{"id":1795725,"date":"2026-02-27T02:08:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T23:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795725"},"modified":"2026-02-27T02:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T23:08:24","slug":"bear-valley-ca-delivers-a-once-in-a-lifetime-weekend-after-100-in-4-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1795725","title":{"rendered":"Bear Valley, CA, Delivers a Once-in-a-Lifetime Weekend After 100+\u201d in 4 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
100 inches in four days is a Bear Valley dream come true. Credit: Bear Valley Resort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Report from February 21 & 22<\/em><\/p>\n

After Bear Valley Mountain Resort<\/a>, California, logged more than 100 inches of snow in just four days, I knew we were staring at something special. <\/strong>The kind of storm cycle you talk about years later.<\/p>\n

Following a three-day resort closure due to treacherous snow and road conditions, operations resumed, and what waited on the other side was nothing short of historic. <\/strong>A sincere thank you to the teams who kept everyone safe during the storm cycle.<\/p>\n

\"The\"The
Bear Valley\u2019s Lift Map. Credit: Bear Valley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

Saturday: Bluebird Powder and Empty Lift Lines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Saturday marked the reopening, and conditions were absolutely unreal.<\/strong> A true bluebird powder day with virtually non-existent lift lines, one of the most underrated advantages of riding at Bear Valley<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The snow had compacted slightly across the mountain, which, considering it had been neck deep just days before, was ideal.<\/strong> It allowed for fast, fluid riding without the fear of getting bogged down in bottomless snow\u2026 Trust me I was still in there past my chest. Early morning laps went straight to the backside, Spyglass, BlueJay Way, and West World.<\/p>\n

The backside of Bear Valley offers longer runs and an abundance of tree riding, making it the perfect warm-up zone before heading to the main attraction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grizzly Bowl<\/span><\/span>, California\u2019s only true 180-degree bowl. <\/strong>When Grizzly Bowl opens, Bear Valley transforms.<\/p>\n

What is often described as a smaller Sierra resort at the end of Highway 4 suddenly becomes one of the most compelling ski and snowboard experiences in the country and maybe the world\u2026 although my riding experiences have only been in the US. <\/strong>Exploration becomes endless.<\/p>\n

You can venture into Snow Valley, drop higher and ride West Ridge for playful chutes and natural cliff features, or simply traverse until something catches your eye.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I lapped Grizz roughly 20 times throughout the day. <\/strong>The runs are long and sometimes grueling on the legs\u2014there\u2019s about 1,200 vertical feet as you go down, but those Grizz runs are something you savor, and it normally takes 10-15 minutes to go down! My cheeks actually hurt from smiling.<\/p>\n

It was, without question, one of the best riding days I\u2019ve ever had.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dropping in Gun Mount Cliffs \u2013 Bear Valley. Credit: Jack Bynum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Sunday: Exploration Mode<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I managed to leave some fuel in the aging 23-year-old tank for Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This day was all about exploration, a bit of hiking, a bit of scouting, and a commitment to finding untouched snow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The run of the day was Bad Boy, located on the northeast side of the Bowl.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dropping in requires a bit of strategy. If you point it immediately, you\u2019ll funnel back into Snow Valley.<\/strong> But if you ride the saddle, hold the ridge, and drop behind it, you enter terrain that can remain untouched long after a storm cycle.<\/p>\n

My friend Nate, self-proclaimed \u201cKing of the Mountain\u201d, \u00a0and I took our time breaking down all of the options and laughing like little kids in a candy shop as the pristine snow gracefully touched our boards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Orvis Saddle off of Bad Boy \u2013 Bear Valley. Credit: Jack Bynum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nate and I explored the vast landscape all day, we truly earned our turns let me tell you.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

How many resorts can you go to on the second day of 100\u2033 untouched and a blue-bird day and see little to nobody? You truly feel like it is you and the mountain all day long!<\/strong> Bear Valley absolutely delivered through this storm, and I have a lifetime of memories from this weekend.<\/p>\n

\"Trail\"Trail
Trail map of the \u201cvillage\u201d side of Bear Valley. Credit: Bear Valley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SNOW CONDITIONS<\/span><\/h3>\n
Bear Valley Storm Details. Credit: OpenSnow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

100 inches in four days is a Bear Valley dream come true. Credit: Bear Valley Resort Report from February 21 & 22 After Bear Valley Mountain Resort, California, logged more than 100 inches of snow in just four days, I knew we were staring at something special. The kind of storm cycle you talk about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1795725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1795725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795725\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1795725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1795725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1795725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}