Bear Mountain (ski area)

Last updated

Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain, Big Bear Lake.jpg
Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Big Bear Lake, California
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Bear Mountain
Location in California
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain (the United States)
LocationBear Mountain
San Bernardino National Forest
Nearest major city Big Bear Lake, California
Coordinates 34°13′36″N116°51′37″W / 34.2267°N 116.8602°W / 34.2267; -116.8602
StatusOperating
Owner Alterra Mountain Company
Vertical1,665 ft (507 m)
Top elevation8,805 ft (2,684 m)
Base elevation7,140 ft (2,180 m)
Skiable area748 acres (303 ha) [1]
Runs 62 total
Ski trail rating symbol-green circle.svg 15% beginner
Ski trail rating symbol-blue square.svg 15% low intermediate
Ski trail rating symbol-blue square.svg 40% intermediate
Ski trail rating symbol-black diamond.svg 30% advanced [1]
Longest runGeronimo 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Lift system 12 lifts: 3 quad chairlifts, 2 triple chairs, 4 double chairs, 3 surface lifts
Lift capacity16,590 skiers/hr
Snowfall 100 in (250 cm)
Snowmaking Yes, 100%
Night skiing No
Website http://www.bearmountain.com/

Bear Mountain, formerly Goldmine Mountain, is a ski area established in 1969, in the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California, United States. It is located by Big Bear Lake, two miles from its sister mountain, Snow Summit. These two ski areas operate under the same management and are collectively known as Big Bear Mountain Resort. The resort is part of Alterra Mountain Company.

Contents

Resort

Bear Mountain comprises three main peaks: Bear Peak, Silver Mountain and Goldmine Mountain. With an average of 100 inches (250 cm) of natural snowfall, the mountain relies heavily on artificial snowmaking, as do nearly all other ski resorts in Southern California. Since establishing the first freestyle park in the early 1990s, Bear Mountain has been a leading innovator in freestyle ski and snowboarding, along with terrain park building. The mountain contains one of the few superpipes in Southern California and, given sufficient natural snow, its tree runs are open for skiing and snowboarding, unlike those at Snow Summit. Even territory normally "out of bounds" from Chair 8 has opened after heavy snow.

For decades, Snow Summit and Goldmine mountain operated independently, as fierce rivals. In 1988, the S.K.I. ski area operating company bought Goldmine, changing its name to Bear Mountain. In 2002, Snow Summit purchased Bear Mountain and developed Big Bear Mountain Resorts, allowing skiers and snowboarders to use a single ticket at both resorts. Snow Summit's Richard "Dick" Kun led the move to focus Bear Mountain on snowboarders, to draw them away from Snow Summit and thereby attune it once more to the culture of the dedicated skier and families. Bear Mountain acquired the nickname "The Park" because most of it comprises irregular terrain.

In 2014, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (owned by Starwood Capital Group at that time part of Mammoth Resorts) purchased Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for $38 million. [2] In 2017, Mammoth Resorts, which also included June Mountain, announced its sale by Starwood to a partnership of Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners that became Alterra Mountain Company. [3]

Bear Mountain trails

BeginnerIntermediateDifficultExpert
Learning CurveAcceleratorExhibitionGeronimo
Easy StreetRipcordRip's RunThe Wedge (moguls)
Amusement ParkUpper Park RunOutlaw
The GulchSilver ConnectionShowtime
Lower Park RunBoneyardGambler
Hidden ValleyExpresswayGrizzly
BackdoorsCentral Park
InspriationPipeline
Outlaw's Alley
Street Scene
Park Run Face
Pipeline

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowboarding</span> Snow sport involving a single board

Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bear Lake, California</span> City in California, United States

Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of the city of San Bernardino, and immediately west of the unincorporated town of Big Bear City. The population was approximately 5,019 at the 2010 census, down from 5,438 at the 2000 census. However, as a popular year-round resort destination, the actual number of people staying in or visiting the greater Big Bear Valley area regularly surges to over 100,000 during many weekends of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammoth Mountain Ski Area</span> Ski resort in California, United States

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort in the western United States, located in eastern California along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrain park</span>

A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deer Valley</span> Ski resort in Park City, Utah, United States

Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located 36 miles (58 km) east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America.

Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc was a developer and operator of destination resorts and a luxury adventure travel company. The company was founded in 1976 as a privately funded real estate development company. In 2006, Intrawest was purchased by Fortress Investment Group, a private equity investment company, which resulted in the company being delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. Fortress was under financial pressure related to the Intrawest debt, but a new loan with a single lender was completed in April 2010 and all prior lenders were repaid in full.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big White Ski Resort</span> Ski resort in British Columbia, Canada

Big White Ski Resort, simply known as Big White, is a ski resort located 56 km (35 mi) southeast of Kelowna in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. It is located on Big White Mountain, the highest summit in the Okanagan Highland, an upland area between the Monashee Mountains and the Okanagan Valley. Big White is the fourth largest resort in British Columbia, after Whistler-Blackcomb, Sun Peaks, and Silver Star. In 2019, Big White was nominated as the third-best ski resort in Canada by Snowpak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain High</span> Winter resort in California

Mountain High resort is a winter resort in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County in California. Mountain High is one of the most-visited resorts in Southern California. The resort is located along State Route 2 west of Wrightwood, California. The elevation of the resort is 6,600 feet (2,000 m) to 8,200 feet (2,500 m) for the Mountain High East Resort, 7,000 feet (2,100 m) to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) for the West Resort and 7,200 feet (2,200 m) to 7,800 ft (2,400 m) for the North Resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitude Mountain Resort</span> Ski resort in Brighton, Utah, United States

Solitude Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in the Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Mountains, thirty miles southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah. With 66 trails, 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) and 2,047 feet (624 m) vertical, Solitude is one of the smaller ski resorts near Salt Lake City, along with its neighbor Brighton. It is a family-oriented mountain, with a wider range of beginner and intermediate slopes than other nearby ski resorts; 50% of its slopes are graded "beginner" or "intermediate," the highest such ratio in the Salt Lake City area. Solitude was one of the first major US resorts to adopt an RFID lift ticket system, allowing lift lines to move more efficiently. It was followed by Alta Ski Area in 2007. Solitude is adjacent to Brighton Ski Resort near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Solitude and Brighton offer a common "Solbright Pass" which provides access to both resorts for a nominal surcharge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton Ski Resort</span> Ski resort near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Brighton Ski Resort is a ski area in the western United States, located in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Brighton, Utah. About thirty miles (50 km) from downtown Salt Lake City, it is owned and operated by Boyne Resorts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Mountain ski area</span> Ski area in California, United States

June Mountain ski area is a winter resort in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California, located near June Lake, southeast of Yosemite National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Snow</span> Ski resort in Vermont, United States

Mount Snow is a mountain and ski resort in southern Vermont located in the Green Mountains. It is Vermont's southernmost big mountain, and therefore, closest to many Northeast metropolitan areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Summit</span> Ski area in California, United States

Snow Summit is a ski resort that was established in 1952 and is in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. It is located by Big Bear Lake along with its sister resort Bear Mountain; these two resorts which operate under the same management are collectively known as Big Bear Mountain Resorts (BBMR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra-at-Tahoe</span> Ski area in California, United States

Sierra-at-Tahoe is a ski and snowboard resort in Twin Bridges, California south of Lake Tahoe. Sierra-at-Tahoe is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of Stateline, Nevada and 12 miles south of South Lake Tahoe on U.S. Route 50 and is contained within the Eldorado National Forest. Sierra-at-Tahoe is a medium sized ski area in the Lake Tahoe region, and is well known for being a more family oriented resort and also having a high annual snowfall. Sierra-at-Tahoe's terrain is 25 percent beginner, 50 percent Intermediate, and 25 percent advanced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo Mountain (ski area)</span> Ski resort in Colorado, United States

Echo Mountain is a ski, snowboard and tubing area located in Clear Creek County, west of Evergreen, Colorado. It is the closest ski area to the Denver metro area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow Valley Mountain Resort</span> Skiing resort in California, United States

Snow Valley Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Running Springs, California, United States. It is the oldest continually operating ski resort in Southern California and is also one of four ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratton Mountain Resort</span> Ski area in Vermont, United States

Stratton Mountain Resort is a ski area in the northeastern United States, located on Stratton Mountain in Stratton, Vermont, east of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver Valley Ski Club</span> Private ski club in Ontario

Beaver Valley Ski Club is a private skiing and snowboarding club located in Beaver Valley, Ontario, Canada.

Alterra Mountain Company is an American hospitality company established in 2018 with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. It is privately owned by KSL Capital Partners and Henry Crown and Company, the owners of Aspen/Snowmass. It is a conglomerate of several ski resorts that offers a combined season pass.

This glossary of skiing and snowboarding terms is a list of definitions of terms and jargon used in skiing, snowboarding, and related winter sports.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mountain Facts". Big Bear Mountain Resorts. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. Lomax, Becky (3 October 2014). "Mammoth Buys Bear Mountain". On the Snow. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
    - Martin, Hugo (24 September 2014). "Mammoth Mountain owner buys Bear Mountain and Snow Summit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. Martin, Hugo (12 April 2017). "Mammoth Resorts is being sold to a Colorado ski partnership". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 6 December 2017.
    - Steinberg, Jim (13 April 2017). "Bear Mountain, Snow Summit ski resorts purchased by joint venture in a 4-resort deal". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 27 November 2022.