Heavenly to Open Halfpipe After Five-Year Hiatus
Opening of High Roller Terrain Park and 18-foot Halfpipe to Feature DJ, Heavenly Angels, Giveaways, and Professional Team Riders
Heavenly Mountain Resort, Calif./Nev. – January 18, 2013 – At noon on Saturday, January 19, 2013, Heavenly Mountain Resort will celebrate the return of the halfpipe after a five-year hiatus. With the help of Heavenly’s High Roller Freeride Team, the high-energy ribbon cutting ceremony will feature a DJ, giveaways, EpicMix Photos with the lovely Heavenly Angels, and free swag from Red Bull and Nature Valley. The halfpipe can be accessed via Canyon Express Chairlift on the California side of the mountain inside High Roller Terrain Park, which will also be opening for the first time this season on Saturday. It is currently the only halfpipe on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore.
“With Lake Tahoe as a backdrop, this halfpipe will feature, hands-down, the best views from any halfpipe in the U.S.,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s general manager. “Heavenly is committed to providing the most high-energy atmosphere possible, and the return of the halfpipe and the attention we’re putting into our parks really shows Heavenly’s ‘All In’ attitude.”
Heavenly High Roller Team member Kyle Smaine will kick it all off with a short exhibition and ribbon cutting at noon, and then guests will get the opportunity to show their stuff. Additional members of Heavenly’s High Roller Freeride Team, local pro skiers and snowboarders, will be meeting with guests and signing posters. The team members will include Brent Whipple, Natalie Vitalie, Nick Geisen and Chris Geisen.
Heavenly has teamed with Snow Park Technologies to create the 18-foot-tall and 450-foot-long halfpipe that is designed to accommodate a variety of ability levels and encourage a learning environment. The 16.5-degree angle of the slope provides an ideal amount of boost out of the pipe for all types of skiers and riders. The halfpipe’s location and north-facing orientation creates a uniform consistency between both sides of the pipe, meaning one side won’t melt faster than the other.
“This is easily the best pipe we’ve ever had here, and we built it in record time – just nine days,” said Heavenly Terrain Park manager Mike Thomas. “The collaboration between the Heavenly Terrain Park Crew, SPT, snowmaking and grooming was really impressive.”
Of Heavenly’s three High Roller-branded terrain parks, High Roller Park is the premier park. It has been re-designed this season to include rails, boxes, jumps, and other fun jib features, both above and below the location of the halfpipe. This layout creates the ultimate mix of park and pipe, all in one run.
For more information on Heavenly’s High Roller Terrain Parks, or the halfpipe, visit www.skiheavenly.com.
About Heavenly
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a world-class destination offering guests a one-of-a-kind combination of scenic beauty and exhilarating on-snow experience. Heavenly is a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc., the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. One of the largest resorts in North America, Heavenly spans 4800 acres, climbs to Lake Tahoe’s highest elevation at 10,067 feet and features than 94 trails for every level of skier or snowboarder. For more information on Heavenly Mountain Resort, please visit www.skiheavenly.comor call 800-HEAVENLY.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
About Snow Park Technologies
Snow Park Technologies (SPT) is the world’s leading consulting team for special projects on snow. SPT’s wide range of expertise includes designing and building some of the most renowned resort terrain parks and halfpipes, high profile ski and snowboard competition courses and countless on-snow productions. SPT also provides event production services, sport organizing and marketing services aimed at youth categories.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
About Snow Park Technologies
Snow Park Technologies (SPT) is the world’s leading consulting team for special projects on snow. SPT’s wide range of expertise includes designing and building some of the most renowned resort terrain parks and halfpipes, high profile ski and snowboard competition courses and countless on-snow productions. SPT also provides event production services, sport organizing and marketing services aimed at youth categories.