Bear Mountain (ski area)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
| Bear Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Big Bear Lake, California | |
  Bear Mountain Location in California  Bear Mountain Bear Mountain (the United States) | |
| Location | Bear Mountain San Bernardino National Forest |
| Nearest major city | Big Bear Lake, California |
| Coordinates | 34°13′36″N 116°51′37″W / 34.2267°N 116.8602°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Alterra Mountain Company |
| Vertical | 1,665 ft (507 m) |
| Top elevation | 8,805 ft (2,684 m) |
| Base elevation | 7,140 ft (2,180 m) |
| Skiable area | 748 acres (303 ha)[1] |
| Trails | 62 total  15% beginner  15% low intermediate 40% intermediate  30% advanced[1] |
| Longest run | Geronimo 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Lift system | 12 lifts: 3 quad chairlifts, 2 triple chairs, 4 double chairs, 3 surface lifts |
| Lift capacity | 16,590 skiers/hr |
| Snowfall | 100 in (250 cm) |
| Snowmaking | Yes, 100% |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | http://www.bearmountain.com/ |
Bear Mountain, formerly Goldmine Mountain, is a ski area established in 1969, in the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California, United States. It is located by Big Bear Lake, two miles from its sister mountain, Snow Summit. These two ski areas operate under the same management and are collectively known as Big Bear Mountain Resort. The resort is part of Alterra Mountain Company.
Resort
[edit]Bear Mountain comprises three main peaks: Bear Peak, Silver Mountain and Goldmine Mountain. With an average of 100 inches (250 cm) of natural snowfall, the mountain relies heavily on artificial snowmaking, as do nearly all other ski resorts in Southern California. Since establishing the first freestyle park in the early 1990s, Bear Mountain has been a leading innovator in freestyle ski and snowboarding, along with terrain park building. The mountain contains one of the few superpipes in Southern California and, given sufficient natural snow, its tree runs are open for skiing and snowboarding, unlike those at Snow Summit. Even territory normally "out of bounds" from Chair 8 has opened after heavy snow.
For decades, Snow Summit and Goldmine mountain operated independently, as fierce rivals. In 1988, the S.K.I. ski area operating company bought Goldmine, changing its name to Bear Mountain. In 2002, Snow Summit purchased Bear Mountain and developed Big Bear Mountain Resorts, allowing skiers and snowboarders to use a single ticket at both resorts. Snow Summit's Richard "Dick" Kun led the move to focus Bear Mountain on snowboarders, to draw them away from Snow Summit and thereby attune it once more to the culture of the dedicated skier and families. Bear Mountain acquired the nickname "The Park" because most of it comprises irregular terrain.
In 2014, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (owned by Starwood Capital Group at that time part of Mammoth Resorts) purchased Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for $38 million.[2] In 2017, Mammoth Resorts, which also included June Mountain, announced its sale by Starwood to a partnership of Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners that became Alterra Mountain Company.[3]
Bear Mountain trails
[edit]| Beginner | Intermediate | Difficult | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Curve | Accelerator | Exhibition | Geronimo |
| Easy Street | Ripcord | Rip's Run | The Wedge (moguls) |
| Amusement Park | Upper Park Run | Outlaw | |
| The Gulch | Silver Connection | Showtime | |
| Lower Park Run | Boneyard | Gambler | |
| Hidden Valley | Expressway | Grizzly | |
| Backdoors | Central Park | ||
| Inspriation | Pipeline | ||
| Outlaw's Alley | |||
| Street Scene | |||
| Park Run Face | |||
| Pipeline |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Mountain Facts". Big Bear Mountain Resorts. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ Lomax, Becky (3 October 2014). "Mammoth Buys Bear Mountain". On the Snow. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- Martin, Hugo (24 September 2014). "Mammoth Mountain owner buys Bear Mountain and Snow Summit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 January 2017. - ^ Martin, Hugo (12 April 2017). "Mammoth Resorts is being sold to a Colorado ski partnership". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- Steinberg, Jim (13 April 2017). "Bear Mountain, Snow Summit ski resorts purchased by joint venture in a 4-resort deal". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
External links
[edit]