Heavenly Mountain Resort is a major ski area above southeastern Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, straddling the California–Nevada border. Opened as Heavenly Valley on December 15, 1955, it grew into one of the region’s best-known destinations, with four base facilities, 97 runs, and 30 lifts across a 4,800-acre permit area. Its summit reaches 10,067 feet above sea level, the highest among Lake Tahoe resorts, and it operates roughly from mid-November to mid-April with heavy snowfall and extensive snowmaking. Owned by Vail Resorts since 2002, it is also remembered as the site of Sonny Bono’s fatal skiing accident in 1998.