Hit the slopes @ Big Bear!

With Thanksgiving approaching faster than a mob of door-busting deal-lovers on Black Friday, it's only a matter of time before the sound of Christmas music resounds from every store and radio station and sales of all items containing peppermint begin to peak. What this also means is that winter, glorious and fearful winter, is approaching (as close as it ever will, at least....you can't touch So. Cal, winter! You just can't!). While many Orange Countians have come to dread- or even hate- the ever-so-slightly colder weather (granted, the morning chill can be pretty fierce- I wear mittens in my car while I wait for my engine to warm up), some of us find it a welcome change from the curse of endless summer, and regard it as a very merry way of ringing in the holiday season.

I myself am a transplant (grew up in another state- I KNOW: shocking. "How is she qualified to work for the OC Gazette?!"). Scoff as you might, I like the cold. I grew up in Seattle, WA, which is a lot like OC, except swap the 10 months of sunshine thing with 10 months of gloom. Minor difference. I'm sure there are plenty of other transplants among the OCG readers, and even some pure-bred Californians who also like the cold this time of year. SO MUCH SO, in fact, that you head for the hills- er, mountains- to seize the cold in its finest form: snow.

Ah, snow. A beloved beast. A feared and revered friend. An awe-inspiring spectacle to Californians of all shapes and sizes (a great equalizer, in that way). The amazing thing about OC is this: drive less than an hour west and you'll hit the beach; drive less than two hours northeast-ish and you're in the snow-covered mountains at Big Bear! Skiing! Snowboarding! Inner tubing! Snow angels! Yellow snow! Er, scratch that last one. Cozy lodging and warming up by the fire with spiked egg nog!
I don't even particularly like egg nog and that still sounds great.

Now is the perfect time to plan a family (or romantic) jaunt out to Big Bear and revel in the glorious snow-laden holiday season. Big Bear Resort plans to begin lift operations tomorrow. Imagine: you could spend your Thanksgiving in the mountains! Or, skip out on the threat of imminent death-by-trampling and spend Black Friday and the following weekend burrowed away in cozy lodge dwellings! The hardest part will be deciding between hot beverages: hot apple cider, hot cocoa, or the aforementioned nog? Take a few of the Harry Potter books and you've got a recipe for AWESOMENESS.

Big Bear Mountain Resorts (Bear Mountain and Snow Summit) recently fired up its snow guns (unfortunately So. Cal clouds are infertile, as far as the snow-bearing business goes) to set the stage for the 2010/2011 season. Thanks to favorable weather conditions (nightly temps dropping into the 20s and low humidity), the crew at BBMR was able to make it snow for over 12 hours! Wish I could've been there to catch snowflakes with my tongue (cue music: "Snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes...")!

Here are some quick looks at a few of this year's added and improved amenities:

Skill Builder Parks™ at Bear Mountain

Designed for beginning terrain park skiers and snowboarders, these areas offer snow features, rails, boxes and transitions to help guests test their skills and bring their skiing and riding to the next level in a comfortable, pressure-free environment. Each feature has a do-it-yourself instructional sign, offering a trick description and tips on getting started, polishing skills and even ski and snowboarding etiquette.

Senior Ticket Rate –For the first time ever, BBMR is introducing a special Senior ticket rate for guests 62 and older, an average savings of 20 percent per ticket. For the full 2010-2011 ticket rate schedule visit www.bigbearmountainresorts.com.

Learning Center & Board Room Remodels – Renting just got easier! Snow Summit has made improvements to its rental shop this season, so guests can spend less time in line and more time on the slopes. Bear Mountain has also remodeled its learning center and combined snowboard and ski rentals in one central location, this way families and friends who are enjoying the day together but may not necessarily all ski or all board can still rent their equipment in the same building.  

Run Improvements & Snow making – BBMR’s fanatical commitment to snow making and nearly unlimited supply of water from Big Bear Lake means guests can expect reliable quality snow conditions every day of the season, regardless of natural snowfall. Simply put, Big Bear Mountain Resorts offers more and better snow throughout the season than any other resort in Southern California.  New for 2010-2011, Bear Mountain has purchased two new "snowcats" for faster, better trail and park grooming. In addition, $500,000 in new fan guns have been added at Snow Summit and Bear Mountain.  With  expanded fan gun electrical distribution to several additional runs, both areas will be able to make more snow in a shorter period of time than ever before.

Daily Snow Reports – Now you can enjoy daily snow reports in the palm of your hand! From your cell phone, text the word "SNOW" to 52406 to receive on-demand powder alerts and regular updates from Big Bear Mountain Resorts. Customize the messages you receive on bigbearmountainresorts.com. Standard data and text rates apply.

For up-to-the-minute snow reports, go to:

Bear Mountain: http://www.bearmountain.com/snowboard/snow-report/current-snow-report/

Snow Summit:  http://www.snowsummit.com/ski/snow-report/current-snow-report/

OK, I know: information overload. I'll stop while I'm [hopefully] ahead. But I hope I've successfully inspired you to seize the winter and head for the hills to revel in our own winter wonderland that is Big Bear! Remember to bundle up!

-Blythe 

on my iTunes: Elton John's "Candle in the Wind"