Central California

trying to keep the good vibes going

Bear Valley is hosting the Rasmussen Classic slalom race this weekend. Come watch young Owen and the rest of the DRRT monkeys take on China Peak, Badger Pass and Bear Valley racers.

Attachment 149076

ALSO

There is a Jib Jam event on Saturday, to take place of the postponed skier/boarder cross race that was scheduled for this weekend.

Attachment 149075

Registration runs from 9-10:30 am in the Sunroom. All the fun starts at 11 am near the Kuma Chair. Entrance fee is only $10 (for all ages). Half of the entrance fee collected goes for prizes! As always, helmets are required for this event.

Sponsored by Skullcandy, neff and Mountain Lion Sound System.

AND for the adults

http://www.bearvalley.com/plan-your-...r/wine-dinner/

The Creekside Chefs are planning a multi-course dinner that will come together in a harmonious event when paired with the delectable taste of a Newsome Harlow wine. Bear Valley Lodge is thrilled to have Owner-Vintner, Scott Klan on hand to deliver an educational component to the evening with his own special, enjoyable style. As a seasoned winemaker and consultant, participants of this wine dinner will have the opportunity to learn from Scott’s vast experience of soil, grapes and wine making in the Sierra Foothills.

The owners of Newsome Harlow pride themselves on paying attention to the details to produce really good wine. We guarantee this is a dinner you are glad you sat down for. See you in the dining room!

Attachment 149226

2nd place U10

FKNA. Congrats Owen!

Bear Valley was awesome Saturday.

Badger Pass opened Saturday. No report.

Hiked and skied Dodge Ridge Sunday. Fantastic up high.

DR will open Thursday. Chairs 5,7,8 and tbar

Also

Rib cook off Saturday night here. Bring ribs and a prize to compete. Winner takes all.

Opening tomorrow. 3,5,7,8 late, tbar late.

Party cancelled

Snow Report, TM?

Wed at Bear was fun, the groomed runs were nice, but off piste was mostly frozen mank.
Polar express was turning at the end of the day, and it looks like the backside is open today.
Full coverage on the upper mountain, rock skis were not necessary.

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Originally Posted by GiBo

Snow Report, TM?

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VERY GOOD up high. Surprisingly good. Sorta crappy down low. Well worth it. I'll see if I can get you a freebie.

Discount tix at Lucky and Save Mart. Look for Owen on the poster.

Thanks for report SailCat at Mike.

Ha! Owen on the poster! Nice.:)

Looking at next weekend.

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Originally Posted by telemike

Attachment 133696
FKNowen!

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alpy

haven't seen the poster myself, but this is the shot they used

photochopped the grumpus face in published version

Dodge is skiing FKN fantastic!

Holiday crowd with much of the lower mountain closed means a buncha gapers gapering where gapers don't usually gape = hilarity ensued. Loooong lift lines meant you actually had to wait a couple minutes to load the chair on a few laps.

Skiing is very good on Chairs 7 and 8. Ventured out east of the shots today for some turns in paradise. It weren't bad.

Race monkeys are stoked to be back on home snow after traveling to BV so much. Young Owen skipped afternoon training today because he wanted to rock some turns with his mama and another hot mommy with cute twin daughters, which earned him some extra GNAR points.

GiBo, get your ass up here, son! I've got some binders for you.

I'm on it!

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/n...9bb2963f4.html



Bear Valley Mountain has been in flux the past few years. Last season, winter enthusiasts waited throughout the summer with bated breath to find out if the resort was even going to open. This season, a deal was in the works to sell the resort’s assets to a new owner’s group, but it fell through at the last minute. The potential buyers felt that time had run out to adequately prepare for the upcoming season.

“It’s obvious to all of us who live and work in Bear Valley that things can’t continue the way they have,” said Eric Jung, a Bear Valley resident since 1969 who works for Bear Valley Real Estate.

The roller coaster ride for residents and homeowners up and down Highway 4 has been a difficult journey, but it has inspired a new idea. Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative was officially formed to give people in the area an opportunity to take control of their own destiny by providing a way to purchase the resort’s assets, including the extensive infrastructure on the mountain that is leased from the U.S. Forest Service along with the property in the village.

“Bear Valley is an iconic California ski area. Somebody’s going to pick this thing up,” said Paul Petersen, owner of Bear Valley Cross Country, who’s been a longtime resident and advocate for the area. “The mission of this (cooperative) is to take on the assets of the ski area and the village and manage them locally by a board that’s elected by the people who own the co-op shares, so it all becomes in the hands of the owners – the buyers of the co-op shares.”

After an area resident verbalized the notion at a homeowners meeting in October, a group of five was formed to explore the cooperative concept as a potential option for the resort’s future. The group held a preliminary town hall meeting in December.

“About 150 people showed up and they said, ‘Yeah, that’s pretty interesting. Tell us more,’” Petersen said.

Inspired by the interest, the group went back and further researched the option, presenting its findings at another town hall meeting on Feb. 16 at Bear Valley. They found that a handful of other resorts had already successfully implemented alternative ownership models – all owned by community members. Mad River Glen is a cooperative-owned resort in Vermont. Bridger Bowl is a nonprofit ski resort in Montana. And Bogus Basin is a resort listed as a charitable organization based just outside Boise, Idaho.

“At first, it was like, ‘Is this crazy? Are there any deal stoppers?’ and nothing came up,” Petersen said. “It’s been a real pleasure for me to sit with these guys on a regular basis and sort of debate the various facets of this thing. (They’re) some really smart people, passionate about skiing, passionate about the experience for the guests and families invested up here with homes and season passes.”

The group has now expanded to a seven-person interim board and includes “a combination of fulltime residents and second-home owners,” according to Petersen, “with different layers of expertise.”

Among its members, the interim board includes a finance expert, a lawyer, a merger and acquisitions professional, a woman who’s been studying this cooperative option at Bear Valley for nearly a decade and even a former ski resort CEO, among others.

“It’s always kind of tough when you’re doing stuff like this (because) you’re going to leave someone out and that’s totally unintentional,” Petersen said. “All those people will get a chance to weigh in. … This thing’s still evolving.”

The cooperative is still in its early stages, but things are beginning to materialize. A legal corporate entity has been created, a website has been established and a logo has been designed.

As it currently stands, the cooperative would sell membership shares for $2,500 each, which provides the owner with the right to vote, receive member benefits and voice their opinions on how the mountain and village are operated.

“The idea is that 3,000 to 4,000 of these shares get sold – that’s one of the models we’re looking at,” Petersen said. “And each share gets a vote and shareholders will elect the board.”

To build the momentum necessary to raise the funding, the cooperative will have to seek a broad audience.

“Almost all of the property owners of Bear Valley have their primary residences elsewhere, from Stockton and Modesto and Sacramento down to the South Bay, the East Bay, San Francisco, Santa Cruz,” Jung said. “The most common zip code for a Bear Valley house is Los Altos, so we’re not limited to just talking to people in Bear Valley. We can cast a wide net all over the state.”

Once the funds have been raised, the votes have been cast and the board has been elected, it will then be tasked with finding the staff to operate the resort’s assets.

“This board is not going to run the ski area. They’ll be the people who find the people to run the ski area,” Petersen said. “The board will make decisions such as how to run it, who to run it, where to go first. Is it a new lift somewhere? Is it new grooming equipment? Is it a chairlift between the town and the mountain? All of these are getting explored in pretty deep detail.”

An annual Advance Purchase Requirement of $299 will also be charged to members, which can be used to purchase a season pass, lift tickets, mountain services or retail merchandise.

All funding will be placed in an escrow account and would be completely refundable if the cooperative doesn’t come to fruition, which is always possible given the ongoing interest in the resort.

Last year, multiple buyers verbalized interest in Bear Valley.

In fact, “there’s a (potential buyers) group up here today, skiing around,” Petersen said Wednesday.

The cooperative is not trying to muscle any of these buyers out of the way, so long as they’re the right fit for the area.

“This co-op is not so bent on being the owner that it would impede anybody’s progress … to come in and buy it,” Petersen said. “This co-op would get out of the way if somebody did come in here wanting to buy it and it was the right people doing the right thing.”

For folks throughout the region, the cooperative is simply a way for community members to have the opportunity to gain local control over the iconic resort.

“Everybody wants Bear Valley to succeed, up and down the Highway (4) all the way down to Stockton and the Bay Area,” Petersen said. “What we want to set up is something sustainable that will actually work on the ground and not get away from the goals of having this wonderful playground protected and improved.”

At its heyday in 1983, Bear Valley had about 238,000 skier days recorded in one season.

“Now, we’re lucky to get 120,000 to 130,000,” Jung said. “So there are clearly people out there who used to ski in Bear Valley and would probably come back if the situation were improved.”

And those improvements could reach far beyond the resort.

“This thing is bigger than our little town here. It’s a whole ecosystem up and down the highway. So if we need to, could we take matters into our own hands and control our own destiny? So far, there’s been very little pushback.”

Another town hall meeting is planned for the end of the season to update interested parties on the progress of the cooperative. More information can be found at bvmcoop.org and a Facebook group has been formed, which is called Bear Valley Resort Community Ownership: Imagine the Possibilities

Seems like a good fit for BV. Moreso than a number of other resorts.

T;dr or is it too long, too green?
Dammit Hippy, pick a better color....
The Numbers don't really add up, but I wish them luck.

DRRT monkeys

Attachment 151219

Telemike won't say it so I will...

Owen charmed the gloves off the ladies, as usual....

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps0f58fcc6.jpg

And then he raced like a champ- 5th place in the under 10 division, at 7-yrs old....

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...psb1e73175.jpg

Seven actually...

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Originally Posted by sftc

Telemike won't say it so I will...

Owen charmed the gloves off the ladies, as usual....

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...ps0f58fcc6.jpg

And then he raced like a champ- 5th place in the under 10 division, at seven yrs old....

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...psb1e73175.jpg

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Throwin' Owen channels Alberto Tomba! :yourock:

5th again today. Killing it

Our snow is crap down low. Thin spring corn up high. Forecast looks promising

Snow is looking good for this Friday? Thinking china peak this Friday, but worried about the winds.

Next few days could bring us some good snow. Winds will be howling, but I love a good storm day. This weekend should be good.

Kid race at CP this weekend.

We are leaving Friday night for a 10 day trip to NO and a cruise to Nassau and Key West, so we are going to miss out on all teh funz.

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Originally Posted by telemike

...We are leaving Friday night for a 10 day trip to NO and a cruise to Nassau and Key West, so we are going to miss out on all teh funz.

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Dude, that doesn't sound like missing out on any funz. That sounds awesome.

The Cobra's still in the shack? Will be there Sat...

not in the top shack, but down at the 1st Aid room, along with a free ticket for you

14" new last night at top - 4" at base - moar tonight and tomorrow

could still be very limited lower mountain terrain for beginners - fantastic upper mountain skiing

woot woot alpy

Just got back from China. Lower mtn was heavy and slow. Upper mtn, including the bowl, was skiing great, with untracked lines all around until they closed the entire mtn due to lightening in the area.

I'm in Florida somewheres and none of you monkeys can give me an update?

Week ago today, deep, smooth powder in Underwood Valley. Yesterday, great corn skiing on east, south and west aspects, but got deep and gooey past the witching hour(s). Might be some wet fresh Monday morning if the precip sticks around as the cold front moves through. Then looks dry and warm for a few days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by telemike

I'm in Florida somewheres and none of you monkeys can give me an update?

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Looking forward to getting back on snow tomorrow.

Sorry mike, haven't been since the 1st. How was it? I'm guessing it's pretty burnt.

Good corn today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uRMO...&feature=share

some good park fun

and

3 year old Avery following in young Owen's ski tracks (figuratively not literally) with Dad in tow

we're having teh funz, yo!

I've got a few free DR vouchers for hardy souls

crap
:cussing:
Dodge closed today - we just couldn't keep it going - we tried

well, at least I can make it to the next couple of ski races since I won't be working

looking forward to some BV skiing and touring in the next couple of weeks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by telemike

crap
:cussing:
Dodge closed today - we just couldn't keep it going

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Wow - first season in a long time that I haven't had a day at Dodge.

Damn. Was looking forward to a spring BBQ at chair 5.:(

Well let's do something here. We can go walkies at Dodge and BBQ at my house after.

Hey Maggots!
There was a front page story in the SF Chron today about Bear Valley seeking to become a CO-OP like MRG!
Imho, you should start a New Thread for that, young TeleMike,
(Or is this Old News?)