Big Bear Ski Resort Faces 4 Feet of Snow On Opening Day
BIG BEAR LAKE (CBSLA) — Big Bear Ski Resort has opened, but it is proving difficult for visitors to get there.
Heavy snow prompted Caltrans to shut down all roads leading up to Big Bear and enforce chain controls on all areas in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, according to officials.
As of late Friday morning, Highway 38 and Highway 330 to Big Bear were closed. Big Bear was only accessible through Highway 18 down from Lucerne Valley. Drivers were advised to avoid mountain area roads unless it was an emergency. This was proving a problem for skiers and snowboarders trying to get to Big Bear Mountain Resort, which opened for the season Thursday and reported 48 inches of new snow in the past two days.
A winter storm warning remains in effect through 10 p.m. Friday for the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, including the communities of Wrightwood, Big Bear and Crestline. This all comes after the Antelope Valley communities of Palmdale and Lancaster saw unprecedented snowfall on Thanksgiving day.
Snow in the Cajon Pass. Nov. 28, 2019. (CBS2)
The National Weather Service warned that, "travel could be very difficult to impossible" in the San Gabriel Mountains as well as in the Antelope Valley Friday.
"If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency," the NWS urged in a statement.
As of 11:45 a.m., more than 7,300 Southern California Edison customers were without power in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
