Big Bear Blog

Growing up on the East coast, spring was not my favorite time of year. I associated it with half melted mounds of snow frozen and covered in dirt, muddy walkways and temperatures that were mostly too cold to break out anything cooler than a long-sleeve T-shirt. Even now, most mountain towns refer to spring as their Mud Season. In those towns, there seems to be a holding pattern - between the activities of winter and the actions of summer. But not in Big Bear, spring is spectacular.

The lines of winter blend with summer and a crazy, unpredictable spring emerges. Big Bear seems to be graced with the exceptional ability to escape from winter every time and spot a perfect landing for stellar days of sun. It keeps us on our toes: Not because we are wading through mud and waiting for the sun to dry us out, but because we are preparing for the unexpected and executing our plan.

In the last eight days, I carried out my plan by napping in a hammock strung in the shade of my front yard, climbing and skiing Anderson Peak in the San Gorgonio range as a spring storm rolled up the San Ana River Canyon, taking it inside on a snowy morning for a spin class at Mountain Fitness, riding some of the best resort pow of the year, catching a sunburn during a long run along the north shore, reading Tolstoy on my deck by headlamp, hiking to the top of Gray’s Peak, watching fly fishermen expertly cast in Baker Pond and cruising a favorite trail with my best mountain biking girls. 

As we prepare for another week of the unpredictable, I’m eyeing my kayak and digging out my paddle. If this is our mud season, I’ll take it each and every time!

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

We had some serious storms this winter that covered our mountain with more snow than we’re used to, but once they got a handle on the roads we got back to the business of playing. Even before people had their own walkways dug out of the snow they were out snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding and sledding with the kids. There’s still plenty of snow on the ground but warm spring temps are here and we are surely in for a beautiful season. Daylight saving time just went into effect and already the bike rides are in full swing and we’ve even had a few really good frisbee sessions. When winter hits hard, it makes our mountain more colorful in the spring and it stays pretty and green all the way through summer. We are having a super spring up here but don’t take my word for it, come on up and see for yourself. spreading the love, rev

Last Saturday B-Ray and I went out for a little day trip on snowshoes on the other end of the valley towards Sugarloaf Mountain. From my front porch we could see a small peak just below the actual top of Sugarloaf and we wanted to find out how long it would take to get there.

After packing a few safety essentials and a few beers for hydration, off we went into the forest slowly plodding towards our goal. It was a perfect day for a snowshoe outing, sunny and warm with no breeze to speak of. B-Ray and I prefer to hike off trail when there’s good snow. In no time we freestyled up a steep ridge that would lead us right to the spot we could see from my front yard. In less than two hours we stood at the crest and looked down on Highway 38 and could see my house.

It really feels like an extension of my “yard” when we can go off into the forest without packing everything into the car and driving somewhere. From the crest we took a roundabout way to head home and found ourselves on the edge of a really steep drop off.

B-Ray loves to charge hard on the way home, so we jumped off into the powder side stepping our way down the steep face until we got to the big meadow at the bottom. As we approached the clearing we heard voices through the trees. At the bottom we saw a six pack of snowshoers heading up the trail. They stood there with mouths open sporting that look of “where the hell did they come from?” They told us they were from San Diego, and had gone to the Discovery Center to get some advice. The fine folks at the Discovery Center sent them out this way. It was really cool to see people enjoying a getaway to the mountains where I call home.

Most people don’t want strangers playing in their backyard, but when your yard is as big as the San Bernardino Mountains visitors are welcome! So come on up and bring your gear, you’re welcome to play in my “yard.” It’s big enough for all of us.

spreading the love, and the mountain style hospitality,
rev

We all have ‘em, right? Sometimes it’s what keeps us focused on the big picture. My list tends to wander from complicated goals – like kayaking South America’s largest lake Lake Titicaca – to simpler projects – like competing in the Holcomb Valley Run. But it is always way cool to cross one off the list once in a while.
This past Sunday, we did: A goal that had been on the list for sometime and was only possible because of the record snow we received this year. Our objective: Hike west from the Big Bear Dam and ski one of the amazingly aesthetic chutes that tumble straight down to the Bear Creek drainage.

We found our access point about one mile south of the dam and quickly skinned to the top of the ridge. Just north of Bluff Mesa we turned right and found an easy north-east facing bowl with plenty of light pow for all of us. We quickly tracked it up, thought twice about skiing it again but opted to continue down toward the top of the steeper chutes we had been eying for so long.

Still safely on the ridge, we looked over and spied the top of the narrow throat of the open gully we wanted to ski. A note about safety: I travel in the backcountry often and always wear a beacon, carry a shovel and avalanche probe. However, the most important thing I carry is the knowledge to use all three. And as a rule, we always dig a pit to check out the conditions before we decide if it is safe to proceed or we need to turn back. After careful study and a ski cut across the top of the chute, we determined the danger was minimal and proceeded one at a time down the drainage.

With gravity on our side, conditions were challenging but fun – from light pow to carveable crust, from spring corn to deep slop. At the bottom we rested next to Bear Creek and observed an avalanche debris pile. It was surprisingly large, likely had happened in recent weeks and sat at the base of a steep gulley looker’s left of the one we had just descended. Nature has a way of keeping you on your toes and confirmed why we are always cautious when entering the backcountry.

The hike out was brutal but worth the descent and we celebrated our list item over Cadillac margaritas and massive burritos at our favorite watering hole.

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

Yes it’s true the mountain got hit hard and fast with a huge amount of snow, and there’s more on the way. It took most of us a little while to shovel out our walkways and driveways, but as soon as we made a path from the door to the street it was time to play. That’s right playtime is on!

Our biggest problem is choosing how we’re going to play and which toys to bring! Do we grab the Skiis? Snowboards? Snowshoes? Or maybe even go for a mountain bike ride?…trust me, even in the snow it’s super fun!

Now that the storms have painted our season with a thick coat of white, you can be assured of a sweet winter adventure no matter what you pull out of the toy box. It’s okay to forget your socks, gloves, beanie or warm jacket…the local retailers will appreciate your short term memory loss and you probably will want something that has Big Bear on it anyway!

spreading the winter love, rev  

If you can walk, you can snowshoe! If you can run, you can snowshoe faster! If one of your lame-ass resolutions was to try something new in 2010 then get up here for the first event of the decade and participate in Snowshoe the Bear!

This event has become a Big Bear favorite not only because it’s been so beautiful on race day in the past but because every age and athletic ability can do it. They call it a race but those of us who have been there know its more parade than competition. For sure there are some hard chargers (Ted and Heather DeVito!), but my group is more scenic strollers with brightly colored pajama’s over our winter gear and cameras at the ready anytime a break is necessary.

Get registered for Snowshoe the bear at www.openairbigbear.com. If you need snowshoes call Derek at Bear Valley Bikes a great new line of Red Feather snowshoes for rent or purchase. You can also contact Fred Goldsmith at Goldsmiths Boardhouse for the latest in Atlas Snowshoes. See you at the start!

spreading the snowshoe love, rev

All of us at Mountain Fitness Center wish you the best for the coming year and want you to know that your health is our business. We strive to keep up with the latest trends and techniques so we can provide the best workout for your particular goals.

My latest research has uncovered an amazing calorie burning workout system that works for everyone! It’s the Super Scooper 5000 fat burning machine. Statistics show that shoveling snow can burn anywhere from 300 to 500 calories an hour! Many driveways in the Big Bear area are long and some are quite steep. These driveways provide a great workout right outside your door.

You can find these incredible machines at finer hardware or department stores and they come in different shapes and sizes but like most pieces of fitness equipment just owning it doesn’t burn calories. Nor does leaning on it while chatting with next door neighbors doesn’t burn fat. You’ve got to use it to lose it!

Try this simple routine…scoop, throw left…scoop throw right…repeat as necessary. So get out there! Shovel your butts off!…literally!

Spreading the love and the fitness, rev

And ‘They’ were right! I woke up this morning to a couple of feet on the deck, a vision of a few more at resort level and a towering berm at the end of the driveway. First things first: Coffee! Then it was on to shoveling. By 7:00 a.m. I had conquered the berm just enough to get the car out of the driveway. The roads leading to Bear Mountain were a bit interesting in places! Pulling into the parking lot – everyone was smiling: Even as we formed a long queue at the bottom of Chair 9 a half hour early. This storm brought everyone out – Heather & Ted Devito, Daniel Morello and my friends Jen and Levi. 

After lapping it up on Chair 9, it seemed heading to Chair 4 was the right call. The Wedge proved awesome and from there I followed the herd to the bottom of Chair 8. Timing is everything! We were third chair loading 8 and Geronimo looked good. At the top I decided to tag along with Patrol as they checked out a few dicey areas in Deer Canyon. While Patrol doesn’t monitor the Canyon’s they do like to see what’s going on with the snow pack – and I did too. Even in So Cal we need to take heed and be careful in the backcountry!

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

Happy new decade everybody! 2010 is here and living and playing in the mountains of Big Bear is more fun than ever. I’ve lived here since 1999 and it was more than a pleasure to watch a decade come and go. With all the new events on the mountain, new friends I’ve made and new areas we’ve discovered, the next ten years should be even more exciting than the last. To top it all off I also have a new gig at Mountain Fitness Center helping people prepare themselves for all the skiing, boarding, snowshoeing, kayaking, biking, hiking, golfing, tennis, frisbee and ?

It really seems like our adventure community is growing fast and the general fitness of our population seems to be getting better and more aware of the super fun ways to stay fit and healthy. Once you take that first step toward being more active, the momentum of fun takes over and then you’re hooked. It’s kind of like a good virus that gets into your system and then you are contaminated forever! There’s a crazy sick energy on the mountain right now and it’s contagious, come on up and get infected, but trust me…there is no cure!

Spreading the love & the disease to get fit, Rev

Christmas Day has come and gone but the Holiday vibe is still here in Big Bear. In fact, we’re still in those 12 days of Christmas, right?  So, I got a little creative and took some liberty with a popular Christmas tune. Let’s just rename it “12 Days in Big Bear.” Ahhh-hem, here goes…

12 Groomers Grooming
11 inches of fresh pow with more coming
10 Instructors teaching
9 Patroller’s ‘Trollin’
8 Snowboarder’s Grinding
7 Skiers Shreddin’
6 Little Bear Kids laughing
5 APRES’ SKI ROUNDS
4 Families smiling
3 Canyon’s Open
2 Resort’s for Riding and
1 Awe-some New Year!

Happy 2010 & see you on the slopes!
Glade Girl