Since Learning to Ride in Big Bear, Olympian Shaun White Goes Gold

If you didn’t catch yesterday’s Olympic highlights from Vancouver, Shaun White took gold again in the snowboarding half-pipe and, what you might enjoy knowing is that the gold medalist from San Diego started his snowboarding adventure right here in Big Bear when he was just six years old, though he started on skis at age four. Big Bear Mountain Resorts tell us that once White, now 23, began competing at age seven, he advanced so quickly that USASA placed him with riders almost twice his age in his earliest competitions. By age 13, White was riding professionally. For more on his story, and ties to Big Bear, NBC television is scheduled to air a segment on White during this evening’s 6pm newscast on channel 4.

At 57″ and Counting, January 2010 Snow Totals Are Over Four Times the Average

This last series of storms–which prompted a local state of emergency given the dumping of five feet of snow–has now been ranked as comparable to the legendary winter of 1969, though resources in 2010 have allowed the Big Bear Valley to be better equipped to deal with such extreme circumstances. But, in terms of snow totals, it should be noted that for an average year, snow accumulation tends to amount to 62” (or just over five feet) for an entire winter season, with a to-date average of about 32”, per KBHR’s weatherman Ben Brissey. Given the additional two inches or so of snow we received on Tuesday, our annual total is now at roughly 88” this season! An average January snowfall tends to be about 14”, whereas January 2010 will surely make history with 57” of snow—so far. Lake levels for Big Bear Lake have come up nearly a foot since our series of storms began on January 17. To view a number of storm photos submitted by KBHR listeners, visit our “Big Bear’s Epic Snow Storm” collage on YouTube.

Pow! Longtime Local Dick Kun Compares Our Recent Snowstorms to the Legendary Winter of 1969

Big Bear Lake, CA — Longtime Big Bear resident Dick Kun has been watching the snow fall for over 60 seasons and, as president of Big Bear Mountain Resorts, he’s become an expert on snow in the Big Bear Valley. He says that this last series of storms, which included four fronts over the course of a week, is as intense as the legendary storm of 1969, though we are better equipped to deal with five feet of snow, now, 40some years later. “This is the biggest and deepest amount of snow we’ve had since January/February 1969,” Kun tells KBHR. “Then we had at least as much snow as we have now, but with torrential rains, then more snow after that back in ’69, it compounded it, and a lot of roofs caved in. The roads and the town were much more cut off and isolated, so it was much worse than now. There were less resources to deal with it, and the power was out much longer. We had a whole day of digging out at Snow Summit, when we had just one chairlift and it was buried. We had to dig out the terminal so the chairs could go around, and there was probably another foot or two than we have now.”
As for the January 2010 episode of epic snowfall, Kun says, “What’s really unique about this one is how much snow we got in just a few days. This pattern is the most similar to ’69. This one is unique in how much fell in such a short amount of time; this is the most intense because you can think of it as one storm, even though it was four fronts that came through. There may be some drifts up to seven feet, but we got about five feet of snow.”
There have been other years with plenty of snow, but Kun points out that these were El Niño years, in 1973, ’79, ’83 and ’98 when, he adds, “These were big snow years that started early and went all season long, but no crippling storms.” Whereas, in 1969, it “came on like gangbusters,” he says, and went into April. He even notes a story of a half-dozen Boy Scouts who were taking a trip from Fawnskin to Green Valley and went missing, not to be found until spring.
Though the benefit of our current snowfall is that Snow Summit and Bear Mountain resorts will probably not have to make much more snow, if any, for the duration of the ski season, Kun says that this epic storm cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars, not just in snow removal efforts (on the lifts, parking lots and facilities, as well as overtime), but in lost revenue due to road closures. “On Monday,” he says, “we closed Bear because we had 1,700 skiers, whereas we would have normally had 4,000, and today is worse, with the confusion about road closures. We would have had 5,000 today, but the enthusiasm this has created may allow us to catch up in the next couple weeks.”

Big Bear Valley in Recovery from Epic Storm; Monday Morning Update on Power, Roads, Schools, Mail, Emergency Shelter

Big Bear Valley, CA — Last week’s storms were epic, in that we received five feet of snow in the Big Bear Valley, prompting a state of emergency to be declared by the County of San Bernardino. Though we had a beautiful, sunny weekend, many of us (if not most of us) have gone hours or even days without power, phone, cable, Internet, water and transportation.
In terms of power outages, which have affected the Big Bear Valley since last Monday, Bear Valley Electric has been restoring electric service block by block, area by area, and, as of yesterday, has the mutual aid assistance of crews from Southern California Edison, which were dispatched from Victorville at 6am Sunday morning, and, five hours later, given poor road conditions and heavy traffic congestion [see photo below], arrived here in the Big Bear Valley. After a week of high winds, heavy rains, intense snowfall, and countless downed trees and power lines, many neighborhoods are still without power. Though crews have been working round the clock, as of the latest from Bear Valley Electric’s Operations Manager Ken Markling, the following are still without electric service: a section of lower Moonridge, a portion of Boulder Bay, a section of Knickerbocker Road, part of Brownie Lane, Red Ant Hill near Edgemoor Road, and some other, smaller outages. Per Markling last night, “The list of outages is getting smaller, and they will stay on it until we get it done.” Road conditions, congestion and deep snow are hampering efforts to restore power to all customers quickly. (Update on power outages as of noon: Per Operations Supervisor John Dykesten, the Brownie Lane area had power restored Sunday night. As of noon, crews are working at the following: Moonridge, Boulder Bay, 800 block of Knickerbocker Road in Big Bear Lake. BVES will next release a crew to the Red Ant Hill area. Isolated power outages are still taking place in portions of Big Bear City and the Whispering Forest area. Dykesten asks that customers not put themselves in harm’s way by entering crews’ work area; also, please know that  BVES crews have been working non-stop and please allow them to continue doing so, by addressing questions to BVES at 866-4678, rather than their employees in the field. Thank you.) Emergency personnel from CalFire arrived on Saturday afternoon, to assist the Big Bear Valley in the clearing of roads and the removal of downed trees. We are also told that Bear Mountain Resort has allowed fire personnel to use their snowmobiles to give firefighters access to areas in need. And, just another note regarding utilities, residents should be sure that gas vents are cleared, to eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Heating and cooking equipment are potential sources of carbon monoxide, as are vehicles and generators in enclosed spaces.
There is no school for Bear Valley Unified School District students today, so this makes for a third consecutive snow day here in the Big Bear Valley. School district personnel will determine snow days on a day-by-day basis, and will make their decision to hold school if streets are clear enough to allow for the safe passage of school buses. Update: No school on Tuesday, as BVUSD has called another Snow Day for January 26.
In the meantime, Big Bear Middle School continues to operate as an emergency shelter, since opening to the public on Friday evening. We are told that as many as 60 people spent the night at the shelter over the weekend; the shelter is staffed by volunteers and Red Cross personnel, and provides basic provisions and refreshments, as well as cots and blankets. Big Bear Middle School will remain open as an emergency shelter, and is located at 41275 Big Bear Boulevard in Big Bear Lake; the western entrance at Jeffries Road is open.
On Saturday, the California Highway Patrol led an emergency convoy up the mountain, with trucks providing food and fuel. Per Big Bear Lake City Manager Jeff Mathieu, more fuel is coming to the Big Bear Valley today. (For those bermed in, local markets are open and have food. So, in addition to supermarkets Vons and Stater Bros., groceries are available today at Easy’s General Store in Sugarloaf, Community Market in Big Bear City, and Sol Food Market in the Alpine Center in Big Bear Lake.)
Given road conditions and the CalTrans-issued restriction to buses and trucks on mountain roads), we have not received mail delivery from off the mountain since Wednesday, however all local post offices will be open today.
And, as for our roads, they do remain under an R2 chain requirement, meaning that all two-wheel drive vehicles must have chains on; four-wheel drives with snow tires on all four wheels are required to carry chains. At this time [9am Monday], Highway 38 is closed to downbound traffic, and only residents with proof of Big Bear Valley or Angelus Oaks residency will be allowed up the mountain. Both portions of Highway 18, both the front way and eastbound to the desert, are open to downbound traffic. However, upbound travel on both portions of Highway 18 will only be allowed to Big Bear Valley residents, so be sure to carry proof of residency. (This information will be updated on the KBHR Big Bear Road Conditions page as it changes, but will first be broadcast on 93.3 FM so stay tuned.) Many local roads are treacherous, so proceed with caution, especially as berms have created blind intersections and many residential streets have only been plowed enough to allow one vehicle at a time. Crews continue to work round the clock on snow removal—be it the City of Big Bear Lake’s Public Works crews, County snowplows and subcontractors in non-incorporated portions of the Big Bear Valley, and CalTrans crews on our state highways. The first priority for snow plowing is to allow for the safe passage of emergency vehicles on major roads, plowing of secondary streets follows, and then berm reduction.
Community notices and cancellations
MARTA is running limited fixed bus route transportation services today, from the Village in Big Bear Lake to the Sugarloaf Fire Station and Erwin Lake; Dial-a-Ride and off-the-mountain buses are also running, per the MARTA website.
The Big Bear Senior Center is closed, so no food distribution this afternoon (at center or at Community Church by the Lake) and tonight’s Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District Advisory Commission meeting has been canceled. This afternoon’s free H1N1 flu vaccine clinic will be rescheduled. Rec and Park has also canceled basketball for this evening.
Bear Mountain is closed today, though Snow Summit is open will honor lift tickets and Bear Mountain-only passes.
The City Council of Big Bear Lake is still planning to hold their regular meeting at 6:30pm this evening in Hofert Hall.
The Board of Commissioners of the Department of Water and Power will not hold their regular Tuesday meeting on Tuesday.
The Amgen Tour of California volunteer luncheon for this week will be rescheduled for early February.
The Big Bear zoo received ample community support yesterday, so the “pathway crisis” has been solved, the animals have food and water, and the Friends of the Moonridge Zoo thank volunteers for their assistance.
Lutheran Social Services has canceled all classes this week, through January 29. The LSS office will be open daily, weather permitting; call ahead for information at 866-5070.
The County’s Food Handler Testing opportunity, to have taken place at the Rec and Park offices on Wednesday, has been canceled.

Paula Fashempour Assumes MWD Presidency, Making Her First Woman to Do So in District’s 45-Year History

The Big Bear Municipal Water District’s appointment of Division 2 Director Paula Fashempour as president is history-making as, per General Manager Scott Heule, “She is the first woman to be president for the district in 45 years, which is an exciting thing. Paula will bring a unique perspective to the presidency, as would any new president.” Though Fashempour is the MWD’s first female president, she is not the first female director to serve on the board that also includes Vice President Skip Suhay, John Eminger, Vince Smith and Todd Murphy; and, in fact, prior to Heule’s appointment as GM in 2007, 21-year MWD employee Sheila Hamilton had been general manager of the agency which oversees the lake.
Heule tells KBHR that the January 7 board reorganization meeting was upbeat, and also included some fee modifications for the 2010 boating season. Among those changes, the daily use fee for non-motorized vessels, including sailboats under 8’, has been reduced to $15 (which includes the $5 Quagga Protection Surcharge, first imposed by the district in 2009, to recover costs associated with keeping the invasive Quagga Mussel from infecting Big Bear Lake). Though the daily use fee for Big Bear Lake has been reduced, the district moved to increase the permit fees for film production, from $150 to $170, and still photography permits, noting that this is consistent with fees charged by the City of Big Bear Lake; a utility fee, of less than $3 per day, is also being implemented at the MWD’s RV park (just west of their offices) which, per Heule, should help the MWD recover about $10,000 annually.
And as, during this season of board reorganizations, we have outlined benefits for those serving in elected positions: MWD Directors receive $140.70 per meeting (not to exceed six in a month), as well as medical and dental benefits and, like City Councilmembers, a life insurance policy.

Local Journalist Roger Beck Succumbs to Ravages of Age, Per His Self-Written Obituary

“Roger Beck, prominent local journalist and public relations counselor, has died. He was 88 years old. According to his widow, Barbara, Beck succumbed to the ravages of age.” This is per the obituary that Roger Beck had written for himself this past year and, as wife Barbara tells KBHR, he passed away on Tuesday afternoon December 15, at home listening to his favorite music while granddaughter Brittany was reading him the sports page. Beck had been a journalist for The South Bay Daily Breeze and the Associated Press, as well as being on the founding staff of The Los Angeles Mirror. Per his self-written obituary, “In 1990, he went into semi-retirement and relocated to Big Bear City, where he went to work at The Grizzly as a featured writer and columnist. His last job was as a featured writer for the Chino Champion, ending in 2004. After moving to Big Bear City, Roger and his wife, Barbara, were among the first couples to establish the B’nai Big Bear group. While in Big Bear, Roger was appointed to two terms as a commissioner for the local Parks & Rec Board. His passion at that time was to resurface the tennis courts, and that was completed during his term with the assistance of other commissioners.” Funeral services for Beck, who also served on the Old Miners’ Association Board, will be held at Mt. Sinai in Hollywood Hills on Friday, December 18 at 2pm; a memorial service will be held later in Big Bear City. Beck is survived by wife Barbara, a director for the Big Bear City Community Services District, as well as brother Murray, son Mark, daughter Andrea, stepson David, and grandchildren Brittany, Jeorgea, Zachary, Harry, Daniel and John.

50+ Years on the Slopes: Recreation and Park District Offers Ski and Snowboard Program in January

Sign-ups are now underway for the decades-long tradition of ski school lessons through the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District. The program has evolved over the years since being established by Norm Bachelor and Ed Hole in the early 1950s, and though snowboard school is also offered these days, the popular felt Bs, introduced by Rec and Park’s Jim McDill, are no longer used to rank student achievement. Alumni of North Shore Elementary, prior to 1978 (and Proposition 13), likely remember when busloads of students as young as kindergartners would gather their ski equipment, kept in the round school’s closets, to enjoy P.E. in the form of ski lessons on the slopes at Snow Summit and Goldmine. The season-long program would allow students the opportunity to achieve advancing levels of the B, from white beginners, then on to green, blue, yellow, orange and, the ultimate achievement, red; these Bs were then sewn on ski jackets and proudly displayed. As the current ski and board program is now offered on a weekly basis (in two sessions, starting on January 4 and January 15), the Recreation and Park District now offers three levels of chevrons, rather than five levels of B, as of last season. As explained by the district’s Recreation Superintendent Glenn Jacklin, “We changed it to the three chevron system since we only have a week-long program. The three colors—now green, blue and black—correspond to the ability levels that are color-coded on the slopes.” A new tradition may be in the making, as Big Bear’s young skiers and riders hit the slopes at Snow Summit, in hopes of achieving the black chevron, entitling them to ski on the black diamond runs. The cost to participate in the program, no longer offered as a P.E. class through Bear Valley Unified, is $60 per student, with discounts offered for second signup, whether it be for a sibling or a second session. Parents are asked to complete paperwork at the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District offices, located at the west end of Park Avenue in Big Bear Lake, at least one week prior to lessons which, again, start on January 4 and then on January 15. For more information, call 866-9700.

Boat Launch Ramps Closed for Season to Allow for American Bald Eagle Habitat

December is for the birds—at least insomuch as the Municipal Water District’s boat launch ramps are concerned. As of today, December 1, and through March 31, both the Carol Morrison East Boat Launch Ramp, on the North Shore at Stanfield Cutoff, and the Duane Boyer West Boat Launch Ramp, just west of Fawnskin, on Big Bear Lake are closed to boats and vehicles, per an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, which designates these areas as a sensitive eagle habitat. During the winter months, American Bald Eagles come to Big Bear, as lakes within the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains are along the Pacific Migratory Flyway for millions of ducks, which are food for the eagles. The U.S. Forest Service conducts eagle counts in the Big Bear Valley during the winter months, as they have done since 1978, and last winter season’s final count resulted in five eagles for our area. In the 1983/84 season, as many as 28 eagles were spotted in the Big Bear Lake and Baldwin Lake areas.

City of Big Bear Lake Reconsiders Friendship and Sister Cities Alliances; Families in Favor of Continuing 25-Year Relationship With Abtenau, Austria

The City of Big Bear Lake forged international friendships back in 1984, under then-Mayor John Eminger, aligning with Rosarito Beach, Mexico as our official Friendship City and Abtenau, Austria as our Sister City. Though interactions with Rosarito Beach have been limited in recent years, our Sister City in Abtenau has participated in a summer student study exchange program, which dates back to 1989, when the Snow Summit Junior Race Team first visited Abtenau to participate in a friendly Sister City Olympics. Group coordinator Linda Reinik says that, in the past 20 years, 110 youth from the Big Bear Valley, generally ages 11-14, have participated in the exchange program, adding that these “little ambassadors” included 15 Big Bear Middle School students who spent three weeks in Austria this past July.
However, as the City has not been involved in these partnerships in recent years, the City Council on November 23 entered into a discussion to review whether it was prudent to continue paying the $250 annual dues to the Sister City program and, if so, would efforts better serve our community by partnering with a city that would potentially bolster the economy, or further the establishment of Big Bear Lake as an outdoor sports enthusiast mecca.

This consideration was met with concern with those involved in the Abtenau exchange, and as former Mayor Eminger, one of seven to speak on behalf of the program, said to Council, “I can’t believe we’d even think about dissolving this partnership. It’s a good project, it’s really international.” Parent and teacher Scott Waner, who’s had two daughters participate in the exchange, noted that the exposure to a variety of cultures is important not just for those who get to travel, but for those with whom they share their experiences back in Big Bear. To that end, he encouraged Council to “think globally, act locally.” Parent Michael Natzic cited the Lighthouse Project and their local efforts to foster a child-honoring community, saying that’s what the Abtenau program provides, adding, “This program’s become part of our heritage here in Big Bear.”
Current Mayor Rick Herrick responded, “It’s not the $250 that’s at issue. I’d like to see the program more inclusive.” Councilmember Liz Harris seconded that point, noting that during her time as mayor, she had not been invited to participate in the Abtenau relationship. “I would like the program to continue,” she said, “but I would like the relationship to be different. I would like there to be a relationship with the City of Big Bear Lake.”
Current participation in the Abtenau program, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in the spring, has not been advertised or open to all interested families. As Reinik tells KBHR, a selection committee asks for student recommendations from local teachers, coaches, clergymen and scout leaders, to match those students, in age, gender and interests, selected from Abtenau. She adds that it is also a family selection, since exchange buddies stay in each other’s homes on alternating summers. “Abtenau does the initial selection,” she says, “because they are smaller, then we match. Abtenau dictates the size of the group.”

The selection process, and all other aspects of the Sister and Friendship Cities programs, will be reviewed by an ad hoc City Council committee, which Mayor Herrick established in response to the November 23 discussion. He appointed himself, a coordinator for the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange, and Harris, a former educator and past participant in exchange programs off the mountain, to serve on this committee and, in the interim, agreed that program dues would be paid by Big Bear Lake. He noted that he would like to ensure an open application process for Big Bear Lake children to apply for the Abtenau exchange and, he said, “Make it clear that it’s not just a name on a sign, but that it means something to us.”
However, as family participant Theresa Reagan-Blood told Council, “It’s important in Big Bear. We are ‘America’ to Abtenau.”

Forest Service Rounds Up 50 Burros in Shay Meadows Area in Recent Weeks

Big Bear Valley’s burro population boomed in the 1990s, likely the result of the since-discontinued Old Miners’ Days burro races; following the days long race, burros would be released around Baldwin Lake and, over time, a herd of burros built up in that area. The U.S. Forest Service responded in 1997, and rounded up 90 wild burros and placed them in the Bureau of Land Management’s wild burro adoption program that operates from Ridgecrest and offers the burros to individuals and groups able to provide humane, long-term care for the animals. In mid-October of this year, the U.S. Forest Service began another burro roundup, the first in 12 years, to mitigate the influx of burros in the Shay Meadows area, as the animals have done damage to residential landscaping while also putting themselves in harm’s way, by venturing onto the highway. To secure the burros for transport to Ridgecrest, biologists with the San Bernardino National Forest are using a corral trap in Shay Meadows, which draws the burros in given the food and water provided. As of Friday, November 20, 50 burros had been rounded up and transported to the BLM adoption site. When this project started, it was estimated that 51 burros were in the area though now, as Forest Service Biologist Robin Eliason tells KBHR, “We know that there are some more, somewhere between eight and 10, still hanging around Shay Meadows. It’s getting harder to trap them because there are fewer of them, and they seem to be a little more wild. It’s not our intention to catch them all—we want some still out in the forest. We just want to get the ones that are hanging out in the residential areas and close to the highway.” Valley residents and visitors are reminded to secure trash cans, and do not leave food or water for the burros; if they approach, it is recommended that you gently chase them away. Eliason notes that once we get a good snow, the remaining burros will likely head down slope toward the desert but, she adds, “We are going to leave the burro trap set up this week, through Thanksgiving weekend, and then will reassess at that point.”

« Previous Page — Next Page »