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Bear Mountain (ski area)

Coordinates: 34°13′36″N 116°51′37″W / 34.2267°N 116.8602°W / 34.2267; -116.8602
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Big Bear Lake, California
Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Big Bear Lake, California
Bear Mountain is located in California
Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain
Location in California
Bear Mountain is located in the United States
Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain (the United States)
LocationBear Mountain
San Bernardino National Forest
Nearest major cityBig Bear Lake, California
Coordinates34°13′36″N 116°51′37″W / 34.2267°N 116.8602°W / 34.2267; -116.8602
StatusOperating
OwnerAlterra Mountain Company
Vertical1,665 ft (507 m)
Top elevation8,805 ft (2,684 m)
Base elevation7,140 ft (2,180 m)
Skiable area198 acres (80 ha)[1]
Trails26 total
15% beginner
15% low intermediate
40% intermediate
30% advanced[1]
Longest runGeronimo 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Lift system7
Lift capacity16,590 skiers/hr
Terrain parks13
Snowfall100 in (250 cm)
SnowmakingYes, 100%
Night skiingNo
Websitehttp://www.bigbearmountainresort.com/

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.

Resort

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Bear 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 led by Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners that became Alterra Mountain Company.[3]

Bear Mountain trails

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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

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  1. ^ a b "Mountain Facts". Big Bear Mountain Resorts. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
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