Heavenly? Not So Heavenly

People familiar with the geography of the place know that Heavenly-the-resort is named after a creek and valley that come down from East Peak, the highest skiable location in the Tahoe region. So, to expect it to be heavenly would be geographically not justified.

We had a series of intense storms in the Northern California region, so it seemed the perfect moment to rush out and get to Tahoe. I rented a car, since I wanted to go midweek (and realized later I could have gotten a bunch of friends to go with me). I filled the tiny Kia Rio with the gear and off I went at 5:30.

It was all good. The roads were in pristine condition, and even the slow guys on the highway behaved. There is usually at least one idiot that drives 40 on US 50 (speed limit: 55) and uses the passing lanes helpfully provided every few miles to race ahead like a maniac. I haven’t figured out, yet, if they do so out of a spirit of competition or because they are afraid of the one-lane road.

In any case, I got to the parking lot in good time and went up the mountain. To my utter surprise, every single square inch of skiable snow was already claimed for. I tried going down the Sky Bowls (off the Sky Trail). I went to Nevada. I tried the trees down the Sky Lift… Nothing. The only good snow was off California Trail, and even there only in the area that requires a ten minute hike.

It feels like I should have gone a day sooner.