Heavenly is the largest ski resort in California and the second largest in the USA.

The ski area comprises 4,800 acres. Acreage is the unit of measure in American resorts not length of trails. One of the reasons for this is that, within the resort boundary, everything can be skied – and is! The concept of off-piste is not really recognised there.

At Heavenly there are two extreme areas: Mott and Killibrew Canyons. Both are steep, obviously ungroomed and liberally populated with trees. There are entrance gates to both of these Canyons with warnings that they are only for expert skiers. The warnings are there for good reason. However, both are inbounds and are regularly patrolled should anybody get into problems.

Trees tend to grow at a higher altitude in America compared with Europe and Heavenly is one of the great tree skiing destinations. You can drop off a trail at any point and try your technique in the trees. If you have not done this before, it is an experience not to be missed. Galaxy Woods in Nevada is well worth a visit as are Powder Bowl Woods in California.

The signature run at Heavenly is Gunbarrel. This is a steep mogul field that drops down to the California base. The pressure is increased by the fact that you are watched all the way down by people riding the Gunbarrel Express just above you. You may wish to join extreme skier Glen Plake, when he does 50 consecutive descents of this run. On the other hand, maybe just watching from the chair is just as much fun!

However, Heavenly is not all about trees, bumps and canyons. There is great cruising terrain all over the mountain. Make sure you take Ridge Run which has just fabulous views of the lake all the way down.