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Bear Valley Ski Area
Rating Details »
16 reviews for Bear Valley Ski Area
Bleeding Ice-Hole: How I lost my innocence
[riding chair lift]
Me: No, seriously guys, I'm hammered. We shouldn't be headed up to cornice. All I can taste right now is Jack and Coke(coca cola).
Buddy 1: Quit yer bitching! We've been drinking at the lodge for over 2 hours, you better be ham-boned!
Me: Good point.
Buddy 2: Yeah, you jackass! Here, hit this.
Me: I'm not a jackass, you piss ant! Ok.
*hits this*
Me: Ok, I'm gonna die now! What's the number to ski patrol, just in case?
*pulls out, fumbles, and then drops phone 30 ft below into snow*
B1: Haha! You dropped your phone!
B2: Just for that, you need to hit this.
Me: Dammit-- and I didn't purchase the insurance! ok.
[rides off chair lift]
There are few instances in the world of extreme that can outdo the sheer exhilaration felt when standing on a 158 cm snowboard and peering straight down the face of a mountain. Except in this instance; when peering down the mountain completely annhilated after a 12 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon, 3 tall Widmer Hef's at the lodge, numerous shots of Patron, and a breakfast burrito-- which will quickly transform said sheer exilaration into regret toward the potential pain that lay in the distance.
To make a short-story, shorter--
I shoved off the peak...
ripped it heel-side...
roll over to toe-side...
traversed until reaching a more slope-friendly area.
Come up to a fork in the trail...
kinda drunk, I hesitate...
last minute I decide to head left over hard-packed ice...
heel-side gives out, I fall directly on tail bone and skid.
Oh the agony! It felt like I was the victim of the malicious remote control usage in the movie, "Click." Like, as I was falling, Adam Sandler hit the pause button; pulled both of my butt cheeks away from my sanctity; pressed play; and then I instantaneously land directly on my poop shoot. To make matters worse, I slid with cheeks spread for a good fifteen feet, and forced enough friction to cause immediate disorientation. It felt like my ass was bleeding profusely. My first thought was to cry-- I did. Scared for the worst and trembling from the idea of not ever being able to move my bowels in the traditional manner again, I detached from my bindings and walked off to the side of the run where I did a face plant into the snow, in hope that the pain would subside. Eventually, after 15 minutes, it did. And I was able to ride back down to the lodge and scurry to the first available bathroom stall. After disrobing and checking my base layer, I was relieved to find no blood. And at the end of the day the only part left wounded was my pride.
The first time is always the most painful. I think that is because we do not know what to expect. Our bodies are developing; heads are getting bigger; backs are getting hairier; and orifices that were once one-way avenues used for fecal functionality are now opened to a second lane - used for more adventurous commuters. Then there are the victims, like myself, that had their innocence stripped away from them, violently against their will. I don't think that my flower will ever be the same.
Pray for me.
p.s. Bear Valley is a small mountain resort set conveniently 4 hours away from the Bay Area. There isn't a ton to do, especially if the Grizzly Bowl is closed. However, the employees are cool and if you catch it on a big powder day, you will have just as much fun here as you would at any other resort for a third of the price.
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LOL@the reviews from the local haters. Kids...
Hey, yo, back to BV - I LOVE IT!!! Less than 3 hour drive, no crowds, great mountain, great employees there. I have been there 4 of the last 5 winters (the missing year was a Dodge Rodge year) and have had fun each time. I don't understand the reviews that say the employees are "angry", wtf. Kids.....
Yo, check it out -last time I was there:
Me: *falls off shuttle bus with a hangover*
Employee: Oh sir, are you ok?
Me: yeah, I just have a hangover
Employee: Oh, I know how to fix that!!!
Me: I am seeing someone, sorry.
Employee: No, no, not that. Our bar is open. Let me take your skis over and you can have a Bloody Mary - our bartender makes the best.
Me: Yo, give a brotha a hand.
And off I went, with the BV employee carrying my skis and boots, to apply the needed salve to my aching temples. After that, I hit the slopes and skied for 6 hours, never ONCE having to wait in line (end of slope, straight back onto chair!!).
The people there are great. Cougar season was in 1/2 swing, so, interesting people watching was a highlight also.
Check their web cam, weekdays are like closed park days. Hmmm, maybe I will call in "sick" tomorrow.
Oh, and that noise about Heavenly's ticket prices being cheaper, that's a crock of feces. Across the board, Bear Valley is cheaper. The only prices that come close to BV is Dodge Ridge.
snow it, dig it - go go go!!!
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This is one of the smaller ski resorts far away from Tahoe's snotty scions of cabin-renting snobs. But we are not talking about Tahoe. We are talking about Bear Valley.
By no means is this place lower in grade or depth or quality of skiing than other places. What gives it extra stars though is the attitude: of both personnel and skiers/boarders. Everyone is very nice, even though the place was really crowded yesterday. I was even afraid it would run out of rental skis (like NorthStar at Tahoe once did, and let me tell you, after a 3-hour drive - that sucked). The majority of people come here with kids for Bear Valley's amazing Cub Club to teach kids to ski or snow board while parents go conquer black diamonds.
The place has overseen major renovations and more are to come. It's cheaper than Tahoe. Even cheaper if you buy lift tickets at local retailers, like REI, beforehand. Slopes were groomed nicely considering it was 55 degrees outside. The drive there is easier and more picturesque - little towns with old vineyards, antique shops, and cute bed & breakfast inns. It took 3 hours to get there from Oakland. The drive back was even faster.
I recommend this place to those who want to ski or snow-board - not stand in line for lifts, deal with personnel arrogance, and feel like crap after crawling back in traffic for 6 hours.
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To Jonny L.
Of course you dont understand why we dislike the mountain. What do you call a season? Three or four days of riding? A season to me is around 120 days average. And at age 25 Im not really a kid and am old enough to know when a resort sucks.
The general manager yelled at my friend from Davis because he asked about why they were taking out their parks. He yelled at them told him and his whole family to come in and get refunds for their passes and never come to Bear Valley again.
The old owner of Bear Valley, Tim Bottomly once kicked a person's snowboard down the backside of Koala Chair where there is no lift access. When the guy asked "what the hell?" Tim told him "This is my F*cking mountain, and if you dont like it, have your daddy buy you a resort." Actual quote.
The last time I worked there, I was a snowboard instuctor. They pay you minimum wage plus one dollar per student. They would mark me down for 3 students when I had 5. And when I would talk to them about it, they would argue with me as if I am trying to scam $2 out of them. That resort is already making over $75 a person and paying me $8 for it. I think they have a pretty good profit margin that they wouldnt have to try and scam $2 from me.
I actually lost money working there because it cost more in gas then our paycheck was for.
The lift op for Super Cub, Bob, is as angry and militant as the guy on this page talks about. He has worked there for years and yells at kids who do not know what they are doing.
This year my friend lost a ski when his brake broke and it went out of bounds during a comp. The ski patrolers told him that he could not get the ski because there was a 400 foot cliff where he was going out of bounds....which was a total lie. The three of them sat there and made fun of him (doing things as unorginal as the repeat routine from the movie Super Troopers) and told him that if he tried to get this ski they would pull his pass and fine him $2000. They said they would retrieve the ski after the busy weekend. Another lie. They just left it. He had to wait a week before he went and looked for the ski and found it only 20 yards from the ribbon.
So, to you Jonny L, your child like ignorance of Bear Valley is cute, and I am sure they need people like you to stick up for their resort, but the place is still going downhill. The year they sold the resort was the best year they had. People from the Bay Area head about it, and they flooded the resort. They had a few times where they were parking the cars all the way in Tamarack, 8 miles down the hill. In the 14 years I have been in the area, I had never seen that. But once everyone saw that nothing changed, they stopped coming to the mountain the next year again.
There is a reason that I have been there during Christmas vacation and been only one of twenty people riding the mountain. And even then on those days, you have some angry ticket checker who keeps trying to scan your tickect each time and making you wait in the line for 5 minutes until he can scan it....even though he has to rememeber you since there were only about two people that have used the lift in between the time you last rode up. Or when he does it on busier days and creates a line behind you. Scan the ticket once, scan it twice, if it doesnt work, look at it and let the people go ride.
Really, I could go on and on about the angry people who work there. But I have a feeling you should get the idea. And if not, I can go on and on for you about everyone from upper management to ticket checkers.
Oh, and he was refering to pass prices for Heavenly. At $329 in December compared to the $459 for Bear Valley.
Personally, I would stick with the Double Wammy at Sierra/Northstar. $299 for unrestricted pass at Sierra, and a few blackout days for Northstar.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/25/2008
Alright, as a local to Bear Valley, and no, I dont mean I own a cabin there, I can tell you all… Read more »
I learned how to ski here. Growing up in Arnold and attending Hazel Fisher Elementary (shout out!) we had some opportunities that kids growing up in the valley didn't have.
When we reached sixth grade we had the option of participating in weekly ski trips/lessons during the winter season. Of course it wasn't free but it was a really good deal and reasonably priced. The program continued all the way through high school. Now how many schools do you know of where you can get an excused absence to go skiing every Wednesday during the winter? I know right? Needless to say the skiing program was quite popular.
I have some really fond and not so fond (falling on my butt and having to walk part way down a run) memories of Bear Valley. It's a nice place to channel your inner snow bunny!
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I am one of roughly one hundred and fifty people who are entitled to call themselves Bear Valley locals. I was born and raised in the town of Bear Valley. I graduated from Bear Valley High school, a class of two people and my father is a local business owner. Needless to say, Bear Valley Mountain Resort, is my home mountain.
When I was a child, the ski area was all that I could have desired, however, the more I grew up, the more I realized that Bear Valley had some incredible deficits, more so than the average resort.
The mountain was family owned until 2006. I grew up with Jim Bottomly running the resort, and he kept it to a decent standard. Then he retired from the business and left it to his two sons, Tim and Eric. Tim was and remains to be a good person, he tried with all his might to continue the resort on, Eric acted with the resort like a spoiled little child with a bag of candy. Essentially, whether it was intended or not, they ran it into the ground, with the hiring of the wrong people, to the firing of the good.
When the business changed hands in 2006, the whole town saw a glimpse of hope that the town would not wither and die. Dundee corp. sent those hopes to be dashed upon the rocks, and eaten by the sharks. Their first year of ownership, nothing changed, it was run the the same wrong people, and the customer service did not improve.
The mountain itself, in terms of terrain, is a nice family resort. Small, and limiting, especially having been there for so long, even the out of bounds material was worn out. Bear Valley has a long way to go with catering to popular demand, as is one of the trying things in this business, being static does not work, the ability to adapt and in that draw in a crowd is necessary. Their lack of a park is one such thing. In the past years, their park has become weaker and weaker, until last season, they had almost none whatsoever. I am a ski racer myself, but I understand the necessity for freestyle terrain, in this day and age in skiing and snowboarding, so many kids watch the x-games or the winter olympics and the draw for them to go snowboarding or skiing, is the chance to aspire to that level of skill in the sport.
In fact, that fact that they don't have a park seems minor to the fact that I have seen many days when they haven't bothered to groom the beginner runs, or any other runs. These may have been powder days, or during the spring setup snow, that turns to ice overnight, leaving whatever moguls and other setbacks to the average beginner that there might be. I have seen the groomers leave large ice chunks in scattered, frozen to the ground I might add, all over different runs. Not might seem like a big deal, but I can tell you, they are the source of injury for many people. Or perhaps when they do morning grooms, and leave what are fondly referred to as "death cookies", loose ice chunks of varying sizes that look deceptively groomed. but are potentially lethal to the average skier.
However, my particular favorite is the chairlift operators and ticket checkers. I have almost come to blows over the stupidity of the people hired for these menial jobs. I can be one of 14 people on the mountain, and I will have my pass scanned every, single, time I deign to ride up a chairlift, even having been through multiple times before, and instance that does not happen often and another resort.
Bear Valleys lower management did not change along with the ownership, the same static persons were kept in their jobs, the people who I know from speaking with them, care little for the mountain, and a large amount for their paychecks. No business is that great when the main concern is money and not the welfare of the business.
The upper management was even worse. Dundee corperation put in a manager with an personal anti-growth agenda.
The season that they took over, they advertised all over the place, and then never changed any of their policies, so when patrons came to the resort, to give it a second chance, or to try it for the first time, they left with a bad taste in their mouths. As a resident I felt slighted, here it was, a new company, who left a bad taste in the mouths of quite a few local individuals, not to mention local businesses.
Whatever plans Bear Valley says that they have to expand, or to install new lifts, they aren't doing anything creative, or that required them to think about how they could improve. That was the original plan in 1960.
Bear Valley Mountain Resort is the epitome of a horrid resort. Perhaps that will change with the new CEO, Martin.
This year I skied elsewhere, because I could afford to, and because after many years at Bear Valley, I have finally given up hope that it will change for a very long time.
I could continue to speak about Bear Valley, and its shortcomings, however, I think that the gist of what I am saying is rather clear. I don' like Bear Valley.
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The 5 stars are based on the great value. This is not a premier resort, nor does it claim to be. It has some incredible terrain at a very low cost, which is pretty awesome in my book.
Get on Hwy 4, drive forever and you're there! The drive through Arnold and Big Trees is insanely beautiful unless you completely hate nature..then you suck. This was a good place for new boarders with lots of easy slopes. This place also had some crazy terrain that kept my level 3 rescue skier friend engaged all day.
You can usually get discounted tickets at Long's and can often find cheap rates for hotels in Murphy's, which is a adorable little city most of the way up to the resort.
The winter trip to this area is a must. It doesn't have the hustle of Tahoe, think of it more as a nature trip to Yosemite with some great runs.
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This review is based on the experience I've had with Bear. I have been snowboarding for many years at the resort.
I've been snowboarding at Bear Valley since 1995. Their snowboard park is quite lacking. The jumps always have lips that are shaped wrong, an they never seem to just get it right with the layout and construction. Their use of the safe-t-light rails is horrible. Steel dipped in aluminum, then oiled? are you kidding me? I've had many boards scratched by these horrible, sad excuse of rails. I've also had friends who have destroyed their boards on these rails by ripping out edges. Their jumps in the park are shaped all wrong, most likely by people who have never seen a real park like the ones that are found in most of tahoe's resorts.
Bear has openly commented about making this more of a family friendly resort, and putting less emphasis on their snowboard parks. This makes me sad. I even wrote a letter to complain to the resort, and got basically a "Sorry you feel that way" reply. I guess they just don't care about the regulars.. just the families who come up one or two times a year.
I've had a season pass at Bear Valley for many years, up until last year when I got a pass over at Heavenly (which is shockingly cheaper than Bear! Heavenly isn't the only large major resort who has cheaper season passes I might add than Bear.) I even have a cabin that is only minutes away from the resort.. but I still choose to go elsewhere. I know a lot of locals are fed up with the resort and they will head to Kirkwood and tahoe instead of riding locally.
Hopefully this season they will make more improvements. it's doubtful but one can always hope.
One star for the memories of weekday deep powder runs off of cliffs run, hairy carry, and uptight :(
My favorite place to go in the winter when growing up. Never did learn to ski. Was to busy chasing the girls. lol
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I'm very conflicted writing this. I had a great time, the snow was good, the lifts were fairly quick, but they had a power outage so some of the lifts were down, lending to congestion.
Some of the staff were total assholes, but Bea was my fiancee's personal lesson giver, and Bea was a great with the little lady.
But the ticket guy, Bob, at the base of the Super Cub lift was a certified ass. He kept yelling at me about which side of the lift I was seated in because I'm goofy footed.
I finally figured out how to use my heel edge, had a great time and the misses finally made it down a beginner slope, so all in all it was a great trip, save for a few jerks.
Sidebar: Skiers are pompous jerks. They would buzz you as you waited in line, snicker at kids learning on the kiddie hill, and more terrible things that even I wouldn't repeat.
Back on topic, a quick drive from the 408 and there were some awesome runs to enjoy. I'll be coming back, but most likely mid-week to dodge some of the lines the stack up with only 10 lifts.
*edit*
Well, I have to dock Bear Valley a star. I went up again recently and now I can do more that scoot down a hill, this place has zero vertical fun going on. Sick of spending more time in line and on a lift than making runs, I resorted to carving through the icy tree areas to get some more time in.
Also, the grumpy ex-marine they have working on the Super Cub lift has to go. He's just flat out mean and shouldn't be on the beginner chair.
I love coming to this low-key resort. There is a variety of mountain terrains to satisfy any level of the ski/snowboard bum. This place is void of the hectic pace or attitude one encounters in many of the Tahoe resorts.
The other reason why I like coming here is they have a special offer if you stay at the hotel between Sunday to Wednesday. For $119 per night, you get a room and 2 ski lift tickets!!! Fabulous deal and it's around the time when there's little traffic and people, so you practically have the mountains to yourself to play on.
The hotel is nice; the rooms are standard, slightly outdated, but clean; the tv only shows whatever the front desk will play in their dvd player (we spent our first night watching a whole season of "Quantum Leap"); shuttle service to the ski area; and a tasty little restaurant can be found by walking five minutes (well, it took us 15 because we got lost in the snow) away from the hotel.
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What a great family ski resort! This place is an undiscovered treasure, although the fact that it is undiscovered is part of what makes it so great. I hope Yelp won't lure too many crowds to Bear Valley and change its unspoiled appeal.
First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an intermediate skiier with no aspirations to become advanced. If you're looking for miles of black diamond terrain, this resort is not for you. However, what it is is an uncrowded, less expensive old-school ski resort with lots of good, intermediate terrain. The staff are friendly. The cooler than thou folks are few. It is much less crowded than the typical Tahoe resort.
The resort has recently added a high speed quad up the back of the mountain. It goes so fast that we got seven runs in, in an hour. What a treat to get so much skiing in without getting cold from sitting on the lift for too long!
The front of the mountain has some advanced terrain which can challenge even an expert skiier, but because it is at a lower altitude than some of the other slopes, it may be closed due to poor conditions when the rest of the mountain is open.
Lift tickets are cheaper than in Tahoe. $48 for adults on non-peak weekend days. Children five and under are free and seniors are almost free. There are discounted tickets for older children and teens. The concessions are much more reasonably priced than Tahoe, too.
There are great slopes for beginners as well as lessons and daycare for the tots.
The best thing about this place is that there is none of the Tahoe traffic to fight to get to Bear. It's about 3 hours from Oakland, and 3.5 hours from the Peninsula. The traffic can get bad as you drive though Tracy, CA, if it's rush hour, given that Tracy has become a San Francisco suburb. But it is nothing remotely like the 7 hour hell drive from SF to Tahoe, which happens on many a winter weekend.
The resort also offers excellent cross country skiing just down the road from the downhill area. There are miles of gorgeous groomed trails to suit folks of all abilities.
The near-by Bear Valley village offers a rustic lodge and a few dining options as well as a market, coffee shop and sports shop. If you crave action packed nightlife apres ski, this is not the place for you, however.
If you're looking to have a nice relaxed ski weekend, without the Tahoe crowds, attitude, price or traffic, this is the place for you.
We just went up for the last $12 Tuesday in March. Although I prefer S. Lake Tahoe, we were short on funds and couldn't say no to the price for a quick day trip. The atmosphere is okay; most of the staff we encountered were pretty cool and had a good sense of humor (no ex-Marines in sight, but then again, Super Cub doesn't operate during the week). For late March, the snow was pretty decent, especially considering we haven't had the best winter. Fair amount of blue runs. Quick lines for the lifts, probably b/c we went so late in the season and mid-week. Haven't been on the weekends in a while, so I'm not sure how the lift lines compare to other resorts during a busy day. Pretty small resort w/ a low-key lodge at the bottom of the hill. No place at the top of the mountain to park it for a few while you grab a beer and enjoy the view. For a day trip, it's okay... but if you're lookin for a place to party or are serious about your snowboarding/skiing and require more terrain, you may want to look elsewhere!
It's been a number of years since I was last here, Mostly because fellow border have season passes to places other than Bear Valley. Why? I ask. This place rocks.
I've had some of my bests days at bear. and now that they have the money and approval to expand everyone will be able to see how a resort should be run. Plus NO TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you're coming from the bay.
Tahoe thinks its pretty cool. It thinks it has the steepest, deepest, gnarliest terrain of any region in California. Little does it know that this antique of a mountain, without attitude is perched at the end of highway 4 and is on its way to getting a face-lift. You wanna drop the steep cliffs? You wanna jump in the terrain park? You wanna take your twin-tips for a spin and see how long you can go without falling on your face? Bear Valley has some of the most quad-anihilating, cardio-vascularly challenging slopes in the Sierras. I'm slightly biased because I grew up banging into slalom gates on their race team, but I have become so disenchanted with the Tahoe scene that Bear Valley is a breath of fresh Sierra Nevada mountain air. In my humble, steeps-craving opinion, the closest rival is Kirkwood. Oh yes, one of the other fantastic things about it is that many of the houses at Bear Valley are snowmobile access only in the winter. Which means, depending on how fast you drive and how fast you ski, you can easily get two extreme (ly dangerous) sports in within 20 minutes. By the way, if anyone wants to head up to the hill this winter, PM me.
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