Nearly $1 million in enhancements at Snow Valley Mountain Resort await skiers and snowboarders for the 2019-2020 Winter Season in the San Bernardino Mountains. Improvements at Southern California’s longest continuously operating ski area include increased access to legendary Slide Peak, brand new rental equipment and a faster equipment rental process, 100% expansion of Snow Play/sledding lanes, and new alfresco drinking and dining options. These and other improvements come on top of Snow Valley’s $8 Million investment over the past three winter seasons, including expanded snowmaking and opening Southern California’s only six-person high-speed chairlift.
More Advance-Intermediate and Expert skiing and snowboarding: Snow Valley invested approximately $500,000 to increase access to its legendary Slide Peak, which offers some of Southern California’s steepest descents, with a pitch of 35 degrees. During winter 2019-2020, these runs should be open earlier in the season than ever before thanks to a new brush-clearing program that so manicured the runs they can now be opened with minimal snowfall. And the three chairlifts serving Slide Peak’s several challenging runs have been upgraded too. The performance of lifts 8, 9, and 11 will all benefit from over $250,000 in electronics upgrades. Special thanks for help with “summer grooming” goes to volunteers from the ski team at RIM of the World High School, which call Snow Valley its home mountain. The students helped clear the runs of obstacles of any height that would require extra inches of snow for safe coverage.
New Snow Valley Rental Shop: A faster and friendlier approach to providing rental equipment at Snow Valley will accommodate more people in less time and make it easier for first time and near newbies to participate in snow sports and stick with it. More staff, a greeting desk to field guests’ questions, an enhanced flow-path and new, custom software all contribute to a streamlined rental process. By making the rental process faster than ever, Snow Valley guests will spend more time on the mountain and less time in line. This includes Snow Valley’s first “boot bridge,” more DIN stations to set boots, skis and bindings -and hundreds of brand-new Head skis, snowboards, boots and helmets for adults and kids, including the latest technology to improve everyone’s skiing and snowboarding.
More Snow Play: Southern California’s only lift-served sledding will be better than ever for winter 2019-2020, with the number of sledding lanes doubling to as many as 15, thanks to Snow Valley’s investment in a new "tube shaper." This will delight non-skiers/snowboarders that want to enjoy beautiful winter mountains -and skiers and snowboarders that want to sled too. Snow Valley's Snow Play area is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Snow Play is lift served Fridays through Sundays and during holiday periods. Other days, sledders walk up the hill. Sleds are always included with Snow Valley’s Snow Play lift tickets.
Greener Operations & Better Night Skiing & Riding: Snow Valley has reduced its carbon footprint while improving its night skiing by initiating the replacement of all traditional lighting with the latest LED products designed to dramatically reduce energy consumption. The new LED products are USA engineered and manufactured and leverage superior optical and thermal management systems to deliver whiter, brighter lighting that improves safety and visibility. Night skiing and snowboarding until 8 p.m. is offered on select weekends and holiday periods.
New Alfresco Drinking & Dining: Offering arguably the best mountain vista of any Southern California ski area base, the “Chalet Deck” at Snow Valley debuts in winter 2019-2020 two alpine gazebos serving food and drinks perfect and convenient for an alfresco lunch and après ski. Menu offerings will change throughout the season, but look for many micro brews, brats, burgers and fresh soups and salads. (Patio heaters?). Some may want to take their food to go, and head to the new “Mountain Top Terrace” above the Snow Valley Express chairlift. In addition to comfortable, picnic table seating with a million-dollar view, guests will find new interpretive maps detailing the many mountain peaks of the surrounding San Bernardino Mountains. These new food and beverage additions complement a wide variety of menu options served in the sit-down dining area of the knotty pine Chalet building and, weather permitting, the Deer Meadow Grille’s outdoor patio and full bar, with dramatic views from the base of chair 3. The après-ski all star is the Last Run Lounge, with hot-drinks, microbrews, fine wines, a full bar and appetizers.
About Snow Valley Mountain Resort: Home of Southern California's only six-person chairlift, Snow Valley is located in the San Bernardino Mountains in Running Springs, CA. Snow Valley is Southern California's most versatile ski area and Southern California's #1 "Beginner Friendly Resort," according to Liftopia's "2018-2019 Best in Snow Awards." This honors salute Snow Valley's fantastic Snow Sports School. Meanwhile, advanced skiers and snowboarders love Snow Valley's Slide Peak, a legendary Southern California slope with a 35-degree pitch. Snow Valley is one of the largest resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest, with 1,041 feet of vertical drop, a summit of 7,841 feet and base at 6,800 feet -all spread across 240 acres of skiable terrain. Its longest run is one mile. Snow Valley has a lounge with full bar, food outlets, a large retail Sport Shop offering the biggest brands in snow sports, and rental and repair shops. For more information see Snow-Valley.com.
