California, Usa · Ikon
Big Bear
Ski Southern California's highest lift-served peak at 8,805ft. Three mountains — Bear Mountain, Snow Summit and Snow Valley — just 2 hours from LA.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
22 Nov 2025
Closes
26 Mar 2026
Days open
124
Annual snow
11ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Bear Mountain sits at the eastern end of Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino National Forest, reaching a summit of 8,805 feet at Geronimo Peak — the highest lift-served point in Southern California — with a base at 7,140 feet and a vertical drop of 1,665 feet. The 198 acres of skiable terrain across three peaks — Bear Peak, Silver Mountain and Goldmine Mountain — break down as 20% beginner, 33% intermediate, 33% advanced and 14% expert, making Bear Mountain the most technically demanding of the three mountains that make up Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Snow Summit and Snow Valley, both within 15 miles, complete the resort group under Alterra Mountain Company ownership, and a single Ikon Pass or daily lift ticket provides access across all three mountains on the same day. Snow Summit (peak 8,200 feet, 240 acres) focuses on intermediate and family terrain with direct views of Big Bear Lake, while Snow Valley (peak 7,841 feet) serves as the primary beginner and family mountain to the west.
Bear Mountain's most significant historical distinction is in freestyle: the Outlaw terrain park, built in 1992, was the first freestyle terrain park in North America, establishing a legacy that the mountain has built on ever since. Bear Mountain still operates the only halfpipes in Southern California and hosts the Hot Dawgz and Hand Rails freestyle competition, running since 2003 as one of the longest-running freestyle events in the US.
The broader resort's snowmaking infrastructure — more than 560 hydrants, 330 snow guns and 40 fans capable of converting 6,000 gallons of water to snow per minute — underpins reliable conditions across all three mountains from opening day, and Snow Summit was selected to host the inaugural Winter X Games in 1997, cementing the Big Bear area's standing in competitive winter sports history.
1,667ft
Vertical
29
Runs
198 acres
Skiable
11ft
Annual snow
Ikon
Pass
The Terrain
29 runs across 198 acres skiable
Big Bear spreads 29 runs across 198 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 33%, with 6 beginner runs to find your feet and 14 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
29
runs
29 runs across 4 grades
Beginner6 runs · 20%
Intermediate10 runs · 33%
Advanced10 runs · 33%
Expert4 runs · 14%
Time it right
When to visit Big Bear
Big Bear Mountain Resort operates from late November through to mid-April, with the 2025/26 season running 22 November to 12 April across the three mountains. The San Bernardino Mountains' position above the Los Angeles basin creates a distinct seasonal pattern: cold air pooling at elevation through winter combined with snowmaking water drawn from Big Bear Lake sustains the season across all three mountains regardless of natural accumulation patterns, which vary considerably year to year at this latitude.
The current 2025/26 season has recorded a base of around 36 inches as of early March with a season total of approximately 16 inches of natural snowfall, reflecting the supplementary snowmaking load the system regularly carries in lower-precipitation years. In strong snow years, the Big Bear mountains deliver considerably more natural cover, and the combination of elevation, aspect and snowmaking gives the resort the most operating days per season of any Southern California ski area.
The proximity to the Los Angeles metropolitan area shapes the seasonal rhythm more than at any comparable US ski resort: with 15 million people within a two-hour drive, Big Bear weekends during January and February fill quickly, and the resort's management of lift capacity, parking and snowmaking is oriented substantially around the Southern California day-trip market.
Midweek conditions are consistently less crowded, and the midweek season pass option reflects how significant that segment is to the resort's visitor profile. Night sessions at Snow Summit on select dates extend the usefulness of the trip for those arriving late from the city, and the combination of Snow Valley, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain across a single ski day gives visitors more terrain variety than any other Southern California destination.
Season 2025 - 2026
22 Nov 2025
Opens
26 Mar 2026
Closes
124
Days open
11 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Big Bear, and where to stay
Bear Mountain sits in the San Bernardino National Forest in the Big Bear Valley, approximately 100 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and 25 miles northeast of San Bernardino. The primary access routes are California State Route 18 via Highway 330 from Redlands off Interstate 10, or the more scenic State Route 38 along the Big Bear Scenic Byway — both climbs of around 5,000 feet from the valley floor to the resort.
The drive from central Los Angeles takes approximately two hours under normal freeway conditions, making Big Bear the closest major ski destination to one of the world's largest urban populations and explaining why Snow Summit, Bear Mountain and Snow Valley collectively represent one of the highest-visitor-volume ski operations in the US by sheer throughput. Chain controls are enforced regularly on the access roads during winter storm conditions, and the resort recommends checking Caltrans chain control status before departure.
Big Bear Lake township at 6,752 feet sits immediately adjacent to the ski area and provides the full range of accommodation, dining and après-ski options within a few minutes of all three mountains. The lake itself — around nine miles long and the largest freshwater lake in Southern California — is the source of the resort's snowmaking water supply and gives the valley its distinctive high-desert alpine character, surrounded by Jeffrey pine and white fir forest on the upper slopes.
San Bernardino International Airport is the closest commercial gateway, approximately 40 miles west via Highway 330, with Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport offering broader connections for visitors flying in. The Big Bear Valley's position in the San Bernardino Mountains above the Mojave Desert and Coachella Valley creates weather patterns where clear, cold nights and sunny daytime conditions dominate much of the ski season, with the snowmaking system bridging the gaps when Pacific storm systems track north of the region.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Big Bear, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
22 Aug 2026
Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season
Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.
22 Aug 2026
Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026
Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.
21 Aug 2026
Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair
Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.
20 Aug 2026
Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter
Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.
19 Aug 2026
Levi and Ruka Confirm October 2 Opening on Farmed Summer Snow
Finland's Levi and Ruka open for the 2026-27 season on October 2, more than seven weeks before most of Europe sees a lift turn. Neither resort is waiting on autumn snowfall - both are skiing on snow buried since last spring, insulated through the Finnish summer and dug back out for opening day. It is not a shortcut. It is a decades-old system now spreading from the Arctic Circle to Idaho, Utah, Vermont and Colorado. Here is how snow farming actually works, and why it is catching on.
19 Aug 2026
Sölden's Old Einzeiger Chairlift Gets a Second Life in Montafon
Silvretta Montafon is replacing its ageing Freda chairlift - but not with something new. The resort is having a 1999 four-seater chairlift, retired from Sölden, dismantled, shipped to Vorarlberg and rebuilt with new electronics, cable and clamps. It has to be running before March 2027, when Silvretta Montafon hosts the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships - the biggest winter sports event Vorarlberg has staged. Here's how a reused lift ends up cheaper.
18 Aug 2026
Live webcams
4 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Big Bear's live webcams
Check live conditions across Big Bear with 4 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Bear Peak Summit7,700ft
- Big bear live cam at the highest point in Southern California skiing — Bear Peak summit at 2347 meters, where the Geronimo chair delivers riders to terrain that 15 million people within a two-hour drive have made the most-visited ski mountain cluster in the United States. This Big Bear webcam delivers real-time summit visibility and snow condition updates across the resort's most demanding runs, where 14% expert and 33% advanced terrain drops from the summit toward the Outlaw terrain park below — home of North America's first freestyle park, built here in 1992. The essential upper-mountain reference before targeting Bear Mountain's steepest inbounds skiing or the halfpipes that remain the only ones operating in Southern California.
- Midway Chair 57,201ft
- Big bear webcam at the Chair 5 midway terminal at 2195 meters, positioned at the convergence of intermediate terrain where the majority of Bear Mountain's 29 runs intersect the resort's main uphill artery. This Big Bear live cam monitors slope activity, lift loading and mid-mountain snow quality in real-time — the most operationally useful perspective for intermediate skiers planning their route through a three-peak ski area where Snow Valley, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are all skiable on a single daily ticket. A reliable conditions reference for the LA-basin weekend crowd checking crowd levels before committing to the two-hour drive up from the San Bernardino valley.
- Beginner Area6,798ft
- Cameras in big bear at their most family-focused — this live cam at the dedicated beginner zone at 2072 meters monitors the learning terrain where Southern California's next generation of skiers is taking first turns on snow manufactured by the most powerful snowmaking infrastructure in the state. This Big Bear ca camera gives parents and instructors a real-time view of conditions and lesson activity in the resort's separated beginner zone, where snow quality is maintained regardless of natural accumulation through a 560-hydrant system drawing from Big Bear Lake below. A practical pre-visit reference for families making the two-hour drive from Los Angeles with first-timers in tow.
- Base Area6,699ft
- Big bear cam at the primary resort hub at 2042 meters — the operational nerve centre where arrivals flow from the parking areas, lift tickets are processed and the morning crowd begins its ascent of a mountain that draws more visitors from a single metro area than almost any other ski destination in the US. This Big Bear live cam monitors base conditions, queue build-up and weather at the foot of the terrain that made Bear Mountain the site of the inaugural Winter X Games at nearby Snow Summit in 1997. The first stop for checking resort status and timing your arrival before the weekend crowds from Los Angeles reach the San Bernardino Mountains.
Big Bear snow cams FAQ
How often do Big Bear snow cams update?
All Big Bear snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Big Bear.
Which Big Bear webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Bear Peak Summit webcam at 2,347m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Big Bear webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Big Bear lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Big Bear snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Big Bear snow cams?
Check Big Bear webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Big Bear lift tickets?
Use our Big Bear webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Big Bear webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Big Bear snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Big Bear intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.