Media Alert
BEAR VALLEY EXPANDS MANAGEMENT TEAM WITH MOUNTAIN AND SNOWMAKING EXPERTS
New Additions Bring the “Best of the Best” to Deliver on Next Phase of Mountain Development
November 26, 2007– BEAR VALLEY, Calif. – Moving ahead on its development plans, Bear Valley today announced the addition of two seasoned veterans to its management team. Clayton Rasmussen will take the lead as Director of Mountain Operations for the resort and Dave Hager will join him as the Snowmaking Manager.
Each of these men brings a strong foundation to the Bear Valley management team. Clayton has a deep family history in Bear Valley and is no stranger to snow sports. His father, Maury Rasmussen, founded Mt. Reba back in 1967. His son Kyle was a champion World Cup and U.S. Olympic skier in the Albertville ’92, Lillehamer ’94, and Nagano ’98 Winter Games. Clayton himself worked at Bear Valley Mountain resort for 37 years before retiring in 2004. Over these years, he worked in nearly every area of the resort including snow removal, café management; lift operations and finishing up as mountain manager. Clayton’s family roots and infinite knowledge of Bear Valley Mountain Resort will help him build the foundation for a strong operating team as development continues.
Rasmussen said, “Being here for 37 years—starting as the young kid on the block and sticking around long enough to be the old guy around, you see a lot of things. One thing I see in Bear Valley is a lot of promise. Building this resort to be a premier family resort with the classy feeling it had in the 70’s will take commitment and work. I take great pride in helping make it happen.”
Dave Hager joins Bear Valley as the manager of snowmaking and snow removal bringing over 22 years of experience to the mountain. The addition of Hager and members of his expert snowmaking team is a significant step for Bear Valley Mountain Resort. Hager comes to Bear Valley Mountain resort from areas where snowmaking was crucial to business. From his previous work Angel Fire in New Mexico to Big Bear in Southern California, Hagar’s team pride lies in their ability to make snow fall on any mountain they’re working on, regardless of their geographic location.
“The management team is taking shape as we move forward with building a premier family resort,” said Martin Wegenstein, CEO, Bear Valley Resort Group. “We are focused on assembling the team that will drive the development plans for Bear Valley’s future. The addition of Clayton and Dave brings the knowledge and expertise needed to improve our slopes and enable Bear Valley to deliver the ultimate mountain experience to our guests.”
New at Bear Valley this Season
Bear Valley, one of California’s premier family destinations, will soon kick off the 2007/2008 winter season with new and improved facilities and programs. This year Bear Valley celebrates its 40th anniversary and will offer special deals throughout the year for its visitors. Starting now, visitors can take advantage of the new CEO Special on adult season passes, which are now priced at $459--$40 off the regular price in honor of Bear Valley’s 40th anniversary.
New this year, families can take advantage of all new “Fresh Tracks” guided tours, family communication centers throughout the lodge, and the latest Rossignol skis and Dalbello boots in the children’s rental fleet. Return visitors can now take advantage of the Express Rental Reservation Center which will capture prior reservation information and quickly outfit repeat visitors with state of the art equipment. This new system eliminates the time needed for check-in and equipment rental and speeds the time from the car to the mountaintop. Once on the mountain, visitors can take full advantage of the mountain’s 1,280 acres of varied terrain, 67 runs, 1900 vertical feet and 30 feet of average annual snowfall. From expanded terrain parks to new visitor services, the winter season at Bear Valley promises to be better than ever.
About Bear Valley
Conveniently located on scenic Highway 4 in the central Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California, Bear Valley Mountain Resort is the premier year-round family destination. The area boasts 1,280 acres of varied terrain, over 67 runs including four terrain parks, 1900 vertical feet and 30 feet of average annual snowfall. More information is available at www.bearvalley.com.
Bear Valley Mountain Resort is operated under special use permit on the Stanislaus National Forest
