| Bear Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bear Mountain San Bernardino National Forest |
| Nearest city | Big Bear Lake, California |
| Vertical | 1,665 ft (507 m) |
| Top elevation | 8,805 ft (2,684 m) |
| Base elevation | 7,140 ft (2,180 m) |
| Skiable area | 198 acres (80 ha) |
| Runs | 24 total 15% beginner 55% intermediate 30% advanced |
| Longest run | Geronimo 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Lift system | 12 lifts: 3 quad chairlifts, 2 triple chairs, 4 double chairs, 3 surface lifts |
| Lift capacity | 16,590 skiers/hr |
| Snowfall | 100 in (250 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 100% |
| Night skiing | None |
| Web site | http://www.bearmountain.com/ |
Bear Mountain , formerly Goldmine Mountain, is a ski area in Southern California. It is the sister resort of Snow Summit, together known as Big Bear Mountain Resorts. In 2002 Bear Mountain was purchased by Snow Summit, and the two resorts are now accessible with a single lift ticket. Snow Summit management led by Richard "Dick" Kun felt that establishing a snowboard-centric area at Bear Mountain would move the majority of snowboarders away from Snow Summit, freeing the latter to become a more family friendly mountain. Bear Mountain is also known as "The Park" because most of the runs contain terrain features. The mountain is home to the only Superpipe in Southern California. Unlike Snow Summit, if there is enough natural snow, the tree runs are open for skiing and snowboarding. Even the "out of bounds" territory off of Chair 8 has been opened after a big snow storm. Bear Mountain was frequented by Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White while he was very young, although White spent the majority of his time on the Snow Summit Westridge freestyle run. Bear mountain has contributed to the progression of freestyle snowboarding and skiing with the establishment of the first freestyle park in the early 1990s.
Bear Mountain consists of three main peaks: Bear Peak, Silver Mountain, and Goldmine Mountain. At 8,805 ft (2,684 m), Bear Peak is Southern California's highest lift-served peak. Bear Mountain relies heavily on snowmaking like most Southern California ski resorts.
| Beginner | Intermediate | Difficult | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Curve | Acceleration | Exhibition | Geronimo |
| Easy Street | Ripcord | Rip's Run | The Wedge (moguls) |
| Amusement Park | Upper Park Run | Outlaw | Showtime |
| The Gulch | Silver Connection | ||
| Boneyard | |||
| Expressway | |||
| Hidden Valley | |||
| Central Park | |||
| Shortcut | |||
| Backdoors | |||
| Outlaw's Alley | |||
| Street Scene | |||
| Gambler | |||
| The Park Run |
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