See the fun sights and sounds of Tahoe ski resort opening on 70th anniversary
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Heavenly opened its 70th ski season 2025 with lifts running and 20 inches.
- Resort offers 28 lifts over 4,800 acres from 6,255 to over 10,000 feet.
- Nearby resorts varied openings: Northstar postponed, Kirkwood set for Dec 5.
Heavenly Mountain Resort kicked off the 2025-26 ski season Monday — its 70th year of offering skiing and riding in South Lake Tahoe.
“The energy on the mountain was palpable, and it felt amazing to see everyone back out there sliding around on snow again,” Cole Zimmerman, senior communications manager for Vail Resorts - Tahoe region, said in an email.
Heavenly’s base elevation sits at 6,255 feet with a summit soaring above 10,000 feet. The resort has 28 lifts offering 4,800 acres of terrain to explore. The average annual snow fall clocks in at 258 inches.
Last week’s 20 inches of snow and recent cold temperatures that are ideal for snowmaking enabled Heavenly to kick off the season.
Heavenly’s sister resort Northstar, on the north side of the lake, has postponed its opening day, and Kirkwood is set to open Dec. 5.
On Monday, the lifts at Heavenly started spinning around 9 a.m. with access to skiing and riding from the California side of the mountain via the Gunbarrel Express and the Tram. Meanwhile, a DJ was spinning tunes to set the vibe for the seasons’s earliest skiers.
Some ski resorts around the lake have opened, but others are waiting for a durable snow base to form. Palisades Tahoe postponed its scheduled Nov. 26 opening day. Sierra at Tahoe also hit pause on opening Nov. 28.
The next chance of snow in the Lake Tahoe area appears to be Saturday.
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM.
