| Snow Valley Mountain Resort | |
| Location: | Running Springs San Bernardino County, California |
| Nearest City: | Running Springs, California |
| Pushpin Map: | California#United States |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Coordinates: | 34.2234°N -117.0374°W |
| Status: | Operating |
| Owner: | Alterra Mountain Company[1] |
| Vertical: | 1041feet |
| Top Elevation: | 7841feet |
| Base Elevation: | 6800feet |
| Skiable Area: | 240acres |
| Number Trails: | 29 total 14% easiest 45% More difficult 31% Most difficult 10% Experts only[2] |
| Liftsystem: | 13 lifts: 1 Six Person High Speed Detachable, 6 Double, 5 Triple, 1 conveyor |
| Lift Capacity: | Six Person Detachable - 2,600 riders per hour |
| Terrainparks: | The Edge, East Bowl |
| Snowfall: | 150inches[3] |
| Nightskiing: | Yes |
| External Link: | www.snow-valley.com/ |
Snow Valley Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Running Springs, California, United States. It is the oldest continually operating ski resort in Southern California and is also one of four ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Originally named "Fish Camp" for the pond located in the area, the site was developed into a roadside resort and lumber mill in the 1920s by the Swetkowich brothers. In the 1930s the slopes were developed for tobogganing and skiing by the Arrowhead Springs Corporation, which named the development Snow Valley. The resort featured one of the first overhead cable ski lifts.[4] In 1940 the resort was purchased by Norwegian-American ski jump champion Johnny Elvrum, who expanded it.[5]
In 1974 W.R. Sauey became the owner of Snow Valley. His company the Nordic Group owned and operated Snow Valley.[6] In January 2023, Snow Valley was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company, operator of nearby resorts Bear Mountain and Snow Summit.[7]
The resort operates under Special Use Permit from the United States Forest Service.[8]
The facilities include 12 Lifts: 1 six-passenger, high-speed chair; 5 double chairs, 5 triple chairs, 2 surface lifts/moving carpets.[9] The main lift, lift 1, dubbed "Snow valley express" travels 4,558 feet to Race Peak and can carry up to 6. Once at Race peak there are multiple runs down, most notably 'the edge' terrain park, upper/lower wine rock, and Mambo alley.[10]
The previous main lift of the resort is lift 1, which was 4,701 feet long. It had a mid station that is right next to a restaurant called "Dear Meadow Grille". When at the top, it leads to moderate, advanced, and expert runs. When lift 1 is busy, another lift that goes a little lower than lift 1 is called lift 2. It goes 3,688 feet, and unloads skiers at a little hill called Race Peak. From here, there is one intermediate run, and 4 advanced runs. Most of these advanced runs are closed at the beginning and end of the season due to a lack of natural snow.
The highest part of the resort in elevation is named "Slide Peak". This area has six runs, with a majority of them having a steep slope. On the west side of Slide Peak, there are two intermediate runs. One is named "Nord Valley", while the other is named "West Slide". This is also where the cat track leads from the top.