Big Bear Lake, CA — With snow likely in the coming week, weekend athletes may want to step into some snowshoes to gear up for the third round of Snowshoe the Bear, which returns to the Village of Big Bear Lake and surrounding trails of the San Bernardino National Forest on Saturday, February 6. The family-friendly event features 5K and 10K snowshoe races, as well as a free kids snowshoe, and per event co-organizer Paul Romero, “Snowshoeing is a great sport that everyone can do. The 5K course is a great start for first-timers, kids and families, while the 10K course will challenge every level or athlete. It’s really about getting out, having fun and enjoying the great outdoors in the snow.” The February 6 event gets underway at 10am, and will also feature live music, exhibit booths, product-sponsor giveaways and pre- and post-race activities. Participants will need to provide their own snowshoes for the third annual Snowshoe the Bear, though local sporting goods stores including Equada Outfitters, Goldsmith’s Boardhouse and Bear Valley Bikes will have them available to rent. As with last year’s Snowshoe the Bear, it will be the first race in the Conquer the Bear series, which also includes challenges in mountain biking, running and kayaking over the course of the year. For more information on the Conquer the Bear series, which features two levels this year, reigning 1st and 2nd place Conquerers Heather and Ted Devito will present an informational meeting on Monday, January 18; the 7pm meeting at the Mountain Fitness Center, located at 42007 Fox Farm Road in Big Bear Lake, will also outline a Mountain Sports Academy for those who plan to train for both Snowshoe the Bear and the Conquer the Bear series.
Update: Given Monday’s weather and power outage, the Conquer the Bear informational meeting will instead be held on Thursday, January 28; time and place remain the same.
