Heavenly kicks off ski season

With blue skies, light wind and and pleasant temperatures, Heavenly Mountain Resort opened Friday morning, the first South Shore ski resort to open for the 2008-09 ski season.

Lifts began running at 8:30 a.m., amid a flurry of skiers and snowboarders from Tahoe and across the region.

Snowboarder Sarah Regnier of Salinas, 25, planned her trip to Tahoe around Heavenly’s opening.

“I left Salinas at 4 a.m. to drive up to Tahoe to ski at Heavenly. I’d rather ski than shop on Black Friday,” she said. “With the lower gas prices, I hope to ski more this winter.”

Skier Jonny Saputo, 38, of Walnut Creek, said he was surprised at how good the snow conditions and coverage were at Heavenly. “I thought it would be more crowded,” he said.

Heavenly plans to be open this week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekend hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The resort offers skiing on Orion’s run, with access from the gondola, said Heavenly spokesman Russ Pecoraro.

In addition, the Tamarack, Dipper, and Comet lifts were open, as well as the Heavenly Flyer zip line and Café Blue, the Umbrella Bar, Adventure Peak Grill, and East Peak Lodge, spokeswoman Aimi Xistra-Rich said.

The opening is “all because of snowmaking,” Pecoraro said, adding crews had put in about 180 hours of snowmaking so far this season.

Heavenly’s California Lodge will also be open for season pass purchases, according to the Web site.

Last year, Heavenly opened on Nov. 25, just a few days earlier than this year’s Nov. 28 opening.

The National Weather Service forecast showed nighttime lows below freezing for this week, but did not predict any precipitation for the region.

Other South Shore ski areas, Kirkwood Mountain Resort and Sierra-at-Tahoe, have asked visitors to check their Web sites for the latest information on opening dates.

Boreal Mountain Resort and Mount Rose Ski Tahoe, near Tahoe’s North Shore, opened earlier this month.