New Summer Activities Possible for Heavenly

Soon enough, you could be gliding through the mountains or pedaling your way through the treetops in Tahoe during the summer. Heavenly Ski Resort is hoping to add some new adventures to their summer offerings. The U.S. Forest Service has tentatively approved the resort's ambitious expansion plans, including the addition of some unique attractions. 

Heavenly Ski Resort is known for its slopes, but now they want to make use of them during the warmer months. There's already 5 zip lines, 3 rope courses, and summer tubing, but building off of that momentum, the resort wants to add more. Heavenly leases the land from the U.S. Forest Service and they are waiting approval for expansions.

"It certainly won't be hasty, but when it's finished, it's going to be a really fun product," said Liesl Kenney, public relations coordinator for Heavenly Ski Resort. 

If the plans are approved, the resort would start construction this summer and it would be a multi-year process. Just one of the popular attractions to come would be the mountain bike park for beginners and advanced, it would be completed by 2017. 

"The local community people are really excited about the mountain bike park, because along with that goes a few new trail connections that would connect right down here into the village and into South Lake Tahoe as well as onto the Tahoe Rim Trail," said Kenney. 

And business is booming at heavenly ski resort despite the lack of snow, but they expect even higher visitation in the summer. Drawing in the crowds for summer time would include a mountain coaster. The gravity based ride would take you along a track in the forest while you control the speed with a brake pedal. And can you imagine riding your bike in the air? A sky cycle would be a bicycle suspended on cables that you can ride through the treetops. Several new zip line courses will also open up this summer to visitors. 

"The Blue Streak zip line is a favorite. It's 3,000 feet long, sweeping views of Lake Tahoe, it's really a fun adrenaline rush and you can ride along a friend or loved one," said Kenney. 

Summer is the most popular time to visit Lake Tahoe and visitors we talked to say that Heavenly's park will be sure to bring them up the mountain. 

"The rope course sounds good, the zip line sounds good, the biking is good too, these guys love that," said Matt Wagner from Sacramento. 

Gabriel Bellman is from San Francisco and he says, "It's great to have events that are kid friendly because it makes it easier as you can see, because we have to keep the boy occupied."

For the next 45 days, the Epic Discovery Project will be open to comments or objections and a decision will be made by spring.