Big Bear Valley
Big Bear is named for grizzly bears, which once inhabited in the area. Grizzly bears are believed by the Serrano Indians, historically Big Bear inhabitants and traditionally hunter-gathers, as their ancestors' spirits. Surrounded by the San Bernardino mountains, Big Bear Lake is a reservoir with surface elevation of 6750 feet.
In 1913, Mountain Auto Line became the world's second bus line and operated from San Bernardino to Big Bear Valley. It brought a lot of tourists to Big Bear Lake and was a huge help for Big Bear to become the first mountain recreation area in southern California.
Big Bear Lake is also the largest recreational lake in southern California. Fishing is one of the summer attractions in Big Bear Lake; skiing and snowboarding are the popular choices in the winter.
Snow Summit was built in 1952. It quickly became one of the larger ski area around great Los Angeles. Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are the two Big Bear resorts currently.
This Big Bear snowboarding trip is a teaching/learning trip for beginning snowboarders. The troop uses this opportunity to bring scouts up to a certain snowboarding skill level. This prepares them for the later Mammoth snowboarding trips. Mr. A is a great snowboarding instructor.
Time
January
Activities
Snowboarding, First time snowboarder instruction, Snow Sport Merit Badge
General Schedule:
Snowboarding on both Saturday and Sunday.
Location
Snow Summit Big Bear Mountain Resorts, 880 Summit Blvd, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
Maps
Google Map from South Lake middle school to Snow Summit resort
Mr. A's House at Big Bear Lake, 41222 Owl Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
Google driving direction from South Lake Middle School to Mr. A's House at Big Bear Lake
Lodging
We'll be staying at Mr. A's house at Big Bear Lake. Bring sleeping bags and pads. Scouts will stay in the pool table room. There is one bed room for dads and one bed room for moms. Adults might need to get separate Condo if necessary.
Road condition
Snow chains might be required. Check again for road condition before leaving.
Weather
Big Bear Valley Weather Forecast
Dress warmly in layers with water resistant outer layers (especially the pants since beginner will spend a lot of time sitting on the snow).
Clothing
Lift tickets
Some scouts are leaving directly for Snow Summit. Since we are looking into the possibility of doing a group purchase for our troop, please look for Mr. A when you get there.
Equipment rentals
We can hit the slope a lot quicker if scouts rent the equipment in advance. Here are a couple places where we have done rentals before: Sports Chalet near 405 and Jamboree, and Phil's Ski and Snowboard in Costa Mesa. Also, REI at Tustin has snowboard rental as well. Snow gears could be rented from Snow Summit or other rental shops around it.
Food preparation
Reflections
Gallery
