BIG BEAR, Calif. — Big Bear Mountain Resort is making history this weekend by opening its Snow Valley Bike Park for the 2025 season more than a month ahead of schedule — and while snow still blankets parts of the mountain.
In a surprise announcement, resort officials revealed that skiing and mountain biking will take place simultaneously for the first time ever. Beginning Saturday, April 19, visitors can hit both the slopes and the trails, depending on where they start.
Big Bear Mountain Resort (BBMR) operates across three base areas: Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, and Snow Valley. This layout allows the resort to offer skiing and snowboarding at Bear Mountain while opening mountain biking at Snow Valley.
Although trail crews are still preparing the terrain, most of the Snow Valley Bike Park’s routes will be open this weekend.
Only Quick Draw and Bandit trails will remain closed for now. The rest are expected to be ready for riders thanks to ongoing work by the BBMR trail team.
Justin Kanton, Director of Advertising and Public Relations at BBMR, explained that several factors allowed for the early bike park opening. “With warmer temps, the snow at Valley was melting out fast enough that an early opening was made possible,” he said. “The trail crew is putting in some serious work to make it happen, and the result is added value to our season pass holders.”
Kanton added that the lingering moisture from the melting snow is creating ideal trail conditions. “We’re looking at a 7-month-long season, weather permitting,” he said.
For now, Snow Valley Bike Park will operate on weekends only through the first weekend of June. After that, the park will shift to full-week operations. Meanwhile, BBMR also announced that the Summit Bike Park is tentatively scheduled to open June 6, depending on trail conditions.
Skiers can still enjoy lift access at Bear Mountain, with chairs 4, 5, and 9 spinning this weekend. As the resort balances two different sports seasons, it’s offering a rare experience for visitors to enjoy the best of both worlds — skiing and biking — on the same trip.