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Cepheus

Black diamond Heavenly, CA

Steepest pitch36°
Vertical471 ft
Length1,477 ft
Average pitch19°
FacesNE
Top9,429 ft

Cepheus drops 471 vertical feet over 1,477 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 36° about 640 feet below the top. That's steeper than 89% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 20th steepest of 124 named runs at Heavenly. It faces northeast.

How well Cepheus holds snow

Snow preservationGood

Facing northeast at an average 19°, Cepheus gets about 69% of the winter sun that flat ground at Heavenly does, December through March. That's shadier than 72% of the runs we've measured, and the 38th shadiest named run at Heavenly. Its top sits at 9,430 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Cepheus profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Cepheus elsewhere

Nearby at Heavenly

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.