Bear Valley, California

Bear Valley is southwest of the Lake Tahoe basin in the central Sierra and caters to families and day skiers that favor the easy drive up Highway 4 from population centers to the west.

Stats and Rating

Real Vertical ?	1,900′, Rank: 78
Size	1,680 Acres, Rank: 51
Annual Snowfall ?	359″ claimed / 352″ actual, Rank: 27
Lift Pods ?	4, Rank: 72
Distinct Trails ?	75, Rank: 56
Review Date	1995-2002, 2021, 2024-2025
Number of visits	22
Our Rating	★★★
Resort website	https://www.bearvalley.com

Bear Valley Review

We first skied Bear Valley in 2002 when our kids were young and still learning to ski. I also had a couple of visits in the mid-90’s. Unfortunately I did’t have any pictures from any of those visits.  So in early March 2021 we decided to go back, get some pics, and give it another chance.  Then in 2024 we briefly owned a house in nearby Arnold, CA and Bear became our home resort for the 24/25 season.  That was to be our one and only season at Bear.

Back in 2002 we felt the lift network was terrible, with mostly center-pole Riblet chairs which are hard to load with kids, and a lone triple chair on the front-side.  In 2006 the Polar Express was installed which vastly improved the skiing on the west side of the resort.  In 2017 they finally solved the frontside issues by installing a 6-pack next to the triple.  This elevated the resort to the next level and it became a legit alternative to Tahoe.

On paper Bear Valley looks pretty good with 1900 vertical, 9 lifts, and 1680 acres, but it skis much smaller than that most of the time. Prior to 2021, the problem was that we had never been there when the lower part of the mountain below 7,500 feet was open. This is quite common since the summit elevation is fairly low, topping out at less than 8,500′. That means that the effective vertical drop is commonly only 950 ft. The resort has only 100 acres of snowmaking on the upper mountain favoring the frontside terrain.

Front side

The Mokelumne Express 6-pack was newly installed in 2017 and has really solved any issues that used to exist there.  This chair only has 730′ of vertical but it’s fun and has some steep sections, including a couple of steep groomers most days once the base is in.  The capacity of this lift will eat up any weekend or holiday lift lines quickly and it is much easier for kids to load.  They always groom a handful of runs off this lift and another several on the Koala quad.  Koala also has some steep groomers but it’s very short at only 500′ vertical.  These 2 chairs on the front side usually keep us entertained for an hour or 2.

West side

The Polar Express pod is the main course for most people who will ski at Bear Valley.  This is a modest 950′ of vertical, but it’s really ideal intermediate terrain.  There are usually at least 5 groomed runs.  If off-piste is too icy we will ski each one twice before heading home.  On a day with soft snow there are some great lines in the trees off Coral Ridge.  This chair gets really crowded during holidays and weekends, yet strangely we have never seen them run the Pooh Bear chair.  It’s right there — turn it on Bear Valley!

At this point you are probably wondering why Bear Valley is even on the list at all, never mind the 3 star rating!  It’s because of the Grizzly chair.  This is some of the most interesting terrain at any California resort.

Grizzly

If you go to Bear only once or twice and you are a good skier, make sure Grizzly is open before making the drive because that’s the part you will remember years later.  It’s pretty intimidating from the top.  If you’ve never seen it from below you don’t really know what’s over the edge until get right up there and peek over.  This area is completely different from the other parts of the resort.  It’s a north-facing rocky bowl with few trees.  The view is spectacular, and the terrain is really steep in places, but manageable.  There is usually a less scary way to angle across the slope if you don’t want to go straight down a steep line.  There are lots of cliff bands.

Skier’s left is the more difficult side with some seriously steep pitches off West Ridge and a persistent cliff band across half of it.  Skier’s right is the easier side with a very approachable line that cuts the steepness considerably going down Upper Snow Valley.  This side faces the sun more so if it’s icy this is where you will find softer snow.  When snow depth is adequate, Snow Valley can be groomed, although this is rare.

The grooming of Snow Valley is a key piece that has to happen more often to make Bear a solid Tahoe alternative though.  Without Grizzly the vertical is just too limiting, yet due to the low base elevation of 6,600′ it’s only skiable some seasons less than 10 days (or not at all).  Out of 22 visits, we’ve only been able to ski it about 7 or 8 times because it usually ices up only a couple of days after a storm.  I skied it once on a day when all the recent pushed-around powder had refrozen.  It was some of the most difficult skiing I’ve ever done.

Powder day

A powder day on Grizzly is a unique experience.  In Tahoe this terrain would be completely tracked out in 2 hours with huge lift lines on the double Riblet.  This is not what happens at Bear.  Go ahead and take your time because there will be probably be plenty of lightly tracked lines until later in the day, and maybe even the next day if it stays cold.

The best run for me on a powder day is from the top of the Mokelumne Express entering the first gate on West Ridge.  Follow the razor-back ridge to the Fools Bowl area.  Ski the easier treed part and then cut over to Strawberry Fields below the cliff band.  One of those was in fact my best run of the 24/25 season.

If Grizzly isn’t open yet, Coral Ridge on the West side and the steep runs on the front side are your best options while waiting for control work to complete.

 

Skiers with the appropriate skills could spend most of the day exploring this lift when conditions are soft and coverage is good.  There are so many interesting lines that will get your heart pumping and give you a real sense of accomplishment and adventure.

Down to town

We never wanted to take the time required, but I’m told it’s a must-do to ski down Lunch Run or any of the numerous advanced runs on the village side when they are open.  These face mostly south so the snow has to be right. They have been planning to build a lift here for decades, but so far it hasn’t happened.  The forest service chose an alternative that will require 2 lifts to get up to the top of Koala ridge from the village when the latest master plan was approved.  The lower lift would load near the BV Lodge and the upper lift would serve only the Sunrise Bowl area with 75 acres of terrain. This will probably be a bridge too far financially for a limited lift-served skiing add, so I wouldn’t expect this any time soon.

Beginner terrain

Since the Cub chair was shortened in 2024, there are now 2 beginner ski pods on the front side which makes this a great place to learn. The next lift upgrade planned is rumored to be a replacement of the center-bar Super Cub chair which will be a welcome improvement further improving this terrain.  The biggest lift line on the mountain is often there due to the number of learners Bear attracts.

The good

• Usually uncrowded, the resort is a good choice for central-sierra skiers looking to get away from the bustle and expense of Tahoe.
• Highway 4 is an easy drive compared to 50 or 80 getting to Tahoe, or 108 to Dodge Ridge.
• They do a good job with grooming and it’s a friendly atmosphere.
• There are lots of shorter black runs available on the upper mountain and some really legit advanced/expert terrain on Grizzly when it’s open.
• The “Polar Express” lift on the West Side area has some great intermediate groomers.
• The main frontside ski pod now has a high-speed 6-pack “Mokelumne Express” which has an enormous capacity and is easy for families to load.
• Grizzly is a unique powder-day experience

The bad

• The low elevation means the bottom of the resort does not get or hold snow very long.
• The terrain is “upside-down”, with the most difficult terrain on the Grizzly chair at the bottom.  Obviously steep terrain at a low elevation is not a good combination due to icing.
• The Grizzly terrain rarely has any grooming or snowmaking so it usually opens late in the season and is only good a few select days due to the Spring freeze/thaw cycles.
• Although it does have a high-speed quad on the West Side and a 6-pack on the front, these  serve less than 1,000 feet of vertical, so it’s a quick ride up and run down.
• The lift upgrades were welcome, but they could really use a lodge upgrade and more snowmaking.

The bottom line

We really struggled with the star rating on this one because most days the skiable vertical drop is only 950′ which is well below the lower limit to even make it on the list.  It’s still fun but it isn’t a top 100 resort.  When Grizzly is open and skiable it’s really something special though — especially on a powder day.  Given that potential, we are giving it 3 stars with the understanding that you must ski it when Grizzly is open and has good snow to get that experience.  Other things that factor into the rating are the reliable snowfall, good grooming, easy access, and friendly culture.  If you are a Northern California skier and are tired of driving to Tahoe, give it a try!