Spring in Big Bear

Last week, sunbathing by Big Bear Lake.  This week, more snow and cold temperatures, several inches of powder on the ski slopes.  Big Bear’s four seasons, all in one week!

Grenade Games at Bear Mountain this Weekend

Big Bear, Ca March 25, 2011 3:00 pm – Bear Mountain is hosting this weekend’s Grenade Games, a snowboard competition and party, that the resort calls “the biggest event of the year”.  Produced by Grenade Gloves’ Danny Kass, a 2-time Olympic Silver Medalist, the Games include live music events, VIP after parties, industry celebrities, as well as the outdoor competition.  In a special message on the Grenade Gloves website, Danny Kass said, “We’re finishing off the first day, Saturday on hill with the Nike Chinese Downhill.  600 people start, one person wins.  It’s going to be insane!”  For the full schedule of this weekend’s Grenade Games, starting Saturday at 10:00 am at Bear Mountain Resort, go to the Grenade Games 7 page on Facebook.

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Still Plenty of Snow in Big Bear

Big Bear, Ca March 12, 2011 12:00 pm – While the Big Bear Valley is enjoying spring-like temperatures and clear days, there is still plenty of snow on the mountain slopes.  Now is the time for special discounts offered by the resorts.  Today only, ski and snowboard enthusiasts can get up to $13 off tickets for tomorrow’s Super Sunday on the Snow.  The tickets must be purchased online to receive the discount.  Also available are Screamin’ Deal season passes, good for the rest of this year and all of next year’s snow season too.  This pass can be used at tonight’s final night session at Snow Summit.  There are races and events planned at both resorts through the end of March and into April.  With 3 to 5 feet of snow still on the slopes, there is time to enjoy good snowboarding and skiing in Big Bear.

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Night Ski Sessions Ending Soon; Screamin Deal Season Pass Now Available

Big Bear, Ca, March 4, 2011, 12:00pm - Tonight is the last Friday Night session at Snow Summit.  Enjoy the slopes under the lights with friends and family.  There are only two Saturday Night Sessions left at Summit, which will be this Saturday March 5^th, and Saturday March 12^th.  Head over to Summit and while you are there get your Screamin Deal Season Pass.  The Screamin Deal allows you to buy your season pass, and enjoy the slopes this year, and next year’s ski season!  Some passes pay for themselves in as little as five visits. The Dual Mountain pass gives you access to 26 lifts, 55 runs and more than 438 skiable acres. Just grab your pass and head straight for the lifts. To buy your Screamin Deal Season Pass head over to Snow Summit, or go online at BigBearMountainResorts.com.  The Screamin’ Deal Season Pass goes on sale March 7, 2011.

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11 Year Old Drayden Gardner Heads to USASA Nationals For 4th Time

Big Bear, Ca, March 2, 2011, 4:00pm - Eleven-year-old Drayden Gardner will be competing at the United States of America Snowboarding Association’s Nationals this April, and needs your help to get there.  National’s will be held April 1^st to April 9^th in Copper Mountain, Colorado.  This will be Drayden’s 4^th time at Nationals, where the past three years, he has placed in the top 10, and this year hopes to make the podium.  Drayden who has been snowboarding since the age of 2, competes in the half pipe, slalom, giant slalom, slope style and boarder cross.  His favorite competitions are slope style and the half pipe, where he can do tricks such as the front side 540 cork where he completes a 540 degree turn while rotating in a cork screw manner.  While Drayden has many product sponsors, he is in need of financial sponsorship to get him to nationals.  To help out, or for more information, call mother Holly Gardner at 909- 261-2486. 

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USARC Ski-A-Thon Two Weeks Away

Big Bear, Ca, February 23, 2011, 8:00am - The 2011 USARC Ski-A-Thon is less than two weeks away on Saturday, March 5 and there is still plenty of time for you to register and participate. The event supports the life-changing programming of the U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center.  Participation includes a full-day lift ticket to Bear Mountain (with priceless line-cutting privileges,) t-shirt, “survival kit”, lunch, ski party, entertainment, and raffle. You can register and obtain sponsorships using the Ski-A-Thon page at Firstgiving.com.  The website also enables you to forward your registration web page to all your potential sponsors who can easily and securely make online donations in your name. Call the USARC at 909-584-0269 for more information, especially if you are an adaptive skier needing instruction or equipment.

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US Adaptive Recreation Center Holds 2011 Skiathon

Big Bear, Ca, February 8, 2011, 8:00am - Skiers and snowboarders can spend a day on the slopes, never wait in a lift line, enjoy a complimentary lunch, have chances to win great prizes, celebrate at an after-ski party with silent auction and entertainment, and do it all to support children and adults with disabilities.  They achieve this by participating in the 2011 Ski-A-Thon, returning to Bear Mountain Resort on Saturday, March 5, 2011. The event is “free” for skiers and snowboarders whose entry fee is covered by donations made in their name. This FUNdraising day on the slopes enables winter sports enthusiasts to generate much needed resources for the United States Adaptive Recreation Center (USARC,) the non-profit organization that has provided adaptive recreation programs for over twenty years.  Located at Bear Mountain, the USARC is an independent organization dedicated to the belief that success in challenging outdoor experiences not only brings a necessary and healthy  component to the lives of those with disabilities, but that the resulting self-confidence can be transferred to other aspects of their lives.  Proceeds from the Ski-A-Thon are used to purchase specialized ski equipment, train hundreds of volunteers, and subsidize the cost of providing one-on-one private lessons to Southern California’s disabled community. Donors can deduct pledges on their taxes.  For more information about the Ski-A-Thon, and to get involved, go to usarc.org or call the USARC at 909-584-0269.

Big Bear Youth Drayden Gardner and Dusty Henricksen Score on Skating Circuit, While Toby Miller Trains in Snowboarding’s Project Gold

Big Bear Valley, CA — The Big Bear Valley is home to a number of young superstars. While 13-year-old Jordan Romero was making his way to the peak of Mt. Everest, 10-year-old Drayden Gardner and seven-year-old Dustin Henricksen segued from snowboarding competitions to making their mark on the skateboarding circuit, competing in California Amateur Skateboard League events. Earlier this month, Gardner received a trophy for his fourth place finish in the Vans Skate Park CASL Street Competition, earning him a place in July’s California State Games, a statewide sports festival that is a grass roots program of the United States Olympic Committee, per his mom Holly (McDonald) Gardner, who notes that Drayden will compete in streetstyle, mini-ramp and pool riding disciplines. Henricksen, a first grader at Baldwin Lane, also earned a fourth place ranking in the Vans Skate Park Bowl Competition and will join Gardner at the next CASL competition on June 19 at the Fontana Skate Park prior to the State Games festival in July. The two had competed in the USASA Nationals at Copper Mountain, Colorado in April, where 10-year-old Toby Miller, a fourth-generation Big Bear local, won a national snowboarding title for his age group. Given this impressive finish, Miller, who has recently been training in Tahoe, has been invited to train with the U.S. snowboarding coaches (including Olympian Shaun White’s coach) on Mammoth Mountain this week in the exclusive Project Gold program; this invitational opportunity trains the country’s top juniors in preparation for snowboarding competition in the Olympics.

Big Bear Mountain Resorts Wrap an Epic Ski Season–Unless This Week’s Storm Brings More Snow

Big Bear Lake, CA — Our season on the slopes has come to a close—unless we get more snowfall. After nearly six months and over 12 feet of snow, Big Bear Mountain Resorts have wrapped this ski and snowboarding season as of yesterday’s final session at Snow Summit. However, given the possibility of additional snowfall later this week, Snow Summit may re-open for the weekend should we get another substantial snow. Though, should this be the end, Big Bear Mountain Resorts say that this winter season is going down as one of the best in Big Bear’s history. Season passes for next winter are on sale, and “screamin’ deal” discounts are in effect through the end of May; visit BigBearMountainResorts.com for more information.
Update as of April 28: It’s official, Snow Summit Resort is closed for the season and will not re-open for the weekend. The scenic sky chair at Summit will be open for the summer season, starting Friday, May 21 for the Amgen Tour of California which finishes at Snow Summit, and will remain open on weekends leading into the summer months. The Bear Mountain Golf Course is expected to open May 21 as well.

Open Since October, Bear Mountain Resort Closes for the Season; Skiing and Snowboarding Continue at Snow Summit Through April 25

Big Bear Lake, CA — As of today (Monday, April 19), Bear Mountain Resort is closed for the ski and snowboarding season, which began back in October. Snow Summit will continue to be open today and every day through Sunday, April 25; Bear Mountain-only passes will be honored at Summit, which is in operation each day from 8:30am to 4pm. Season passes for both mountains are currently on sale for the 2010/2011 season, with “screamin’ deal” discounts offered through May 31. For more information, visit SnowSummit.com, or call 909/866-5766. (For background on the incredible powder we received this season, and in years past, check out our story titled ‘Pow! Longtime Local Dick Kun Compares Our Recent Snowstorms to the Legendary Winter of 1969.’ All told, we have received 119 inches of snow in the Big Bear Valley since November 13, though totals are easily over 10 feet for the resorts, which are at a higher elevation.)

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