Bear Creek PR

Yes, we did welcome 4 new employees a few days ago. They are going to be working all summer on the mountain, clearing the brush between the trails.

Yes, it is true that the pond is almost 80 feet long. It will be located at the base of the halfpipe. Participants will actually ski/ride through the pipe and across the pond at the bottom. Also, there is no cost just to watch, but if you will be skiing or riding you'll need a lift ticket and they will be regular price.

It's that time of year again! Bear Creek will be holding our annual Beach Bash & Pond Skimming on Sunday, March 19th at 1pm. Participation is free and costumes are encouraged. Registration will take place until noon at Guest Services. (Although we have no age requirements, participants under 18 must have a parent/guardian signature to participate.) Specators welcome!

Bear Creek hasn't yet set an official closing date. However, I can tell you that the last day for snowtubing will be March 12. After that, the snowtube area will be turned back into a big hit terrain park, like it was at the beginning of the season. Also (and this isn't official yet), but we are hoping to remain open into April with just Black Bear Park, Cascade Park and Kodiak. If this happens, the rental shop and ski school will close, and we'll probably stay open just evening and weekends.

Ok, it's official: the Halfpipe Comp will be taking place tonight as planned. See you there!

Ok guys, here is the info. We are considering postponing it. Chuck (who runs the comps) just got in a few minutes ago. We're going to take a look at the forecast, check out some other possible dates and get back to you with a final decision within an hour. Also, the judging criteria I posted earlier is not correct- your score will be determined by the best of two runs. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks, Mary

The competition will be judged on the following three criteria: 1. Overall Impression 2. Trick Attack (variety/difficulty/execution) 3. Technical (take off/landing, amplitude, speed) Each competitor will get two runs and the best combined score wins.

Tommorow night will be the final event in the SHOWDOWN series, a Halfpipe Competition. Registration takes place from 4-5:30 at Guest Services and is limited to 30 competitors in each division. The event will start at 6. Immediately following the Halfpipe awards ceremony, we will be annoucing the overall winners of the SHOWDOWN series.

As of Thursday night, Bear Creek has created a new terrain park on Lower Grizzly. This is a family terrain park that we have designed to introduce families and novice skiers/riders to proper terrain park use and etiquette (including the Smart Style message and terrain park safety). This park features smaller, easier jumps and rails. Next time you're up at Bear Creek, check it out and let us know what you think!

All Bear Creek park users are invited to join us to express your ideas for our terrain parks. Skier or snowboarder, beginner or expert, this is your time to be a part of the bear creek park building process. Join management, groomers, and park crew in an informal discussion on the progression of our parks. The forum will go down on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 at 5pm. You can find the forum in the banquet hall, upstairs from the grille. Bear creek has always strived for rider driven parks and this is your chance to rise up and be heard. See you there!

Don't forget to check out the third event in the SHOWDOWN competition series- a Slopestyle event taking place next Thursday, February 23 at 6pm. Registration will take place from 4-5:30 at Guest Services. Divisions are limited to 30 competitors in each. The fee to enter is $10. See you there!

Here is the information for this Thursday's Best Trick Competition. REGISTRATION takes place from 4-5:30pm at Guest Services. Registration is limited to 30 competitors in each division (first come, first served). The divisions are 12 & Under (combined ski & board), Women's (combined ski & board), Skier Novice, Skier Expert, Snowboard Novice, Snowboard Intermediate and Snowboard Expert. Registration fee is $10 and a valid lift ticket or season pass is required. Helmets are also required. FORMAT Practice for competitors starts at 4:30. The competition starts at 6. Each competitor will get 2 runs and only the best run counts. The order of competition will be 12 & Under, Women, Snowboard Expert, Skier Expert, Snowboard Intermediate, Skier Novice, Snowboard Novice. JUDGING Competitors will be scored by a panel of 3 judged based on these 3 criteria: Overall Impression, Trick Attack (variety/difficulty/execution) and Technical (take off & landing/amplitude/speed). Points awarded are 5 for first place, 3 for second place, 2 for third place and 1 for fourth place JEEP KING OF THE MOUNTAIN This competition is a local qualifier for the Jeep King of the Mountain competition series. The top 3 skiers and snowboarders for both men & women will receive invitations to compete at a regional event. For more information, visit the Jeep KOM website

Here are the details for the MASS comp this weekend at Bear Creek. Registration takes place each morning from 7:30-8:30am. Participants must have a USASA license ($60) and pay a $20 bib deposit to enter. Also, competitors will need a valid Bear Creek season pass or lift ticket. (Lift tickets will be available for a discounted cost to competitors.) Practice takes place from 9am-9:45am and the competition starts at 10am and lasts until about 5 or so. Black Bear Park will be closed Saturday during the Slopestyle competition. The halfpipe will be closed on Sunday (and possibly on Saturday to prepare it for Sunday's comp.) If you have additional questions about the competitions, visit the MASS website or call 570-643-3128.

Bear Creek is working on building a beginner's terrain park which will be available as soon as Mother Nature allows us to make some more snow. The features in this park will be smaller and less intimidating- and will be a great way for your son to learn. We currently do have a beginner box at our Ski School, and your son is welcome to use this at any time (with or without a lesson).

We haven't yet chosen a date for our SHOWDOWN Halfpipe comp, but it looks like it will be sometime next month (possibly either the 2nd or the 16th). As soon as we get a date, we'll let you know. The competitions scheduled for the end of this month are MASS events: the 28th is a Slopestyle comp and the 29th is a Halfpipe comp.

Ok guys, here is the lowdown on tonight's event. First of all, it WILL be taking place, so no need to worry about that. We are opening the course at 4:30pm for practice (for registered competitors only). The registration will take place from 4:30-5:30 at the Guest Services desk. We are limiting the number of competitors in each division (up to 30 in Skier Expert, Board Expert and Board Intermediate, and up to 15 in all the rest). The 12 & Under, Women's and Ski and Board Novice divisions will get one prelim run and the top 3 will advance to the final round. In the Skier Expert, Board Expert and Board Novice divisions, the competitors will get two prelim runs and the top 5 will advance to the final round. For tonight's event, you will be judged on Overall Impresssion, Trick Attack (variety/difficulty) and Technical Skill (takeoff/landing, amplitude, speed). Also, on the registration form we ask for your spin direction. However, if you are dropping in switch, you can always raise your hand to signal that you're doing so. Let me know if there are any other questions!

Yes, we still have snow and will be open on Saturday!

Not necessarily. If we get a huge turnout of skiers and have the need to add another division we will do so.

Thanks for your suggestions. However, we wouldn't be able to classify our competition divisions by age. We have some riders here that are only 14 or 15 who blow away the guys in their early 20's. Also, we have people of all ages who are beginners because age doesn't have a lot to do with the time anyone has spent in the Parks freesking or riding. It has always worked best for us to classify competitors by ability level to ensure that everything stays fair.

Yes, we're hoping to make snow tonight!

If you have a specific question about your division, shoot me an email to maryb@skibearcreek.com, and I'll make sure that our TP Crew or the SHOWDOWN judges help you out.

I don't post conditions here because it is generally easier for you to hop on Bear Creek's website to get an updated report. You can find the conditions page here.Conditions Report To answer your question about the our trails, currently Bear Pass and Extreme are the only ones closed.

Basically, we allow participants to place themselves in the division they feel is most appropriate. However, our judges will move competitors to another division if they feel that have been placed in the wrong one. If you're not sure where you belong, our terrain park crew will be more than happy to talk to you and help you make the decision. And no, we do not have an Intermediate Skier division at this time. This is because in our past competitions we have always had many more snowboarders enter than skiers. However, if the numbers grow for skiers, we will certainly add an Intermediate division.

Yes, we will survive the rain. The decision to postpone the comp was made so that we have time to make more snow and provide competitors with the best possible Slopestyle course.

Due to the warm conditions and the coming rain, Bear Creek is postponing the SHOWDOWN Slopestyle competition scheduled for this Thursday. The competition will now be held next Thursday, January 12th. Thanks for your understanding, and we hope to see you there!