Snow Summit
Overview
Snow Summit doesn’t operate as a standalone destination in the way its trail stats might suggest; it’s one of three mountains inside the Big Bear Mountain Resort group, an operation that keeps running well past ski season, with summer activities including a downhill bike park, cross-country bike trails, hiking, and zip-lining continuing through the end of October. That year-round identity shapes how the resort presents itself, with lift-served scenic rides on the Scenic Sky Chair and a Skyline at Sundown dinner chairlift sitting alongside the winter terrain rather than being purely seasonal add-ons.
On the mountain itself, Snow Summit rises 372.2 vertical meters from a 2,121.7-meter base to a 2,493.9-meter summit, with 15 lifts, ten chairlifts and five magic carpets, spread across 36 runs and 19.99 kilometers of trail. That lift count relative to run total, roughly one lift for every two and a half runs, is dense enough to suggest shorter waits even on busy Southern California weekends, and the heavy tilt toward magic carpets among those 15 lifts points to real investment in beginner-friendly infrastructure rather than terrain built mainly for advanced skiers.
The difficulty breakdown backs that up. Intermediate runs dominate at 10.04 of the resort’s 19.99 total kilometers, more than half the mountain, while easy terrain adds 5.86 kilometers and novice trails a further 0.77 kilometers. Advanced runs total just 2.2 kilometers and expert terrain a modest 1.11 kilometers, the smallest category on the mountain. For a resort within driving distance of a huge Southern California population base, that profile reads as a deliberate choice to serve high volumes of beginner and intermediate traffic over chasing a reputation for extreme terrain.
Access is straightforward for the region: San Bernardino International Airport sits just 35 kilometers away, with Ontario International and Palm Springs International both under 70 kilometers as backup options, and San Bernardino itself, population over 216,000, is the nearest city at 39.1 kilometers, followed by Moreno Valley and Rialto. No multi-resort ski pass currently includes Snow Summit among its partners, so lift access runs through tickets and passes sold directly by Big Bear Mountain Resort, a setup that fits a mountain built around steady local and regional day-trip traffic rather than a stop on a national pass circuit.
Lesson bookings run through the resort’s Adventure Academy program, covering group and private instruction for skiers and riders still working on fundamentals, a service that pairs naturally with the mountain’s heavy tilt toward magic-carpet-served beginner terrain. Once the snow melts, that same infrastructure gets repurposed: a downhill bike park, cross-country bike trails, and hiking routes take over the mountain, alongside a Basecamp Activities zip-lining operation and an on-site shop handling tuning and repair for both rental and personal mountain bikes. That summer build-out is a large part of why Big Bear Mountain Resort keeps the broader operation running through the end of October each year, well past when most California ski areas have shut their lifts down for the season.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-13
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| chair lift | 10 |
| magic carpet | 5 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 5.86 km |
| expert | 1.11 km |
| novice | 0.77 km |
| advanced | 2.2 km |
| intermediate | 10.04 km |
Maps
View official Snow Summit trail map (image) →
Run & lift overview
Snow Summit: 36 runs, 15 lifts. Reflects OpenStreetMap's run and lift mapping for Snow Summit, not the resort's own trail map graphic. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Snow Summit is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
Snow Summit has no multi-resort pass affiliations on record.
Getting there
Nearest airports
- San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) — 35 km straight-line
- Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) — 56.6 km straight-line
- Ontario International Airport (ONT) — 68.1 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- San Bernardino, California — 39.1 km straight-line
- Moreno Valley, California — 45 km straight-line
- Rialto, California — 46.2 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Snow Summit is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Bear Mountain — 3 km straight-line, 502.7 m vertical
- Snow Valley Mountain Resort — 13 km straight-line, 337.9 m vertical
- Mt. Baldy — 66 km straight-line, 636.3 m vertical
- Mountain High — 75 km straight-line, 486.4 m vertical
- Mount Waterman — 97 km straight-line, 304.6 m vertical
FAQ
- Is Snow Summit its own resort or part of a bigger operation?
- Snow Summit operates under the Big Bear Mountain Resort umbrella, one of three mountains in the group that runs winter and summer operations, with summer activities continuing through the end of October. That year-round structure means the resort's lift and trail infrastructure gets used well beyond the traditional ski season.
- How big is Snow Summit?
- 372.2 vertical meters separate a 2,121.7-meter base from a 2,493.9-meter summit, with 15 lifts serving 36 runs across 19.99 kilometers of mapped trail. That works out to a shorter average run length than many larger Western resorts, fitting a mountain built for repeat laps rather than long point-to-point descents.
- What's the beginner terrain like at Snow Summit?
- Easy runs cover 5.86 of the mountain's 19.99 total kilometers and novice terrain adds another 0.77 kilometers, backed by 5 magic carpets among the resort's 15 lifts. Adventure Academy also offers group and private lesson bookings on site for skiers and riders still building basic skills.
- How much expert terrain does Snow Summit have?
- Expert-rated runs total just 1.11 kilometers and advanced terrain 2.2 kilometers, with intermediate the dominant grade at 10.04 kilometers, over half the mountain's total distance. That leaves experts a comparatively small share of the mountain relative to the intermediate cruising terrain most visitors ski.
- Does Snow Summit offer night activities?
- Yes, a Skyline at Sundown dinner chairlift experience runs on select dates, and the resort operates a Scenic Sky Chair for scenic rides beyond straight ski access. Both give non-skiing visitors or families a way to experience the mountain outside standard lift-ticket skiing.
- How far is Snow Summit from Los Angeles-area airports?
- San Bernardino International Airport is closest at 35 kilometers, with Ontario International at 68.1 kilometers and Palm Springs International at 56.6 kilometers as additional options. San Bernardino the city, population over 216,000, sits just slightly further at 39.1 kilometers, making the resort a realistic day trip from the Inland Empire.
- How many lifts does Snow Summit run compared to its run count?
- 15 lifts for 36 runs works out to roughly 0.42 lifts per run, a dense infrastructure ratio that keeps lift lines shorter across a mountain with a heavily intermediate terrain profile. The five magic carpets included in that count skew the ratio toward beginner-zone access rather than uphill chairlift capacity alone.
- Does a multi-resort pass cover Snow Summit?
- No major multi-resort pass currently lists Snow Summit as a partner, so lift tickets and season passes are purchased directly through Big Bear Mountain Resort. That direct-sale model matches the resort's positioning toward regional Southern California visitors rather than travelers building a multi-mountain season around a shared pass.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-17
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.