Big Bear Snow Conditions
It’s no secret that there is snow in the mountains, and everyone wants to come up and enjoy the bounty. Here are the conditions and some suggestions for your trip up here.
First all roads are closed coming up here for the following reasons. Caltrans is working around the clock to remove snow, rock fall and abandoned vehicles so that they can widen the snow removal that they have already done on the roads. Check the Caltrans website to get road conditions before you come up. Check highway 330, 18 and 38. Also supply trucks can’t get up here right now without an escort. So, we are getting low on food in the stores and at one time we only had gas at one gas station. This won’t work if we have 20,000 people come up the mountain for the weekend. We must make the roads wider because we are going to have people block the roads because of the conditions. Without a wider road we can’t get emergency vehicles to them to remove them and unblock the road. Speaking of emergency services. Without a wider road there will be no emergency services of any kind that can respond within a reasonable time. Without a wider road we can’t get supply trucks up here. There is a tremendous amount of gas, food etc. that has to come up the mountain to support 20,000 people. You can do yourself a big favor if you can gas up before you come up the mountain and bring your own food for meals or snacks, or enjoy some of your dinning in The Village in one of the restaurants (if they get supplies). Tesla owners charge your car before you come up and as soon as possible once you come up. Your battery won’t hold a charge in the cold up here like it will down the hill.
Speaking of cold, be ready for temperatures with a high of 38 on a good day (the high yesterday was 21) and a low of 15 at night. Add a little wind and you can drop 10 degrees off those numbers. For instance right now Tuesday at 4pm, it is 25 with a wind chill of 16.
Make sure you already have a reservation for lodging. Most places will be sold out for the next few weeks.
Make sure you bring chains and you put them on, even if you have 4wd. On the roads when you are coming up they are making everyone put their chains on. Practice putting them on before you come up and make sure they fit correctly. Putting on chains for the first time in a snowstorm, or at night in the wind when it is 15 degrees out will not be pleasant if they don’t fit. The faster you can put them on the quicker you can get back inside that warm vehicle. There may be people at the chain stops to put your chains on but be prepared to pay $100-150.
Be patient on your way up the mountain and it town. There is going to be a long line coming up the mountain and in town and there are going to be delays. Have food and water in the vehicle with you. And don’t forget to put your warm jacket within reach in case you have a delay of several hours on the mountain. You might want to turn the vehicle off on long delays and your jacket will keep you warm.
Once you get here, unless you have a snow removal service get ready to shovel. The first picture (taken Sunday) is the path to my entrance way. The second picture (taken Sunday) is the snow / ice berm that the snowplow put in front of my driveway. It took me 2 hours to remove the berm because it is mostly ice. Have the right equipment to remove snow. The third picture is my arsenal that I use. A broom to sweep the steps and near the front door from snow that is blown from the wind. A wide mouth aluminum shovel for light snow and a metal square shovel for the berm. If you don’t have a metal square shovel buy one before you come up. They will be sold out up here. And that will be your most useful tool.
If you bring your dog up here and want to take your dog out in the snow, remember what kind of dog you have. Some dogs handle the cold and snow better than others. We have a basset mix, with 4 inch legs. Max (see video 1) is good for about 15 to 30 minutes in the snow. We also have Jack a 95-pound lab (see video 2) that loves the snow who enjoys hiking with me in the snow and can go all day in the cold. Also notice my dogs are on a leash. We have coyotes come up to the house often. They look at Max as a meal, Jack not so much, but he would get torn up or killed if there were 3 or more hungry coyotes in the area. The coyotes up here will size up and go after any small dog and look at the possibilities with a large dog. If you take your dog out I suggest you always carry a stout walking stick with you in case of an attack on your dog.
One last thing, if you are skiing do not go to the other side of the mountain in the out-of-bounds area. As most of you know I am on the Search and Rescue team up here in Big Bear Lake. We had to rescue 4 snow boarders who wanted to hit some fresh powder on the other side of the mountain. Don’t do it. It will be very difficult to get back up to the resort if you can. But more than likely you are going to need us to come and get you. And depending on how busy we are, that may not be for several hours or the next day. You won’t enjoy spending the night on the mountain.
Remember to have patience and fun!
March 1 update.
We had about 1.5 to 2 feet of additional snow last night and it will continue until about 9 pm tonight. Pictures 4 and 5 is what I woke up to this morning on my front entrance. At 8 am the CHP was escorting residents up the mountain but there are still vehicles that are left on the road, semi blocking the roads. The new snow has delayed their removal. They hope to get supply trucks up here possibly today but tomorrow is more realistic. There is very little diesel fuel up here with rumors of it selling at $20 a gallon if you can find it. Also the ski resorts have closed today because of conditions. Winds are 20 to 30 mph. At 11 am the roads are closed to all travel. They are trying to set up some supply convoys with fuel, food and medicine for the pharmacies. We were hoping that we would be open for the weekend but I think next week is more realistic. The people who live up here are helping each other when needed. Everyone is checking in with each other. And with just a few incidents of help needed reported, overall everyone is fine. We will take care of the mountain for you and get it in shape to have people up as soon as possible.
I will keep you posted.
