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

Spring skiing offers some of the best conditions for a season: Cold, freezing temps at night coupled with warm, almost hot days, produces a variety snow types during one eight-hour day on the slopes. So grab the sun screen, ditch the goggles and don your best tee-shirt, spring skiing is on in Southern California.

Bulletproof: Sometimes called boilerplate, it’s hard, fast, icy snow typically found if you catch first chair. So, my advice, chill in the parking lot a little longer before taking it to the slopes.

Granular: Snow that has melted and refrozen. It can be loose and sloppy or packed and firm. Gives you a chance to break out your powder sticks one last time even if it hasn’t dumped in months.

Corn: The finest of the spring harvest, Corn is similar to loose granular only better. Like the vegetable, spring Corn is usually sweet!

Crud: Another reason to break out your fatter boards. Crud is what happens to good snow: It’s tracked, ungroomed pitches that freeze over night and soften slowly and inconsistently. If you like the challenges of riding Crud, definitely give it time.

Mank: Kind of like it sounds.

Mashed Potatoes: Clumpy like your grandmother’s, this type of snow typically forms on a sunny day around 1:00 p.m. It’s like riding good snow but not really.

Slush: You probably won’t read this on any snow report but you might hear the term used in the lift line: “It’s getting slushy.” Bottom line: It’s wet, tends to grab at your bases and slows you down. Like Mashed Potatoes, it might be time to call it a day and transition to Apres ski mode.

Have fun, ride safe and enjoy these last couple of weeks of the year that was!

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

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  

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

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

This past Holiday weekend - during a feel-good, giving thanks-type of conversation - a friend posed this question, “What takes your breath away?” I was quick to answer: The power of a winter storm. Perhaps it was the glass of chardonnay I was holding at the time or the engaging topic but I was sincere. I find winter’s fury remarkable.

We were sitting around a cozy campfire in Joshua Tree National Park, tucked under a sagging awning watching it rain and enjoying leftovers from our Turkey-day feast. At that same moment I suspected Big Bear was receiving its first dose of winter. Rain in Southern California flatlands means snow in the mountains, right? While I was content in the desert, I really wanted to be in the snow. Feel the excitement of the first significant snowfall of the 2009-2010 Season and be a part of the celebration.

I fired off a quick text to a friend I knew was riding Bear Mountain. She answered in kind with a single, perfect image – it said it all and conditions looked awesome. As I enjoyed the last day of our holiday, I was happy to spot white-capped peaks as we drove through Johnson Valley. We climbed the 18 from Lucerne, encountering the first evidence of winter at 5,000 feet. It felt as if we were driving in the wake of the storm’s fury. Cresting into the Big Bear Valley’s east end, in the growing darkness of dusk my eyes traced Baldwin Lake’s broad sweep west and settled on slopes now white with winter – in that moment I was thankful there is more than one thing in this world that steals my breath. It was good to be home!

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

Are you a local? Do you consider yourself a local because you’re always visiting Big Bear, pulling a “weekend warrior” one weekend after another? Are you often mistaken as a local?

Want to know if you are legit? Test your Valley “Cred” with our Big Bear-inspired quiz.

(1) Have a set of chains in your car and actually know how to use them? (Score 1 point for having ‘em and 10 points for knowing how to use them)
(2) How many ski resorts have you skied in the Big Bear Valley? (Score 1 point per mountain)
(3) Have you ever skied by torchlight? (Score 1 point for Yes and an additional point if you wrecked your favorite jacket)
(4) Have you been stuck in a long line at Vons on a Friday Night? (Score 2 Points for Yes)
(5) Have you explored Big Bear’s forests by snowshoe? (Score 1 point for Yes and an additional point if you went at night)
(6) Have you seen “A Christmas Carol” at the PAC? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(7) Have you gone sledding or tubing? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(8) Have you sipped hot chocolate while strolling around the Village? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(9) Have you stood outside in the freezing Big Bear air to usher in the New Year? (Score 1 point for Yes and 100 for the experience)
(10) Have you dug your car out of a snow bank? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(11) Have you grinded a down rail or MJ’ed a box? (Score 1 point for knowing what these mean and 10 points for performing either one)
(12) Have you attended a tree lighting ceremony on Pine Knot? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(13) Have you competed in ‘Snowshoe the Bear?’ (Score 1 point for Yes and 10 if you won!)
(14) Have you ever spent a Friday or Saturday evening skiing under the lights at Snow Summit? (Score 1 point for Yes)
(15) Have you seen zillions of twinkling stars on clear, crisp Big Bear evening? (Score 1 point for Yes and another 10 for the experience)

So what’s your score? Actually, it doesn’t really matter. You’re a local whether you live here or not, so long as you are out having a good time and sharing it with friends and family! Happy and safe holidays!

Earning my turns,
GladeGirl

Not sure if you’ve heard - Warren Miller’s latest film “Dynasty” is currently touring the country. This is Warren’s sixtieth year of filmmaking. Seriously, 60 years!

Celebrating 60 years of that unforgettable voice: Equivalent in my mind to the start of something good. A “bring it on” attitude to the winter season. A voice that still begs us to ponder the question: “What are you doing with the rest of your life?”

Honoring 60 years of a lifestyle: Who of us isn’t a bit envious? In 1946 Miller moved to Idaho, camping in the parking lot of the Sun Valley ski resort, earning money as a ski instructor and using his 8mm camera to film his friends as a way to improve their technique. His first film, “Deep and Light,” debuted in 1950. I ask: Who hasn’t thought about taking a winter off?

“Dynasty” has been described as “the most impressive sports film on the planet.” The film showcases skiing and snowboarding in Norway, Canada, China and all over the United States. As usual it has it all – epic footage of steep descents, committed lines and light pow! One not to be missed and this year we have a treat – it’s showing in Big Bear. Even cooler, it’s a fundraiser for local mountaineer Jordan Romero. Show starts at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 2nd at the Performing Arts Center in Big Bear Lake. Tickets are on sale in a variety of locations including Mountain Fitness on Fox Farm Road. Don’t delay, buy now. I’m positive this will be a sell out!

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl

Typically Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer in a mountain town. The signs and symptoms: The crowds are thinner, the temperatures edge towards cool, locals are found on the trails and at Vons on a Saturday and the serious business of finding firewood becomes a priority.

While all the activities of summer still continue this time of year – secretly we’re all counting the days until ski season: Whether it is the cool silence of falling snow or the comforting valley-wide hum of snow-making. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we’ll be ready.

I’m still hitting the trails – getting in as much mountain biking as possible – and launching my kayak during the warmer hours of the day. But I admit I am paying close attention to the weather and the symptoms of an early winter: The end to autumn’s broad strokes of color, temperatures falling below freezing and the undeniable smell of winter in the air. Like anything worth waiting for – part of the fun is the count down and debating it for hours-on-end at the local coffee house!

Waiting for my turns!
Glade Girl