Record snowfall at Heavenly = extension of ski season into May

• Vail Resorts’ Colorado ski resorts – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone – have experienced ‘epic’ above-average snowfall with more than 24 feet of snow season-to-date at Vail and Beaver Creek

• Vail has received more snow since Dec. 1 than any other year in its history

• Leap into spring with pond skimming at Vail, Spring Massive concerts at Breckenridge, a legendary bump extravaganza at Heavenly and more spring-loaded events and ski vacation packages at Beaver Creek and Keystone

HEAVENLY, Calif./Nev.. – Feb. 13, 2008 – With more than 25 feet of snow so far this season, officials at Heavenly Mountain Resort, a Vail Resort ski mountain, decided to extend their season 14 extra days to Sunday, May 4 thanks to the deepest snow that has fallen at this South Lake Tahoe resort in 30-plus years.

Heavenly reported its snowiest January on record with more than 13 feet in just 31 days. The resort started officially tracking snowfall data during the 1975-1976 ski season.

Initially Heavenly planned to close for the season on Sunday, April 20 but with snow pack that’s 23 percent higher than average, officials made the call to give excited powder hounds two additional weeks of spring skiing. The resort is now set to close Sunday, May 4.

At Heavenly’s sister resorts in the Colorado Rockies, Vail and Beaver Creek are breaking their own records. Vail has received 244 inches since Dec. 1, which is more snow than any other year in its history. Beaver Creek recorded its snowiest December and January since 1996 and has tallied more than 24 feet so far this season. Breckenridge and Keystone are also reporting season-to-date snowfall that’s up to 33 percent above average.

The snowfall at Heavenly, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone hit at the perfect time of the season, just before the December holidays and has to continue to fall since then. In fact, it snowed 24 of the 31 days in January at Vail, the highest number of January snow days in seven years.

With some of the best snow conditions on record, now is the time to book a March or April vacation to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and/or Heavenly to enjoy the snow, sunshine and spring-loaded events in the Colorado Rockies and/or Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Spring-loaded events at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly in March and April

From pond skimming at Vail to salsa dancing at Breckenridge to the legendary bump marathon with the mogul master Glen Plake at Heavenly, spring is the time to bask in the sun in the mountains with some of the country’s most zany and festive events above 8,000 feet. Here’s just a sampling. Visit www.snow.com for more events like outdoor spring concerts, culinary events like Keystone’s Barbecue fest and more.

Ski with the Pros, Beaver Creek
March 28-30
SKI Magazine and Beaver Creek have teamed up for a second year to offer exclusive 90-minute meet and ski sessions with top Beaver Creek Ski School instructors and world-class ski professionals including A.J. Kitt, Chris Anthony, Jenn Berg and Hannah Hardaway.  The sessions are offered free of charge to guests staying in Beaver Creek. 

Blues and BBQ Festival, Keystone

March 29
Mix in some sunshine with lip-smacking barbecue from Keystone's award-winning chefs and live blues music to celebrate spring at Keystone.

Fiesta Latina, Breckenridge

April 5

Enjoy Latin dance performances and ski boot salsa lessons to the sounds of DJ Patricio on the deck of the Bergenhof Restaurant. Bilingual ski & ride lesson products and ethnic foods will also be available. This is one of many events of Breckenridge’s 8^th annual Spring Massive celebration, April 1 – 20. 

The Gunbarrel 25, Heavenly

Hosted by ski icon Glen Plake, the fifth annual mogul marathon on North America’s toughest black-diamond bump run, The Gunbarrel, has become the ‘must do’ for mogul hounds.

Spring Back to Vail

April 7-13

Vail’s huge end-of-the-season bash includes free concerts with national headlining bands, unique competitions and the World Pond Skimming Championships.

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