Global Courant 2023-04-26 00:53:36
The ski and snowboard season is finally coming to a close at Big Bear resorts after a winter in which a series of storms threw hundreds of inches of fresh snow onto the slopes.
“We’ve arrived at our last hill,” said Jason Kanton, a spokesman for Big Bear Mountain Resort, which operates the Snow Summit, Bear Mountain and Snow Valley resorts.
Not only did the snow provide great conditions for skiers and snowboarders, but the sheer volume allowed the resorts to stay open much longer than usual.
At the end of March, the resort had between 75 and 100 inches of fresh powder on the ground after receiving 210 inches since the start of the season.
But the fierce storms also blocked residents’ access to essentials such as food, water and medical care, with some people trapped in their homes for days. At least 12 people died during the storms in the San Bernardino County Mountains.
Bear Mountain’s last day of the season was Sunday, and Snow Valley closed last week.
Snow Summit is expected to be up and running at least by the end of April, with operators still to decide if it will remain open through May.
Snow Summit isn’t the only mountain in California where you can ski and snowboard well into spring; Mammoth Mountain announced last month that its skiing operations would continue with existing snow until at least July.
Mammoth officials told The Times it had never announced such a long extension this early in the season.
“I’ve been here for eight years now… and we’ve never been open this late in my entire life here,” Kanton noted.
Last year, Bear Mountain closed on April 10, almost two weeks earlier than this year Snow suit. coma snow resort booking site.
The conditions combined to make for a fantastic year for the resort, even with intense snowfall preventing skiers and snowboarders from hitting the slopes for days.
Alterra Mountain Co., which owns Big Bear Mountain Resort and Mammoth Mountain, is not disclosing attendance numbers, but Kanton said it was “a very strong season.”
“I think we’re on track to have one of our strongest seasons in the last 10 years,” he commented. “And that’s not even including business volume in Snow Valley, as that property only came under our management in mid-January.”
And the snow will linger for now.
“There is still decent coverage,” Kanton said, noting that all of the trails at Snow Summit are still open. “But the snow is softening.”
Temperatures reached nearly 70 degrees in Big Bear on Monday, making snowmelt inevitable.
“Once it gets going, it moves pretty quickly,” Kanton said.
Now, the resorts are actually hoping that the snow will disappear as spring kicks into gear and the ski slopes transition to mountain biking trails.
“This is a bit of a weird, different situation than we’re used to,” said Kanton. “Usually we try to hold on to the snow as long as possible. Now we kind of flip that switch, like, okay, when can we get ready for summer?
