Big Bear Blog

Ten years ago this month is when I finally made the move to Big Bear Lake. Before the move, I trekked up the hill from Long Beach as often as I could to ride my bike, kayak, hike and enjoy all the other great things the mountains have to offer. When I got the chance to live anywhere I wanted it was an easy choice, Big Bear!

I asked some friends that lived in Big Bear to keep an eye out for a rental I could move into right away. They had a sweet little cabin picked out when I showed up. Since that day my quality of life has changed for the better, and I’ve met some great people and really immersed myself into life in a small town and I love it. In the last ten years I’ve made hundreds of new friends, ridden thousands of miles in the mountains and shared a million smiles.

Happy Anniversary to me!
Sharing the love, Rev

Snow Summit closed on Saturday, April 18 – Cheers to a great season with tons of powder and lots of smiles. But I haven’t given up on skiing in Big Bear yet and turned to the San Gorgonio Wilderness recently to fill the need to make perfect turns down steep slopes. The snow pack is still strong and we had some of the best spring corn I have seen in a long time. A group of us hit the trail early to see if we could make it to the top of Jepson Peak (11,207 feet) and descend one of the northeast-facing chutes. 

Hiking in along the Santa Ana River trail, the sound of running water eased us into a steady cadence as we made our way through the forest to Slushy Meadow. From there we donned our skis and skinned up a gully to the base of the big and prominent Sun Bowl. Sun Bowl is a spectacular amphitheatre created by San G’s ridgeline as it descends from the east and anchored by Jepson Peak to the west. It is so spectacular that in the late 50’s Walt Disney wanted to develop the area into a world-class ski resort and even put a bid in to host the 1960 winter Olympics on its slopes. Thankfully, Walt Disney did not realize that dream.

With this in mind, in silence we each enjoyed the view and had a bite to eat. Together we made a plan and decided on a straight forward approach. Climbing the chute we wanted to ski so we could check out the snow conditions and get a look at our descent path. Smooth going sun-baked corn made easy progress of our hard work climbing at altitude. We topped out at 1:00 p.m. and were offered lofty views of Big Bear Lake to the north, the Los Angeles basin to the west and San Jacinto to the south and east. Though we felt alone and on top of Southern California, we spied a few other hearty souls climbing in the distance towards San G’s summit.

After signing the summit log, we clicked into our skis and were happy to know it was all down hill from here. One-by-one we descended Jepson’s rock lined chute. A few hop turns in the narrow throat gave way to carving as it continued to fall away from the summit. We had enough coverage to traverse west over to Mount Charlton’s glades before returning to Slushy Meadow and hike back to the car.

It was a great day – much like every day this past winter season - sharing fun turns and stunning views with good friends.

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl 

When I lived at the beach, I viewed all four seasons the same – never favoring one over the other, just another month of clear skies and blue surf. It was only a date on the calendar that signified we had progressed into yet another season.

That changed when I moved to Big Bear and since then spring has shifted into the favored position. Why? In the mountains seasons tend linger past the imaginary boundaries drawn by a calendar date. I learned early on dates don’t really mean much up here. On northern slopes the chill of winter hangs well past April while southern aspects bathe in the warmth of longer days. You start to notice cars with racks carrying an array of colorful road bikes idling next to SUV’s carting snowboards parked next to trucks toting kayaks. 

It underscores the undeniable truth about springtime in Big Bear: Over the course of a few days you can vary your adventures like you change your clothes. Not consigned to just one outdoor pursuit but given the freedom only multiple options bring: Ski, hike, run, ride, paddle, climb? In spring you can carve Snow Summit’s slopes (still open) in the morning and finish the day with a quick hike up Cougar Crest; or spend a few hours snowshoeing Mill Creek’s drainage followed by an afternoon run on the Pacific Crest Trail. Plus leftover daylight to sip a favorite brew on the front porch.

Spring in Big Bear is simple: It’s about adventure and the only concern is whether you can fit it all in.

Still earning my turns,
Glade Girl