The lifts will start spinning at Big Bear resorts in coming days, with Bear Mountain planning to open on Thursday, Dec. 4, and Snow Summit following on Friday.
Warm weather and a lack of snow has plagued ski resorts along the West Coast, with delayed openings locally and across the northwest, but cold nighttime temperatures and low humidity has allowed snowmaking to cover runs enough to kick off the season in Big Bear, resort officials said.
Snow Valley, about 30 minutes down the hill from the Big Bear resorts, will have sledding and snowplay open, but its ski and snowboard opening is pending, said Justin Kanton, spokesman for Big Bear Mountain Resort, which owns and operates all three resorts.
“There is a chance we could get things moving for skiing and riding as well, it just depends on how well we can do for snowmaking, but at this point we don’t have any plan to operate for now,” he said. “Over the last three, four nights, temps have been really good for snowmaking, so we’ve been hammering it as much as we can.”
Any natural snow that shows up is “icing on the cake,” Kanton added.
“Thankfully we have the best snowmaking teams in the country,” he said. “Being in Southern California, we can’t always rely on natural snowfall.”
Local resorts typically aim to be open around Thanksgiving, with Mountain High in Wrightwood opening a week ago following a storm that dumped enough snow on the resort. Mammoth Mountain was also able to open ahead of the holiday weekend.
When heading up to the mountain areas, people should have patience, Kanton said.
“It seems like there’s pent-up demand; people are anxious to get up here with the first laps of the season,” Kanton said.
Route 38 also remains closed following a mudslide that wiped out the road a few months ago, so people should plan accordingly, Kanton said.
“People should be aware of that and take it into consideration,” he said. “We do have a page on our website that speaks to that and provides alternative routes, because it will impact travel times and congestion and things like that. We want to make sure people plan accordingly.”
The resort will open with limited lifts and terrain, he said. “Outside of that, come have some fun, give people some grace.
“Hopefully this is the start of a good season for us.”
The resort is offering a “kids ski free” promotion starting Dec. 6 and running through Dec. 12. For more information: bigbearmountainresort.com