As winter melts away, it's exciting to anticipate the summer season ahead. While this past winter didn't produce many big Sierra Nevada snowstorms, it did provide timely weather disturbances. Starting on Thanksgiving Day, the Bear Valley Adventure Company (BVAC) opened with cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing. The initial coverage was thin, but who cares when you are skiing in November?
As the season progressed, two colloquial phrases best described the winter of 2024/2025. The first expression, "The Battle Of Inches," referenced early-season storms that measured in inches, not feet. Many of these storms were warm, and there was a mixture of snow and rain in the meadow. While this is not ideal during the storm, a fresh, dense layer of snow is left behind once the storm passes. This condition led to our second phrase, "The Little Snowpack That Could." Coupled with post-storm cold temperatures and the sun's low angle in the sky, kept the shallow snowpack dense and durable. We were pleased that we could move and manipulate snow to maintain groomed trails and tubing hills with a below-average snowpack. At the end of the season on Easter Sunday, the Bear Valley Adventure Company offered 137 days of skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing.
BVAC takes a short break and plans to reopen the store and bike shop in mid-May. We have an exciting new fleet of electric and traditional mountain bikes that complement our kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals. Reba's Tollhouse Cafe will reopen on May 23rd, just before Memorial Day Weekend. Our winter wonderland is transforming into a summer paradise. Cheers!
