blew, thus causing skiers to take shuttle buses to other parts of the mountain. More long lines! The area was not designed to handle the large influx of tourists, and the resort was unable to handle the huge amount of snow. I was very disappointed, and as such, I will not visit Heavenly again.
An ample amount of snow.
Mountain operations was slow to dig out lifts causing delays on the upper mountain and super-long lift lines for the lifts that were open. Not a pleasant experience when you wait in line 25 minutes just to ski down in less than 10 minutes.
Cathy
Not sure where all the rave reviews for Heavenly are coming from....folks who've never skied another mountain? Heavenly is by far the worst designed hill I've ever experienced in a ski resort. I do not recommend it - for its value or experience. You have to take a 20-minute gondola ride to the top of the mountain to even get to the other lifts to ski.....and be ready to walk or pole it...because you have some work to do to get to a lift. Beginners - DON'T waste your money on this one. The couple of green runs they do have are packed with skis school kids. Grooming of runs is just ok. Parking is an issue. Shuttle to the hill from our resort (about 1.5 mi down the street) was non-existent. I will say that the food and the people who live/work here are great. My overall opinion - don't waste your time or money. The only thing 'heavenly' about this place is the view from the top of the mountain! Instead, head to Utah or Colo where they know how to design/operate a ski resort.
The food is delicious and the folks who live/work here are wonderful!
One and Done - Don't Waste Your Time/Money
Mark Stefanez
Pretty great resort, we loved the variety of the runs and the the snow was great. The only issue is that a lot of runs that are for beginners can be pretty steep for newbies.
Huge mountain with lots of runs and good snow
You are not able to ski down to the lodge, you need to take a tram down
Mick
Big resort so easier to avoid crowds even in busy days. Access from multiple lodges (1 in California and 2 in Nevada) is nice.
Cathy Mebane
I love to ski here as someone who enjoys many different types of terrain. There is something for everyone ready to take it to the next level! Bowls, steep, trees. It is simply not the mountain for beginners unfortunately. Stay safe out there!
Intermediate to Advanced
Less terrain for beginners
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