Heavenly

In California, black diamond trails Gunbarrel and The Face are famous for 1,700 vertical feet (510 m) of moguls, while in Nevada, Mott and Killebrew canyons offer a true backcountry experience complete with double black diamond chutes, gladed runs and plenty of steeps! As Lake Tahoe's highest resort, Heavenly is famous for its light, dry snow and the gladed trails where powder stashes can be found days after a storm. The best powder is normally found in Nevada on the Dipper Knob trees, and the trees off Stagecoach and North Bowl. In California it’s to be found in Powderbowl trees and Maggie's Canyon.

Heavenly's extreme adventure
One of the favorite extreme adventures at Heavenly combines the best of pristine bowls, serene glade trails and hair-raising chutes. From the top of Sky Express, skiers and riders venture east into Nevada via the blue Skyline trail into Milky Way Bowl. With wide-open northeastern exposure, the Milky Way Bowl offers some of the best and most consistent midwinter snow on the mountain. After several floating turns in the bowl, head east to the ridge line for some world-class tree skiing. Then it is off to Mott Canyon—enter through Gate 1 and veer slightly to the west to the top of Snakepit. Looking down the narrow chute, with a 38° pitch just barely wide enough to make a turn, this extreme terrain will make your heart flutter.

Off-piste skiing in Heavenly
A few areas for backcountry skiing are Echo Lake and Echo Summit off Highway 50, and Taylor Creek on the west side of Highway 89. If you’re going to go off-piste, contact the U.S. Forest Service on 530-573-2600 for maps, trail guides, safety guidelines and to check snow and weather conditions.