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Bear Mountain, formerly known as the Moonridge Ski Area (1943–1969), Goldmine Mountain (1970–1987), and Big Bear Mountain (1988–2001) is a ski area originally established in 1941 in the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California, United States. It is located in the city of Big Bear Lake, approximately 2.4 miles east of Snow Summit and 14.8 miles east from Snow Valley. Together, the three ski areas are known as Big Bear Mountain Resort, which is part of Alterra Mountain Company.
| 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 | 198 acres (80 ha)[1] |
| Trails | 26 total  15% beginner  15% low intermediate 40% intermediate  30% advanced[1] |
| Longest run | Geronimo 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Lift system | 7 |
| Lift capacity | 16,590 skiers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 13 |
| Snowfall | 100 in (250 cm) |
| Snowmaking | Yes, 100% |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | http://www.bigbearmountainresort.com/ |
Resort
editBear Mountain (base: 7,140 feet, peak: 8,805 feet) has three main peaks – Bear Peak, Silver Mountain, and Goldmine Mountain – that receive an average of 100 inches (250 cm) of natural snowfall during the winter. Like many North American ski resorts, the mountain relies on artificial snowmaking during the early part of the ski and snowboard season until the natural snowfall arrives. Known for its youthful atmosphere and progressive terrain, Bear Mountain established the first freestyle terrain park in North America (Outlaw, 1992) and is home to the largest learning areas, highest lift-served peak (Geronimo, 8,805 feet), and only halfpipes in Southern California.
In 1988, the ski area was acquired by S-K-I Limited and renamed Big Bear Mountain. The mountain was sold again in 1995 to Fibreboard Corp. and 1996 to Booth Creek, Inc. In 2002, Snow Summit acquired Big Bear Mountain and changed its name to Bear Mountain. In 2014, both ski areas were bought by Mammoth Resorts (owned by Starwood Capital Group) for $38 million[2] to pair with Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain. The following year, management and operations of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit were consolidated under the Big Bear Mountain Resort brand with each mountain retaining its own identity. In 2017, Starwood announced the sale of Mammoth Resorts to a partnership lead by 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.