Snow Valley Mountain Resort

Skiing resort in California, United States

Snow Valley Mountain Resort
Interactive map of Snow Valley Mountain Resort
LocationRunning Springs
San Bernardino County, California
Nearest major cityRunning Springs, California
Coordinates34°13′24″N 117°02′15″W / 34.223375°N 117.037423°W / 34.223375; -117.037423
StatusOperating
OwnerAlterra Mountain Company[1]
Vertical1,041 ft (317 m)
Top elevation7,841 ft (2,390 m)
Base elevation6,800 ft (2,100 m)
Skiable area240 acres (97 ha)
Trails29 total
14% easiest
45% More difficult
31% Most difficult
10% Experts only[2]
Lift system12 lifts: 1 High Speed Six, 4 Double, 4 Triple, 2 conveyor
Lift capacitySix Person Detachable - 2,600 riders per hour
Terrain parksThe Edge, East Bowl
Snowfall150 inches (380 cm)[3]
SnowmakingYes
Night skiingYes
Websitehttps://bbmr.com

History

Snow Valley Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Running Springs, California, United States. Snow Valley is the longest continually operating ski resort in Southern California and is also one of three ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Originally named "Fish Camp" for the pond located in the area above the former chair 5, the site was developed into a roadside resort and lumber mill in the 1920s by the Swetkowich brothers. In the 1930s the slopes were developed for tobogganing and skiing by the Arrowhead Springs Corporation, which named the development Snow Valley.[4] The resort featured one of the first overhead cable ski lifts.[5] In 1940 the resort was purchased by Norwegian-American ski jump champion Johnny Elvrum, who expanded it.[4]

In 1974 W.R. Sauey became the owner of Snow Valley. His company the Nordic Group owned and operated Snow Valley.[6] In January 2023, Snow Valley was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company, operator of nearby resorts Bear Mountain and Snow Summit.[7]

The resort operates under Special Use Permit from the United States Forest Service.[8]

Lifts

The facilities include 12 Lifts: 1 high speed six, 4 double chairs, 4 triple chairs, 3 surface lifts/moving carpets.[9]

At the fleet's peak, 14 lifts were operating at once, 3 of those lifts have since closed, with chair 2 getting remodeled for the 23-24 ski season, shortening it to serve only the beginner area at the resort.[10]

Chair 11, at Snow Valley, serves the Slide Peak terrain zone
Skier en route to Slide Peak in 1943, following the current chairlift route

References

  1. ^ Winchester, Stuart (January 24, 2023). "Alterra Buys Snow Valley, California; Adds Ski Area to Big Bear Resort". Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Snow Report - Snow Valley Trails". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  3. ^ "Southern California Ski Area Analysis." Archived 2005-02-12 at the Wayback Machine BestSnow.net. Retrieved on 2010-12-16.
  4. ^ a b "The History of Running Springs". The Rim of the World Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 26, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  5. ^ "The History of Skiing in Los Angeles, California". Pacific Rim Snow Sports Alliance. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  6. ^ "Home". nordicgroup.com.
  7. ^ "Snow Valley Mountain Resort acquired by parent company of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit". ABC7 Los Angeles. January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "About Us". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved on 2010-12-31.
  9. ^ "Snow Valley Trail Map". Snow-valley. Snow Valley LLC. 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "$12.7 Million Project Renovation at Big Bear Mountain Resort". www.bigbearmountainresort.com. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  • Official website
  • Snow Valley Website
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