When Will "Grizz" Get Open????

"Grizz" the typical name that refers to Grizzly Bowl and Snow Valley. Bear Valley's Famed lower mountain for expert riders, where as Powder Magazine put it "the place Bear Valley hides its secret stashes of steeps and chutes...a laid back hill where you can find Fresh tracks all the time". Yes, I know the spot - so when is it going to open?

Well, while we finally enjoyed a bunch of snow at Bear Valley Mountain Resort - nearly 3 feet at Bear Top, elevation 8,500 feet. It also snowed about 18 inches at the midway base lodge elevation 7,750. The bottom of Grizzly is 6,600 feet, and it received about an inch of rain and about 6 inches of snow. That 6 inches fell on top of about 6 inches already on the ground, totaling about a 12 inch base. If you have ever spent any quality time on the lower mountain you are very aware that the rocks and boulders are significantly larger than 8 inches. In fact a majority of those features are 4 to 5 feet tall, not to mention the willows, streams, stumps and logs all of which are in excess of 8 inches. It is a fairly commonly known fact that when it snows, the higher elevations collect more snow than do the valleys, that particular fact is no different here at Bear Valley.

If you caught the news and weather last night, Squaw Valley had an amazing 3 feet of new snow, at their summit -- but only 6 inches at the base of the mountain. Funny how that works !!

So back to the real issue "WHEN"? If you can tell me the day and time it will snow about 5 to 6 more feet - at our mid mountain snow stake - I will tell you within 48hrs of that time, when it will be open. That 6 feet should equate to 3 to 4 feet at the bottom of Grizzly. Pending of course where the snow level is, meaning, it could be snowing at mid mountain and raining a 1,000 feet lower. In the business we refer to that as the "snow line".

An indicator you can use - If you live in the area or when you are driving to Bear Valley Mountain Resort, you pass and area called Cottage Springs (el. 6,000ft) yes it is slightly lower than the bottom of Grizzly Bowl but "bear" with me here, it's a landmark you can use and relate to. First picture the Cottage Springs base area where the lifts are, strewn with 4 feet tall granite boulders, fallen logs, 3 feet or longer, and several open streams running through the area, then take a look at how much snow is currently on the ground, now you have an indication of the snow depth at the bottom of Grizzly.

While we all promote, measure and get excited about the snow at the top or mid-mountain, the fact is - we need to manage the snow to the lowest denominator, at the bottom of each trail. The whole trail needs to be skiable not just the top half.

The Ski Patrol is monitoring the terrain after each storm, our lift dept is standing by, and believe it or not - we enjoy skiing and boarding the lower mountain as much if not more than you - WE WANT IT OPEN TOO!!!!