Lake Tahoe, CA – On the heels of the most powerful storm to hit the Lake Tahoe region this winter, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort have announced plans to extend their respective ski and snowboard seasons.

“It’s no secret that this has been one of the most challenging seasons on record,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s general manager. “So we wanted to reward all the pass holders who stood by us this season, and create more opportunities for them to realize even more value from what was already the best pass product on the market.”

Heavenly’s closing day was slated for April 15. After that date, the resort will shut down during the week, and re-open Friday through Sunday the weekends of April 20–22 and April 27–29, weather and conditions permitting. Kirkwood will keep the same weekend-only schedule as long as snow conditions will support skiing and snowboarding.

Heavenly’s operation will include the Heavenly Gondola, Tamarack Express and Dipper Express, with a limited expert-only operation at Gunbarrel Express. Kirkwood plans to operate Chair #6, Cornice Express, and Chair #10, Wagon Wheel.

“The snowpack really got a boost from this last storm and we’re confident we’ll have great skiing and snowboarding well into spring at both resorts,” said Casey Blann, Heavenly’s vice president of mountain operations and the incoming general manager of Kirkwood under the new ownership of Broomfield, Colo.-based Vail Resorts. “Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood have consistently provided the best skiing and snowboarding all season, and this spring will be no exception.”