Watch out Vail Resorts, California's Mammoth Mountain is looking to steal your thunder with the announcement today that it will acquire Big Bear Mountain Resorts for $38 million. This includes both Bear Mountain and Snow Summit which together account for nearly 800,000 winter visits annually, most of them skiers and snowboarders from the surf-addicted Los Angeles area. And while $38 million is a far cry from the $182.5 million Vail just paid for Park City Mountain Resort, this is big news for the ski industry. Even in the midst of a devastating California drought, Mammoth Mountain is the third most frequented ski resort in the US, with 1.3-1.5 million annual skier visits. Adding the Big Bear area ski resorts to its lineup will create one of the nation's largest ski companies.
Mammoth Resorts will now own and operate four ski areas: Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. This amounts to 5,888 skiable acres, 8,319 vertical feet, 61 lifts, 240 named trails, 8 terrain parks, 6 half pipes, and 2 super pipes. And perhaps the best news for skiers and snowboarders is the announcement that a new season pass will provide unrestricted access to all four mountains.
The (unfortunately) named Cali4nia Pass will go on sale this Saturday, September 27 and cost $689 for adults. No word on why exactly the pass needed to include a number, à la text-speak, but it does offer a good value for California skiers.
Snow lovers can also expect new expansion and construction projects in the coming months at all of the resorts, so stay tuned.
· Mammoth Mountain [Official Site]
· Big Bear Mountain Resorts [Official Site]
· Take A Look at This Mammoth Mountain Trail Map From 1965 [Curbed Ski]
· What Vail's Purchase of Park City Means for Skiers This Year [Curbed Ski]
· Which Ski Resort Has The Most Skiing in North America? [Curbed Ski]
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