A Hater's Guide to Heavenly

[@michaelderwin381]

You are accurate with a bit of hyperbole which makes this video hysterical...love it!

[@baileykeller288]

I'm an employee(not in lift ops), and I can confirm they have put lifts on "wind hold" a few weeks ago when they were coincidentally losing power to the lifts. They don't tell us anything about current conditions and they treat their employees like shit. We had a terrible storm a few weeks ago and instead of not opening our shop they made us drive on unplowed roads and walk in waist deep snow. Then sent us home just before we were there 4 hours. (They are required to pay half our shift if they close early or don't open, so we would have been paid the same if they just hadn't opened) we had no customers that day because all the roads were blocked

[@davidalexander2283]

Sounds like Epic

[@davidalexander2283]

Thanks for the review. Don't go to Heavenly. It takes a decade to figure out it's secrets. Want you don't know is better for me . Everything he said is true but so much more. Don't go there. There's local tricks that make lapping Killbrew way easier. That escapade you described is possible but way out of the way but that's ok keep doin that and Gondola laps etc. Perfect.

[@scottspeer]

I skied Heavenly as my primary resort in college (they had a ridiculously cheap college pass back in the day). I basically only skied the Mott and North Bowl lifts. The bulk of the resort isn't worth the time it takes to get to it. Gunbarrel is fun though. It was always my last run of the day and I'd race the tram (I only kept up with it once I think 😂).

[@josephstratemeier8619]

California resorts are still in love with fixed-grip lifts for the most part. I don't mind them because at least I get to rest my legs a bit, but compared to Utah or Colorado resorts of similar size the lifts need an upgrade.

[@kalen1702]

Love the video! I work for Vail (lifty at *unnamed resort here*) and most of the negative stuff I hear about is from corporate Vail. My managers, supervisors etc, on mountain are all amazing and love what they do (and aren't assholes). Sucks to see stuff like this because these employees just aren't on the same wavelength as everyone I work with day-to-day. Edit: Of course Vail charges too much for a day pass, it's so stupid

[@ThePlaylists001]

I hear you. I have met some really cool people that work at Heavenly but I gotta say most of the employees suffer from Lake Tahoe Syndrome. The culture there is terrible.

[@kalen1702]

@@ThePlaylists001 that’s a shame to hear. I’m returning to Keystone, CO this season because I had such a good time with my coworkers/on-site management last winter when I made this comment. Vail cooperate kinda sucks, but each mountain has its own ecosystem of management, so it can totally be hit or miss

[@jackjmaheriii]

Okay… Heavenly is the first Hater’s Guide resort I know well. If you’re on piste, getting around isn’t bad, everything else including trees is at least as bad as described. I don’t know how he made it through the whole video without mentioning wind holds. Some of the resort is closed most days, and it’s not unusual for 3/4 of the resort to be closed. Also, for all the effort he put into complaining about cat walks, it still isn’t enough, they are truly terrible. All of this would be fine if the culture was awesome, or the groomers were fantastic. They’re not. It’s the only resort I’ve ever seen with mogul’d out greens. It does have a ton of alcohol though, so drunks with bluetooth speakers are everywhere. Definitely park on the Nevada side, even if it’s a longer drive. If you’re an actual expert, go to whatever resort tickles your tisms, but everyone else would be happier at Sugar Bowl, Sierra, or even Diamond.

[@SRGSkiing]

Completely forgot about the wind holds! I never really go here on powder days for this exact reason so it completely slipped my mind. I guess there's too many things to roast Heavenly about for 1 video 😂

[@bigx9963]

Top mountain restrooms are closed exactly at 3:45. Just make the yellow snow on your way down the round about.

[@rossbrunson5894]

The tram is used to haul all of the large pallets of supplies up the hill. Its a utility lift to get first people up the mountain as well. It can be ran with nobody at the top.

[@vpassanisi]

about the locals view of the parking reservation system, locals aren't trying to ski in the mornings on weekends or holidays so it really doesn't affect us. in fact it has cut down on the gridlocked traffic at peak times. people are generally ok with it.

[@ontheotherside3]

lol i literally describe heavenly as a theme park to people who have not been there before. 😂 it's the absolute worst on a mid week pow day when every local in south lake shows up!

[@SteveThompson-li2fc]

Still one of my favorite resorts because of the views and the tree-skiing. It is however, the only ski resort I have ever been to where hobos asked me for spare change while I was waiting in the gondola line.

[@katherineli3118]

6:25 as a former heavenly teams member... you're so right; galaxy is a legitimate disaster, and we avoid it at all costs (once one of my teammates somehow skied down the wrong way at nevada trail and we had to follow him to the bottom of galaxy and ride back up... fun times) some of my teammates tell me they've eaten their whole lunch and taken a nap on the galaxy chair; it's such a joke 😭

[@MartinBrehovsky]

only real ones know to save time by hiking from mott chair to killebrew gates (I've never done it but it might just be faster than waiting at dipper on a weekend day)

[@SRGSkiing]

Funny enough, I literally just recorded the part of Insider's Guide where I talk about that, like 5 minutes ago. That video will be coming out on Monday (Insider's Guide episode 27, part d)

[@lawyh1506]

Your video is so apt in light of the situation of the recent blizzard at Heavenly!

[@SilverSeraph913]

I did 2 weeks at the 3 Epic resorts in the Tahoe region in January. You describe the traversing, lift lines and weird lift layout at Heavenly very well. While the navigation is not intuitive, getting to either of the Nevada bases is not *that* hard. But yeah, there is no way you can lap Milky Way Bowl or Mott/Killbrew. And don't get me started on the wind holds. It was always a lucky dip as to whether Canyon, Sky, Comet or Dipper would be closed at any given time (sometimes all of them at the same time). One thing I disagree with is the crowd and vibe. Northstar was worse than Heavenly in that regard. Kirkwood is a much better skiing experience than either Heavenly or Northstar: better snow, better terrain and better crowd. However, the lifts are old and slow.

[@SRGSkiing]

Kirkwood Insider's Guide is already out, and don't worry, the Northstar Hater's Guide is coming soon!

[@ytpete2]

You can lap virtually all that stuff from Dipper, you just need to push a little bit across the connector to Skyline Trail and then cut straight across it up the berm into Milky Way Bowl - easy to do if you hold speed when you cut across it. And a _lot_ of Mott you can lap directly off the Mott chair, it's just a moderately annoying traverse via, I think, Gate 3?

[@Andrew-353]

Well the lappibg is still horrible on killabrew but from the dipper express you take a left and traverse to milky way bowl not across the whole mountain

[@SRGSkiing]

Yup! Talked about this in the Insider's Guide, but a resort employee once told me that going back down to Sky was the only way to access the Killebrew Gates. It wasn't until my most recent visit that I realized that you could just get off Dipper and head straight to Milky Way Bowl and then to Killebrew.

[@joebill3290]

haha ive skied heavenly my whole life I'll write your insiders guide!! Also, @4:52 you can get to all the Killebrew gates from the top of dipper chair!

[@SRGSkiing]

Dw, already got the Heavenly Insider's Guide sorted. Thank you, and sorry!

[@SRGSkiing]

And yes, you can get to the Killebrew Gates from the top of Dipper (we'll talk about that in the Insider's Guide). I asked a resort staff member once in 2016 that's how they told me to do it. It was only years later that I figured out you could lap Killebrew from Dipper directly!

[@katherineli3118]

same, heavenlyteams ex-member here :D i volunteer as tribute (although i see it's already done haha)

[@iskiwithfrankiez]

Great video!! So true!!

[@dhowe5180]

You forgot to mention the food. It’s slightly above vending machine quality at best, revolting at worst. And the mountain is difficult to navigate, made even more difficult because vail resorts is too cheap to print and hand out trail maps. This wouldn’t be so bad if they had a big map at the top of each lift and major trail junctions but they don’t. Some vail mountains do a pretty decent job of taking care of customers. This isn’t one of them.

[@yungxguac1]

I had a good time, even with a fractured rib.

[@SRGSkiing]

I mean that just doesn't seem very wise to me to ski wish any broken bone at all, but to each his own I suppose

[@yungxguac1]

@@SRGSkiing I agree 100% but I’m ok.

[@SRGSkiing]

Good to hear!

[@rotorookie-4710]

Heavenly has been my local for 32 years. For anyone who cares, they could fix all of the cat track/traversing issues with the following: Create an option B to Skyline Trail: Build the originally planned chairlift from the base of Sky Chair to the top of the Gondola, from here use Tamarack or Big Easy to access Nevada lifts, offers direct return access to the Gondola when Sky chair is closed. Originally in the '96 Master Plan and was to be built in conjunction with the Gondola, the chair was approved, never constructed and according to the 2007 updated Master Plan, still remains approved! Eliminate the awful cat tracks to reach lower Nevada side: Reinstall East Peak Chair from East Peak Lodge to top of Olympic, never think about Crossover again. Eliminate the skate to Roundabout: An alternative already exists in Advanced Roundabout from the top of Groove chair but it requires a lot of snow and has unfavorable west and south west aspect and doesn't hold snow. Blast the rocks, summer groom it and put in snow making, solved. Believe it or not it was once worse, prior to 1997 the push from top of Olympic Chair to California Trail across Von Schmidt flats was torturous. When they built Tamarack Chair it became easier. Cheers haters!

[@SRGSkiing]

I've been thinking for ages that they should build a lift from the base of Sky to either the top of the Gondola or the top of Tamarack (I would personally like for it to extend to the top Tamarack so that that tree terrain becomes a bit more accessible even if that means it gets tracked out a bit faster). Either way, that would help out a ton with crowd flow! I didn't even know there was a chair from East Peak Lodge to the top of Olympic, that would help so much, I hate Crossover. I can imagine that without Tamarack, getting back to the California base from Olympic would be an absolute pain

[@ThePlaylists001]

I snowboard mainly Kirkwood but when we overnight there is almost no services there so we go to Heavenly. I hate Heavenly for all the reasons you stated. I mean the cat tracks are eternal and required for almost everything and the California side is downright dangerous on crowded days which is most days.

[@random_stuff_channel]

Do a haters guide to Lake Tahoe

[@SRGSkiing]

Ooh, y'know, that's not a bad idea at all. Definitely in consideration

[@bjameszilla]

Since this is a haters guide you have to give it a thumbs down if it did it's job and stirred personal hate right?

[@SRGSkiing]

Yeah, I think so!

[@StevenBanks123]

I give it a thumbs up if it scares people away and reduces the lift line wait.

[@SRGSkiing]

I like that logic...

[@random_stuff_channel]

Did you make this because I suggested it on a previous video? wow

[@SRGSkiing]

Hey man, we're always listening. We do our best to listen to y'all

[@random_stuff_channel]

@@SRGSkiing ty

[@benshappell6339]

Just watched the Kirkwood series and was hoping you were gonna do Heavenly next lol. I always stay at the Stagecoach base, way better than the SLT/Heavenly village base but now I might start trying to hit Sierra at Tahoe.

[@SRGSkiing]

Heavenly Insider's Guide will be sometime in the coming months!

[@StevenBanks123]

Straight to Boulder Base for me- on weekdays of course. Paradoxically, I can afford the Season Pass rate, which is low, and if I don’t need a $20 bowl of soup, this is low cost skiing on some wonderful runs. Your sour take on the quality of the ski experience is exaggeration with some truth. And what a gorgeous view. As far as the complaint about driving through a district with housing to get to the lifts… pardon me, let’s just bulldoze those peons out of there! So, some truth, but a lot of Karen level complaints.

[@CoasterRanger]

Nice job, very entertaining. As someone who loves both Six Flags and casinos, I'm a big fan of Heavenly, haha.

[@pranavmalavalli5582]

If you go ski heavenly on a weekday and just enjoy some wide open ridge run and gunbarrel laps, it's quite enjoyable. Kirkwood is still far superior

[@sidmasih6998]

nah man the only way to navigate is to catwalk

[@SRGSkiing]

😭😭

[@michaeltravers3095]

I will be happy to help you with a haters guide to Killington. I am expert at navigating Killington.

[@SRGSkiing]

While I do appreciate the offer, I think I'll stick to the west coast for now

[@blmgt]

You must have gone on a weekend or a holiday. During the week it is not so bad or at least wasn't the last time I was there in 2022. Do agree about Vail Resort complaints and Galaxy. And you don't have to take the tram down.

[@StevenBanks123]

All the while this acerbic commentary whines on we see video of marvelous skiing. How did that happen?

[@SRGSkiing]

A good skier + a couple bad experiences = hater's guide

[@acorona7207]

🥴