Big Bear Blog

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

While Holidays in Big Bear are super fun and action packed, sometimes you just need to schedule in a non-slope day. Not saying you should back it off; just suggesting penciling into your schedule time away from carving and shredding corduroy, hitting boxes and grinding rails. A day dedicated to a quieter scene. A day for exploring the forest on foot, climbing to perches offering stellar views. A day spent snowshoeing with friends.

After a long week, I decided I needed some quality time and a quick snowshoe up Snowforest’s slopes was definitely in order. Access was easy and there was plenty of parking at the top of Pineknot Avenue. Leaving the parking lot we dodged sledders testing their saucers on runs that rocketed over downed trees. It didn’t take us long to ascend to the top of the open slope above the Village. Here we lingered over a long lunch, enjoyed amazing views of the Lake and the Valley’s northern ridge. Even picked out some of Big Bear’s seven summits and scheduled a few dates for winter summits of these fantastic peaks.

It was a fun afternoon and while we didn’t sit idle, the cool air and our efforts refreshed me for the week ahead! Happy Holidays!

Earning my turns,
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

I admit it: I am a life-long, die-hard skier who has never given much thought to a ski-specific pre-season exercise program. Sure, I mountain bike, run and do yoga regularly, but I have never considered throwing circuit training into the mix. This year is different – I set a few skiing-related goals for myself and these will require more from me than my typical strategy of “I’ll get ski-fit by skiing.”

Plus, as a PSIA Certified Ski Instructor, I know the key to skiing well is a strong core, not just endurance and strength in the lower body. I confess, this year I decided to ‘walk the walk’ and signed up for a group snow sports-specific workout program with Ted Devito at Mountain Fitness.

While I was open to having my butt kicked by Ted’s no-nonsense approach to fitness, I didn’t think I would enjoy it. In the past, the only time I spent in a gym was to attend a spin class or swim laps not to lift weights, count reps or do sit-ups. But after three weeks into the program, I am having a blast. Each night is different and interesting. The circuit of eight exercises tests my core, flexibility and balance and tasks me to draw strength not just from my legs but my upper body too. The next morning I wake up a bit sore with a feeling of accomplishment and a notion that this season might just be better than last.

And, I have to give a nod to Rev: He’s always there with some encouraging words balanced with some good-natured heckling and, of course, some awesome funk mash-ups to help us groove through the tough parts.

Earning my turns,
Glade Girl