A record-breaking snow total season can have its downside. Just ask the folks who love the typical summer months at Bear Valley ski resort.
Like many resorts throughout California this year, Bear Valley Resort had an incredible amount of snow – 682 inches (56 feet) to be exact, the most in resort history. However, the huge snow total was a detriment to the resort’s normal cool mountain biking season.
Earlier this month, Bear Valley shut down the mountain for the summer months. The reason – too much snow. The ski resort announced July 6 the cancellation of summer mountain bike operations, citing a snowpack that’s overstayed its welcome.
“As fantastic as the record snowfall was for the ski season, the ice and snow are not melting as fast as we had hoped,” a statement from the resort said. “And so, we have had to make the difficult decision not to open for mountain biking this summer. Once the snow does melt, the trail needs quite a bit of work to be ready, at which point it isn’t feasible to open for a short time. We are disappointed, obviously.”
Who would have thought that too much snow could be a bad thing? But that was the case for Bear Valley, situated near the charming town of Bear Valley in central California. The resort has 1,680 acres of skiable terrain, a 1,900 vertical, and 10 lifts, servicing 75-plus trails.
On a normal year, mountain bike season would already be in full swing at Bear Valley. Its average snow total is 359 inches. Obviously, this was no normal year due to lingering snowpack in mid-July. As everyone knows, Mother Nature always has the final word, and she’s laughing at Bear Valley ski resort right now.
