Snow Summit

Big snow this season in Southern California's mountains means ski season may last into April. Maybe that's reason enough to think about buying a season pass -- good for the rest of this season and all next year -- for Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. The deal: The Screamin' Deal Season Pass goes on sale Monday and is good at sister resorts Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for the rest of the 2011 winter season and all next season. Prices for a midweek/non-holiday pass start at $249 midweek for adults and $199 for children and young adults 13 to 21. Other types of season passes include midweek and Sunday, an Anytime Pass and a night skiing pass.

As the ground search resumed Saturday in Bear Bear for a disgruntled ex-cop suspected of hunting down LAPD officials and their families, authorities pledged to continue until they find Christopher Jordan Dorner. Dorner , a 33-year-old former Los Angeles police officer, is suspected of killing three people and wounding two. Officials with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said armored personnel carriers would be used to transport search teams into mountain areas, where they will comb the forest.

Ready to hit the slopes this winter? Resorts from Mt. Baldy to Mammoth Mountain will be on hand at the Ski Dazzle Expo in Los Angeles in mid-November. More than 300 exhibitors and vendors from resorts in the West will participate in the four-day expo at the L.A. Convention Center. An added bonus: All who enter receive a two-for-one lift ticket offer good at Big Bear Mountain and Snow Summit this season. The deal: There are a lot of free things to do at Ski Dazzle: free ski lessons for kids, free rail slide lessons and a free rock-climbing wall.

Fat snowflakes kept falling and temperatures dropped in Big Bear Friday afternoon, but officials said the intensifying weather hasn't slowed efforts to find the fugitive ex-police officer sought in a series of shootings. A snowstorm moved from the Pacific overnight and brought wind, snow and poor visibility into the equation. Up to eight inches of snow had blanketed the mountain roads and homes by early afternoon, with 30 mph winds making the temperature feel closer to 19 degrees, according the National Weather Service.

Snow SUMMIT in Big Bear will ban downhill mountain bikes from its lifts next summer and is debating whether to restrict where cross-country mountain bikers may cycle at the resort. The action comes after a biker filed a lawsuit seeking damages in a crash last year. Officials at the resort, where bikers have wheeled for nearly two decades, say they don't make enough money on summer riders to offset the liability of downhill biking.

Snow Summit will play host to the richest snowboarding competition ever staged in Southern California this weekend. As a measure of how the sport has grown in the last few years, shredders will be seeking a total of $25,000 in the Terzo-sponsored event, the fourth stop on the Professional Snowboarding Tour of America. The giant slalom, involving a series of jumps and turns at speeds up to 50 m.p.h., is scheduled Saturday on Miracle Mile.

The number of ski areas now open in California doubled this week when Snow Summit, near Big Bear Lake, began running one chairlift over a beginners' slope covered with 6 to 20 inches of custom snow. Custom means man-made in the terminology of the ski industry. That's about the only kind there is right now. A fast-moving storm dumped several inches in the High Sierra last Friday night, but it was not nearly enough for general skiing to get under way.

Edvin Halsnes, who dominated pro ski racing along with his older brother, Jarle, in the mid-1980s, will come out of retirement this weekend to compete in the $50,000 Seagram's 7 Winterfest at Snow Summit. Jarle will also rejoin the U.S. Pro Tour, but not until the next event, at Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 2-4. The Norwegians said they hope to reach their peak by the start of the three-meet Million Dollar Plymouth Super Series in early March.

The North American pro ski tour will come to Snow Summit at Big Bear Lake this weekend for the $40,000 Post-Audi Cup and, as usual, the Halsnes brothers are at the top of the heap. In fact, Jarle Halsnes and Edvin Halsnes of Norway are tied in the season standings, each with 220 points. Jarle has the lead in the money standings by $750 with a total of $26,950. The Halsnes brothers have dominated the circuit for the last four seasons.

The International Cycling Union, the worldwide governing body for bicycling, made a savvy change in its Olympic program for next summer when it replaced the arcane road team time trial with the hip new sport of mountain biking. Like beach volleyball, the fat-tire bikes had come of age. No longer could it be considered a fringe sport with a loyal, fun-filled following. The perfect slacker sport had gone big time.

Despite a massive manhunt for an alleged cop killer, tourism officials are making clear that the town of Big Bear Lake and its two nearby ski resorts are open for business. More than 100 officers, many in tactical gear and armed with automatic weapons, were executing door-to-door searches around the town of Big Bear in search of former LAPD Officer Christopher Jordan Dorner, who is suspected in three murders. Bear Mountain ski resort closed early Thursday afternoon in response to the manhunt but on Friday the mountain and its neighboring resort, Snow Summit, opened as usual Friday.

Where is the John Muir of the San Gabriel Mountains? The Ansel Adams of the San Bernardinos? The Donner Party of the San Jacintos? All right, maybe one Donner Party was enough. But Muir, Adams and company are among the reasons the inland mountains of Southern California have never quite matched the attention won by their taller northern neighbors, the Sierra Nevada. Still, hikers, board-riders, skiers and snowball-tossers in Southern California find no shortage of peace and exhilaration.

Veterans and active military members ski or snowboard free Monday at Bear Mountain, Snow Summit and Mountain High resorts in honor of Veterans Day. The Southern California ski resorts have just opened after a cold front that swept in last week dumped a little snow and dipped temperatures low enough for snow-making machines to kick into gear. Mountain High opened Sunday with lifts accessing beginner and intermediate terrain, and Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are scheduled to open Monday, according to their websites.

Ready to hit the slopes this winter? Resorts from Mt. Baldy to Mammoth Mountain will be on hand at the Ski Dazzle Expo in Los Angeles in mid-November. More than 300 exhibitors and vendors from resorts in the West will participate in the four-day expo at the L.A. Convention Center. An added bonus: All who enter receive a two-for-one lift ticket offer good at Big Bear Mountain and Snow Summit this season. The deal: There are a lot of free things to do at Ski Dazzle: free ski lessons for kids, free rail slide lessons and a free rock-climbing wall.

All hail 11-11-11. What a difference a date makes. Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski resorts opened Wednesday and will mark 11-11-11 with $11 lift tickets on sale Friday only. To get the lift ticket discount, you must reserve lodging for a night or more during the winter season.  The deal: The 11-11-11 Special Package requires at least a one-night stay Sundays-Thursdays (no weekends). The lift ticket voucher is good Mondays-Fridays, except holidays. The $11 lift tickets are limited to two per reservation, but additional lift tickets may be purchased for 25% off. Additionally, guests will receive 11% off the lodgings reservation.

Southern California ski and snowboard resorts keep getting the white stuff. Some resorts plan to stay open for a while; at least one will close after this weekend. Big Bear  received 5 to 6 inches of fresh snow overnight Thursday -- frosting on the cake after a very generous season for local skiers and boarders. Be aware that this will be Bear Mountain’s last weekend, but sister resort Snow Summit is staying open indefinitely. All season passes, including Bear-only season passes, will be valid at Snow Summit beginning Monday.

Jorgen Sundqvist picked up a winner's check for $5,000 at Snow Summit Sunday and doesn't care if the IRS knows about it. He's quite happy to pay taxes in the United States, rather than in his native Sweden. "The rate is much higher at home," he said, "so it is better to pay here." So far, in his 1 1/2 seasons on the U.S. Pro Tour, Sundqvist, 27, and the IRS have shared many moments of happiness.

Veterans and active military members ski or snowboard free Monday at Bear Mountain, Snow Summit and Mountain High resorts in honor of Veterans Day. The Southern California ski resorts have just opened after a cold front that swept in last week dumped a little snow and dipped temperatures low enough for snow-making machines to kick into gear. Mountain High opened Sunday with lifts accessing beginner and intermediate terrain, and Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are scheduled to open Monday, according to their websites.

California ski resorts are offering thanks to the snow gods for the best late-season conditions in years. If you were ever going to play ski or snowboard hooky, this is your week. Mt. Baldy , to my mind the best and most convenient Southern California ski resort, has three feet of new snow. Roads were clearing early Tuesday and were expected to be drivable by afternoon. All runs were open on a mountain offering stunning views. With gas at around $4 a gallon, the easy access (off the 210 about an hour from downtown)

Big snow this season in Southern California's mountains means ski season may last into April. Maybe that's reason enough to think about buying a season pass -- good for the rest of this season and all next year -- for Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. The deal: The Screamin' Deal Season Pass goes on sale Monday and is good at sister resorts Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for the rest of the 2011 winter season and all next season. Prices for a midweek/non-holiday pass start at $249 midweek for adults and $199 for children and young adults 13 to 21. Other types of season passes include midweek and Sunday, an Anytime Pass and a night skiing pass.