Bear Valley, Kirkwood, Tahoe near season open 2017

Bear Valley is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, located in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

on Highway 4 between

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

and

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

—about three hours southeast of

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

and one hour from

Angels Camp Angels Camp, also known as City of Angels and formerly Angel's Camp, Angels, Angels City, Carson's Creek and Clearlake, is the only incorporated city in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 3,836 at the 2010 census, up ...

. The alpine ski area and a portion of the real estate in the village of Bear Valley was owned by an investment partnership led by a Canadian company, Dundee Realty, from 2005 to 2014, when Skyline International acquired Bear Valley.

Skiing

Nine lifts provide access to 75+ runs covering . Prior to the 2010–11 season, an additional of non-lift serviced terrain was opened to the public expanding the resort to 1680 skiable acres, making it the eighth largest in skiable acres in California. The resort is known for its commitment to snow making and snow science expertise, and as a result of snow management, was one of six resorts in California that remained open into mid-spring during the worst droughts in history. Bear Valley is also known for its rich racing history and one of two resorts in the state that operates a

NASTAR NASTAR (an acronym for NAtional STAndard Race) is the world's largest known recreational ski and snowboard race program. It allows ski or snowboard racers of all ages and abilities, through a handicap system, a way to compare themselves with one an ...

course nearly every weekend of the winter season. In 2015, the ski area's season pass became valid at both the alpine and cross country ski area. Known as "The Forever Pass" the pass gives access to unlimited downhill and cross country ski trails during the winter season. The Bear Valley Cross Country and Snowshoe Trail System consists of 35 trails covering of terrain. Bear Valley Cross Country is owned and operated by Paul and Diane Petersen. Paul Petersen is co-author of ''The Essential Cross Country Skier: A Step By Step Guide'' and a pioneer in the Nordic skiing industry in California. The Bear Valley back country offers endless options to access the back country via alpine touring, telemark, and back country skis or snow shoes. Mountain Adventure Seminars, based in Bear Valley, offers instruction in telemark skiing, avalanche safety skills, mountaineering guide services, and extended overnight tours of the surrounding back country. MAS, in conjunction with Bear Valley Mountain Resort, also offers snow cat assisted tours of both back country and side country ski areas outside the patrolled areas of the alpine resort.

Base facilities

The base village includes a hotel, spa, cabins, 2 restaurants, 2 full bars, and a pizza parlor. The Lodge at the base facility is known for its majestic granite fireplace and post and beam construction of the atrium style hotel. The hotel's Cathedral Lounge is a desired location for weddings and special events. The village also includes a US Post Office, museum, general store and snowmobile rental center. There is also an Alpine County Sheriff's office and fire station, as well as a County library and K-6 public school. On summer weekends and holidays, there is bus service to Lake Alpine, which is a popular nearby recreation area and lodge. In winter months, there is a shuttle to the ski area in daily operation.

Bear Valley Music Festival

Since 1969, Bear Valley has hosted the annual

Bear Valley Music Festival Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

. The festival, which begins at the end of July and runs for 2 weeks and 3 weekends, includes a variety of music, including contemporary bands and classical concerts featuring a full symphony orchestra conducted by Maestro

Alexander Mickelthwate Alexander Mickelthwate (born 2 June 1970 in Frankfurt, West Germany) is a German-born conductor who is the current music director and principal conductor of Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Early life and education He is one of three sons in his fam ...

Future development plans

A lift from town has been planned for years, as is a mountain top day lodge and terrain expansion. In early 2013, the partnership that owns the ski area operation and a portion of the real estate in town decided to sell their holdings which now include entitlements for over 300 condominium homes. In September 2013, a deal to sell the ski area operation fell through."Business deal fall through"
calaverasenterprise.com; accessed August 24, 2014. In December 2013 a group of Bear Valley property owners announced an initiative to explore community ownership options for both the ski area operation and the village. In February 2014, the Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative was formed with the objective of acquiring and managing those assets on behalf of the community. In 2014, the resort was acquired by Skyline International and currently owns and operates the resort.

References

External links

*
Bear Valley Music Festival3dSkiMap of Bear Valley Mountain Resort

SkiMap.org
– Bear Valley {{Sierra Nevada Ski areas and resorts in California Companies based in Alpine County, California Stanislaus National Forest Tourist attractions in Alpine County, California