Anyone who knows southern California resorts will agree on at least one thing; powder is as rare as gold, and definitely as enjoyable. Last season (05-06) Big Bear Mountain had but one storm that brought what most consider “powder.” And me and the crew weren’t going to miss it for the world.

When we went to bed at 4 A.M that morning, after a night of partying, none of us had any idea what we were in for. The alarms went off just 60 minutes later and it was time to start the journey. We knew it was forecasted to snow but none of us had any idea that the weatherman was going to be right for a change.

The drive up was relatively uneventful. My passengers trying to catch up on some much needed sleep and me trying to stay awake in the pouring rain. We get to the base of the mountain, and for those who don’t know the road up to Bear is by far the most treacherous of any mountain I know of, and 2.5 hours later we are in the parking lot putting on more layers than any other day that year.

Without giving the falling snow a second thought, we ride all day through the tree’s that hadn’t been accessible all winter. Rope ollies and tree jibs filled the day. When it finally came time to call it quits we headed back to the car without any idea of the adventure ahead.

The snow had been falling all day and wasn’t about to stop now that we were getting ready to drive down 40 miles of winding cliffs. The first part of the drive got us 2/3 of the way down the mountain, and all it took was sticking my head out the window with a beanie and goggles because of all the ice on the windshield. When we pulled up to the road closed sign and the officer told us we had to turn around and head back up the mountain is when we all started to realize just what we were in for.

So we start heading back up and then get to the other rout down the mountain. The only problem is none of us know if it is the correct way. So we drive on aimlessly along mountain roads when I realize I need gas, and we are in the middle of nowhere. After a few near death experiences we find a gas station, fill up, try to defrost the windshield, and get directions. Just a half hour later (2 or 3 miles) we see cars stopped ahead of us… lots of cars. When we get up to the line we realize there is no end in sight, and no one knows what was going on. There were literally hundreds and hundreds of cars backed up.

So we park the car, and get out in all our first layer gear… which meant long johns for my friend, and we start walking around talking to people. When the time came that everyone realized we weren’t going anywhere for a long time, we decided to make the best of it.

On this dark, ice covered mountainside, we turn up the music, get out the video camera, and start dancing. The dancing soon gave way to slipping all over the ice, and by the end of the night there wasn’t an un-bruised butt. Gram crackers were the food of choice and tons of lucky strangers appreciated our kind gesture of handing them out to every passerby.

But like every good party, this one to eventually saw its end. The wreck a few miles down the road had been cleared, and everyone was sent on their way, with spirits much higher than when everyone was stopped 3 hours… yes 3 hours earlier. When it was all said and done I pulled into my driveway at about 12 A.M for a grand total of 11 hours of driving a full day of boarding on yes, just 1 hour of sleep.

To some on that mountainside that night this may have been the worst experience of their lives. But with the right friends, food, music, and most importantly the right attitude we all had a great time that we will remember FOREVER.

I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures, but we only took video that day, and my friend with the camera never put it online.

The pictures below however were taken just two days later. The park was groomed as best as it had been all year… all thanks to a POWDER DAY IN BIG BEAR.