Spider Ski

You've heard of skiing at Lake Tahoe or Mammoth, but one of the best ski or snowboard you'll ever experience awaits you at Bear Valley, where the crowds are rare, but the sensations are numerous.

Although not on a par with Squaw Valley and Heavenly and other ski resorts in California, the Bear Valley ski area is always a prime candidate for a weekend or even holiday skiing. As we discovered in early February, Bear Valley offers a skiing experience surprisingly complete holiday - no frills, to be sure, but always rewarding and worth the trip deep into the Sierra Nevada.

If the designer clothing stores, condominiums zillion dollars, and glitter of Hollywood-style part of your criteria for a ski vacation, this ski may not be the best choice. If skiing wide open runs, no lift lines and lots of packed snow are more important to you, then by all means try to Bear Valley.

Coming to the origin of the Pacific Northwest, we could not help comparing Bear Valley at one of our favorite ski areas in Washington State - a place called Mission Ridge in a town called Wenatchee. The population in this part of the state are rare compared to the major ski areas near Seattle, so Mission Ridge is able to offer skiing wide open runs most days of the week.

Similarly, Bear Valley is less accessible than many ski areas in the greater Lake Tahoe. Bay Area and Sacramento residents can drive Interstate 80 to the Tahoe area and find a selection of ski resorts within a short distance from Interstate. To achieve this ski resort, you have to drive two-lane roads through the foothills and mountains almost 100 miles.

But when you get there, most skiers and snowboarders will find it worth it. Our mid-week skiing was one of the best we have seen - many wide open, maintained perfect way for intermediate and maintained by a number of lifts in which he seemed never to have lines. He was on the slopes, get the right chair and do everything again and again until a few hours in our day, we were more and more exhausted. We probably skied in four hours what we need to do a full day on a station with moderate lift lines.

There are no gondolas or high-speed quad chairlifts at Bear Valley, but there are 10 lifts altogether, mostly doubles and triples. Approximately 1280 hectares are available for skiing and snowboarding, some 100 acres in an area where they can make snow - but at 7750 feet, it is likely that Mother Nature provides all the snow you need.

We mentioned intermediate skiers because it is our favorite - but rest assured this area has many ski black diamond or expert trails for those looking for more of a challenge. The day lodge is located mid-mountain with lifts going both up the mountain to 8495 feet, and come to the lodge at the bottom of the mountain. Most tracks experts are on the lower mountain.

The day lodge also was wide open and easy to navigate. Instead of masses of people waiting online to get their food and find a place to sit, we strengthened the law and got our sandwiches cooked to order Philly cheesesteak in minutes. And there was no shortage of menu options - many different types of food from sandwiches to Asian cuisine, soups and salads to main meals.

But the experience of Bear Valley is much more than a tour - or at least he should be given the time it takes to get to the ski resort. For our trip we booked accommodation at the Lodge at Bear Valley, one of the few facilities of the hotel some type near the mountain. Located about three miles from the mountain, Bear Valley Lodge seems to be the hub of activity in the region and has proved to be a good choice for accommodation. While showing some of his age - it was built in the 60s - the Lodge proved to be a comfortable conventions.