This is a guest post by K. Pearson Brown
It’s a true fact that Angelenos can ski and snowboard in the morning and head to the beach in the afternoon. Not that many people actually do this, but it would be possible, owing to the fact that one of SoCal’s most popular mountain resorts, Big Bear, is about 110 miles away from Los Angeles.
While the “let’s-get-in-the-car-and-go-skiing” idea might seem fun and spontaneous, the reality is that you might arrive in Big Bear and not find accommodations, or the worse scenario is that the resorts are oversold and either you can’t buy lift tickets or the slopes are so crowded it’s like a Friday rush hour on the 405. The trick to a great Big Bear ski vacation is planning.
Arrive early when the slopes open to avoid rental chaos.
First, check what’s happening on the mountain before you go. Our family had the great idea to head up to Big Bear over Super Bowl weekend, thinking most sports fans, and by extension skiers and snowboarders, would stay home for house parties and chicken wings. We didn’t check the website (www.bigbearmountainresorts.com) which would have warned us that Saturday was the Volcom Peanut Butter and Rail Jam free-ride snowboard event, and the forecast was several inches of fresh powder, which drew hordes of people to the mountain.
Second, get there by 8:30 am, when the mountain opens. You can save time by filling out an ezWaiver that you can access on the waiver before you go via the resort’s website computerized system by which we signed our lives away in 20 seconds, and the very efficient staff, who have the rental thing down to a science. Some of the same folks have been there for years, like John at the performance ski counter, who can size up a skier, choose the right length skis and adjust the bindings to the proper skill level in about 90 seconds flat.
John in the rentals department is a pro at sizing up skiers and getting them in the right equipment in record time.
The snow sports schools at both Bear Mountain and sister resort Snow Summit are known for great instruction, so rather than pick one, we signed up for lessons at both. At either resort first-time snowboarders can rent Burton Learn to Ride equipment designed with beveled edges that prevent them from catching on the snow, so learners fall less, which means not getting exhausted from picking yourself up off the snow every couple of minutes.
The snow sport school at Bar Mountain is known for its excellence in lessons for all levels.
The beauty of Big Bear, besides the incredible vista of the San Bernardino National Forrest, on which the resort resides by permit, is that visitors have two resorts just two miles apart from which to choose. Both resorts are operated by the Big Bear Mountain Resorts, so lift tickets are interchangeable, and guests can take a free inter-resort shuttle between them.
Bear Mountain, known as the People’s Park, has slightly higher elevation and about 5 percent more advanced trails. As home to California’s only Superpipe and freestyle terrain runs with jibs, jumps, rails, boxes and walls for boarders, Bear Mountain draws more snowboarders and is famed as the stomping grounds of Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White.
Even kids as young as 3 to 6 years can snowboard at Bear Mountain at Riglet Park, a cordoned off bunny slope with terrain features sized for toddlers who can be lead around with a tow rope. Over all though, Bear Mountain is for geared for young adults and teens, and not so much families. The base area is known as The Scene, and indeed it is, with loud music pumped outdoors and a lively social environment at the resort restaurants and bars.
Riglet Park at Bear Mountain sports mini-jumps and terrain features for young riders.
Snow Summit is known as a more family friendly resort as they feature a Family Park of easy runs where only slow riding and skiing is allowed, and patrons are reminded with signs and a looped announcement on a loud speaker to maintain slow speeds. The atmosphere at the base area of Snow Summit is more relaxed and less crowded and more spread out than at Bear Mountain, though Snow Summit requires a lot of walking to get around with restaurants and bars that must be accessed by seemingly endless flights of stairs, which can be difficult to maneuver in bulky ski boots, carrying skis and poles, and assisting children with all their gear.
Snow Summit also has night skiing, 3 to 9:30 pm, which is an exciting and magical experience, especially when snow is blowing and the mountain resembles a winter wonderland.
Big Bear resorts have four beginner chair lifts and six magic carpets for learners.
Lift ticket prices vary throughout the season, and some special deals are available when booked 48 hours in advance. The Cali4nia Pass offers all-season use for Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, Mammoth and June Mountain and includes deals on lessons, rental discounts and other perks.
Both resorts generally have the same amount of snow, which is usually manmade from the water of Big Bear Lake. The season often goes into March. Any time during the season, reservations are a smart idea, as only a limited number of tickets are sold to keep the slopes from getting overly crowded.
Likewise with overnight accommodations, it is advisable to book well in advance. Big Bear Vacations features a wide array of properties of all sizes and amenities, from luxurious, well-appointed homes to rustic cozy cabins. The management is very friendly and can make recommendations on all there is to do, besides ski and snowboard, including year-round activities.
Big Bear Vacations has a variety of accommodations from luxury homes to quaint cabins.
If you have any energy left at the end of a day on the slopes, there is plenty to do in town. The adorable Big Bear Lake Village has a number of restaurants and gift shops, the latter which sell every form of trinket and souvenir resembling a bear, and the town even has Vons and Stater Bros grocery stores for those who are staying a while and plenty of ski shops and even a Big 5 Sports with reasonable prices on ski and snowboard equipment and apparel.
Big Bear Lake Village has 120 shops and restaurants, with plenty of bear-themed souvenirs.
Before you head up the mountain, check the road conditions. Chains are required on roads in higher elevations — even if they are not installed on your tires you must carry them in your vehicle.
K. Pearson Brown is vice president of PMBC Group tech PR firm in Beverly Hills and a freelance writer and contributor to several magazines, sites, and blogs including L.A. Parent, CBS OnTopic, WIRED Insights, Parenthood, Dwellable, andOut with Mommy (family travel). Plus she can be heard as a commentator on KPCC-FM in Los Angeles.