I'm Feeling Heavenly (Tahoe Time)

While it is only October 6th, mid season trip plans are already in place.  Where to you say?  Tahoe of course!  More specifically South Lake Tahoe, at Heavenly.  Perhaps you'll remember some of the other epic Boloney adventures out West.  Take, Breckenrage, Snowbird, or Jackson Hole for starters. 

First off this year, just think of this, we're staying in Nevada, in a casino.  The casino is walking distance to the gondola.  Oh yea, there's also an indoor pool grotto.  I can't see how any of this could possibly be a bad thing.

Tahoe of course straddles the California/Nevada border.  When we board, we will literally be crossing the state line back and forth.  The town itself is divided right down the middle (or third actually).

How about some data points?  There are 6 24 hour casinos (we're staying in one of them) - making for 7,051 slots and 411 card tables.

Fun fact: Lake Tahoe is the North American Continent's largest Alpine lake and is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, and covers a surface area of 191.6 square miles, and has 72 miles of shoreline.  And the lake is 6,226.95 feet above sea level and the natural rim is 6,223 feet above sea level - I'm having a very hard time wrapping my head around that one.  It is also second only in size and age to Oregon's crater lake (formed by a meteor impact).

This is a neat one: Although the summer's heat can warm the upper 12 feet to a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Tahoe never freezes over in the winter; this is due to the constant 39 degrees Fahrenheit, maintained at depths below 700 feet, largely because of the constant movement and volume of water.

(I've stolen most of this from the Heavenly website)

Some facts on the mountain itself:  A vertical of 3,500, a summit over 10,000 feet, 4,800 acres of ripable terrain.  They also claim to average between 350 and 400 inches a year.  I like the sounds of that.

And the pictures all around were taken yesterday when Heavenly received its first blast of the season.  2-3 at lake level, 4-8 mid mountain to summit.  They aren't even planning on opening for something like 60 days, and the snow is already coming.  Maybe it will be an epic season all over the country.

All we know is that Boloney Moguls will hit it up the first week in March this year and much shredding, gambling, and debauchery will be done.

For some final inspiration, check out a powder video from last season.