Heavenly Ski Resort Observation Deck — Attraction in South Lake Tahoe

Great experience in itself....but gave 3 star because it's PRICEY and Very poorly staffed... the people that were there were super awesome (friendly & great personality)... just not enough of them trying to run a MASSIVE operation. Waited lil over an hour half just to buy tickets and we arrived about 1015a and they open at 10a... and the line was already MASSIVE and moving SO SLOW because only 3 windows open to sell tickets. So by the time we started ride up gondola... was right before noon already. Did a quick observation deck photo and scenery tour for 30+min... get back on gondola... by the time reached tubing LINE WAS MASSIVE and only 1 guy (Zack...who was awesome at giving his safety briefing but...JUST HIM...having to stop everyone at the entry to make sure they get briefed...make sure to mark your pass... and THEN wait in massive line for our 1st ride over an hour... was already 145p when we finally got our 1st ride!!! 2nd tube ride was right before 3p...which is when they should've closed up but they roped off any newcomers and let just us who were returning to finish up... so got our 3rd ride in at 347pm.

At the tubing magic carpet area... only 1 guy trying to manage the entry point with snowboarders, skiers, & tubers all trying to get on... and when someone inexperienced tried to board it n fell... had to stop the machine... help person stand up... then restart it... and this happened FREQUENTLY ALL DAY LONG (I watched at least 20+ people fall or nearly fall getting on) so the line to get to magic carpet was EXORBITANTLY long! & SLOW Needs AT LEAST 2 people helping at magic carpet entry MINIMUM... Unsafe and at the cost of leaving HUUUUGE inefficient gaps going up magic carpet transport thus crazy wait times and having to stay open late because too many patrons weren't able to get to the top to get their 3 rides in! And being that tons of us including myself spent $125/person just to ride the gondola and then another $45 for 3 tube rides that's $170 for a gondola ride & 3 tube rides...that was $340 for just me and my daughter and the mountain was PACKED which means the company is BANKING on sales. Heard Tons of others complaining in the lines that they bought the $69 unlimited tube riding and even with the express line barely got 5 rides in being there from open to close time that's all they got to ride so they were pretty upset about it. Also... half the time only one guy scanning passes & grabbing tubes... struggling to do both because they had to take meal breaks... and no fault to them but shame on corporation not hiring and staffing this place appropriately! This position should have also had 2 people at all times.... one pulling tubes... and one strictly scanning. With how much this company is charging us... they should be hiring WAY more staff members to manage this place! It's crazy with how little they have!! Could be a 5 star rated park if properly staffed. My daughter and I loved it but would look elsewhere for less wait time/better staffing experience for the...

The view is beautiful. Most of the lift operators are very nice. The people that work at Cafe Blue are very nice. But the last couple of days there's been weather up there. So I took my sister today we went pretty early hoping that would make it up to the top. We got to the observation deck and the told us, Sorry you got to leave right now. Now I totally understand that. Now when the guy came to tell us we had to leave, he talked to us like people didn't spend a lot of money to get there. People take time off of work to pay for tickets, they spend money for parking. It's a very expensive ordeal. The person that came out to the deck today to round us all up like a bunch of cattle to tell us a get back onto the gondola was less than pleasant. He was like a cattle dog he didn't smile or show compassion. He could have said sorry there's weather but said it nicely or with maybe some remorse or I'm sorry but you can come back again in the future. None of that just "make your way to the gondola make your way to the gondola". I didn't feel respected at all. One lady was actually very upset and sad and I felt heartbroken for her because she spent over $200 and it didn't sound like she had a lot of extra money to go back up there and there was no respect in the way that she was told she had to go back down the gondola. That is exactly why she was upset. If someone would have had a better tone with her it would have been different. Maybe you should send the people that do the roundups (that's what it feels like) to get some...

Heavenly resort offered a free gondola ride and activities to Tahoe Chamber members on 3 specific dates. I went with 2 of my coworkers yesterday, Saturday May 31. It was a wonderful treat and the day was an experience to boast about. I'm a senior with walking disabilities and I use walking sticks to aid my balance. Getting on and off the gondola sparked fear in me when I saw that the cars keep going while you get on. To my grateful surprise, the attendant held out his hand for me to grab and slowed the car to a stop while he helped me into the car. Upon arrival at the mid stop observation deck, the attendant there offered me the same help to disembark. The views were breathtaking. It was a clear and sunny day and you could see from one side of town to the other. We were high enough up the mountain to see how much snow was still on Mt Tallac. There was even remnants of snow around the observation deck. There were benches along the way and a few seating areas where you could rest and breath the fresh air before getting back on the gondola and riding to the top. Again I received assistance in getting on and off the ride. There even was an elevator so the long steep stairs could be avoided. At this level there are activities and trails to preview. The Tamarack lodge offers refreshments and souvenirs. There is something for everyone, all ages and abilities. Thank you Heavenly for this special experience. I will recommend the summer...