Snow Valley Mountain Resort
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| Snow Valley Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Running Springs San Bernardino County, California |
| Nearest major city | Running Springs, California |
| Coordinates | 34°13′24″N 117°02′15″W / 34.223375°N 117.037423°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Owner | Alterra Mountain Company[1] |
| Vertical | 1,041 ft (317 m) |
| Top elevation | 7,841 ft (2,390 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,800 ft (2,100 m) |
| Skiable area | 240 acres (97 ha) |
| Trails | 29 total 14% easiest 45% More difficult 31% Most difficult 10% Experts only[2] |
| Lift system | 12 lifts: 1 High Speed Six, 4 Double, 4 Triple, 2 conveyor |
| Lift capacity | Six Person Detachable - 2,600 riders per hour |
| Terrain parks | The Edge, East Bowl |
| Snowfall | 150 inches (380 cm)[3] |
| Snowmaking | Yes |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | https://bbmr.com |
Snow Valley Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Running Springs, California, United States. Snow Valley is the longest continually operating ski resort in Southern California and is also one of three ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Originally named "Fish Camp" for the pond located in the area above the former chair 5, the site was developed into a roadside resort and lumber mill in the 1920s by the Swetkowich brothers. In the 1930s the slopes were developed for tobogganing and skiing by the Arrowhead Springs Corporation, which named the development Snow Valley.[4] The resort featured one of the first overhead cable ski lifts.[5] In 1940 the resort was purchased by Norwegian-American ski jump champion Johnny Elvrum, who expanded it.[4]
In 1974 W.R. Sauey became the owner of Snow Valley. His company the Nordic Group owned and operated Snow Valley.[6] In January 2023, Snow Valley was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company, operator of nearby resorts Bear Mountain and Snow Summit.[7]
The resort operates under Special Use Permit from the United States Forest Service.[8]
Lifts
[edit]The facilities include 12 Lifts: 1 high speed six, 4 double chairs, 4 triple chairs, 3 surface lifts/moving carpets.[9]
At the fleet's peak, 14 lifts were operating at once, 3 of those lifts have since closed, with chair 2 getting remodeled for the 23-24 ski season, shortening it to serve only the beginner area at the resort.[10]
Terrain
[edit]Snow Valley has 240 acres of skiable terrain. Although a few lifts have closed and opened throughout the year, the terrain has stayed generally the same. Most of the runs in the resort are groomed. However, when fully open, "The Ladder" and a few runs on Slide Peak can stay ungroomed.[citation needed] The main mountain has the majority of trails in the resort, housing all of the terrain parks, as well as most of the lifts. Peak 9 is mostly used for an up-and-over lift (chair 9) which takes skiers to and from Slide Peak. When conditions permit, peak 9 has mostly hike-to bowl and tree terrain. Slide Peak is the "Crown Jewel" of Snow Valley.[citation needed] Known for its steep pitch, it is where well-known skiers like Warren Miller would be known to ski.[citation needed] Generally, Peak 9 and Slide Peak are only open for around 4 to 6 weeks out of every season; this is because of a combo of the not so favorable snowfall history of Southern California,[11] as well as snowmaking not being used in the terrain areas due to outdated water pipes and water limitations.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Winchester, Stuart (2023-01-24). "Alterra Buys Snow Valley, California; Adds Ski Area to Big Bear Resort". Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- ^ "Snow Report - Snow Valley Trails". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- ^ "Southern California Ski Area Analysis." Archived 2005-02-12 at the Wayback Machine BestSnow.net. Retrieved on 2010-12-16.
- ^ a b "The History of Running Springs". The Rim of the World Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "The History of Skiing in Los Angeles, California". Pacific Rim Snow Sports Alliance. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ^ "Home". nordicgroup.com.
- ^ "Snow Valley Mountain Resort acquired by parent company of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit". ABC7 Los Angeles. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "About Us". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved on 2010-12-31.
- ^ "Snow Valley Trail Map". Snow-valley. Snow Valley LLC. 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "$12.7 Million Project Renovation at Big Bear Mountain Resort". www.bigbearmountainresort.com. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- ^ "Historical Snowfall | Snow Valley, Snow Summit & Bear Mtn". www.bigbearmountainresort.com. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
