Snow Valley Mountain Resort
Snow Valley Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Running Springs, California, United States. It is the oldest continually operating ski resort in Southern California and is also one of four ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest.
| Snow Valley Mountain Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Snow Valley Mountain Resort Location in California  Snow Valley Mountain Resort Snow Valley Mountain Resort (the United States) | |
| Location | Running Springs San Bernardino County, California |
| Nearest major city | Running Springs, California |
| Coordinates | 34.223375°N 117.037423°W |
| Vertical | 1,041 ft (317 m) |
| Top elevation | 7,841 ft (2,390 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,800 ft (2,100 m) |
| Skiable area | 240 acres (97 ha) |
| Runs | 29 total 14% easiest 45% More difficult 31% Most difficult 10% Experts only[1] |
| Lift system | 13 lifts: 1 Six Person High Speed Detachable, 6 Double, 5 Triple, 1 conveyor |
| Lift capacity | Six Person Detachable - 2,600 riders per hour |
| Terrain parks | The Edge, East Bowl |
| Snowfall | 150 inches (380 cm)[2] |
| Night skiing | Yes |
| Website | www.snow-valley.com/ |
Originally named "Fish Camp" for the pond located in the area, the site was developed into a roadside resort and lumber mill in the 1920s by the Swetkowich brothers. In the 1930s the slopes were developed for tobogganing and skiing by the Arrowhead Springs Corporation, which named the development Snow Valley.[3] The resort featured one of the first overhead cable ski lifts.[4] In 1940 the resort was purchased by Norwegian-American ski jump champion Johnny Elvrum, who expanded it.[3]
In 1974 W.R. Sauey became the owner of Snow Valley. His company the Nordic Group owns and operates Snow Valley. [5]
The resort operates under Special Use Permit from the United States Forest Service.[6]
Lifts
The facilities include 12 Lifts: 1 six-passenger, high-speed chair; 5 double chairs, 5 triple chairs, 2 surface lifts/moving carpets.[7] The main lift, lift 1, dubbed "Snow valley express" travels 4,558 feet to Race Peak and can carry up to 6. Once at Race peak there are multiple runs down, most notably 'the edge' terrain park, upper/lower wine rock, and Mambo alley.[8]
The previous main lift of the resort is lift 1, which was 4,701 feet long. It had a mid station that is right next to a restaurant called "Dear Meadow Grille". When at the top, it leads to moderate, advanced, and expert runs. When lift 1 is busy, another lift that goes a little lower than lift 1 is called lift 2. It goes 3,688 feet, and unloads skiers at a little hill called Race Peak. From here, there is one intermediate run, and 4 advanced runs. Most of these advanced runs are closed at the beginning and end of the season due to a lack of natural snow.
References
- "Snow Report - Snow Valley Trails". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
- "Southern California Ski Area Analysis." Archived 2005-02-12 at the Wayback Machine BestSnow.net. Retrieved on 2010-12-16.
- "The History of Running Springs". The Rim of the World Historical Society. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- "The History of Skiing in Los Angeles, California". Pacific Rim Snow Sports Alliance. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- "About Us". Snow Valley Mountain Resort. Retrieved on 2010-12-31.
- "about snow valley - 1938". Snow-valley. Snow Valley LLC. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- "trail map". Snow-Valley. SNOW VALLEY, LLC. Retrieved 2 February 2021.