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Little Dipper

Black diamond Heavenly, CA

Steepest pitch26°
Vertical669 ft
Length2,459 ft
Average pitch16°
FacesNE
Top9,503 ft

Little Dipper drops 669 vertical feet over 2,459 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 26° about 1,350 feet below the top. That's steeper than 29% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 68th steepest of 124 named runs at Heavenly. It faces northeast.

How well Little Dipper holds snow

Snow preservationGood

Facing northeast at an average 16°, Little Dipper gets about 70% of the winter sun that flat ground at Heavenly does, December through March. That's shadier than 71% of the runs we've measured, and the 40th shadiest named run at Heavenly. Its top sits at 9,500 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.

Little Dipper profile

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

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Little Dipper 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.