Snow Summit Big Bear review for skiers and riders

Big Bear Mountain Resort operates Snow Summit for winter skiing and snowboarding and summer lift-served mountain biking.

Reviewers appreciate the terrain range, snowmaking and staff. The recurring drawbacks are lift lines, crowded slopes and parking delays during peak periods.

Summer activities

During the summer season, Snow Summit offers a range of activities for visitors. The Summit Bike Park provides lift-served mountain biking across 10 acres of developed terrain, with connections to cross-country trails. The park features three lifts, 11 trails, a longest run of 3.4 miles, and reaches a peak elevation of 8,200 feet. For those who prefer to hike, options include the one-mile Mountain Top Loop and the two-mile Bobsled Trail. You can also take a Scenic Sky Chair ride, which travels about one mile through the San Bernardino National Forest to the summit.

In addition to biking and hiking, the Summer Basecamp Activities offer further entertainment. These include a 30-foot climbing wall, a Euro Bungee trampoline, a children's obstacle course, a zip line, and fossil finding. Mountain bike rentals and professional instruction are available. Snow Summit also provides these summer activities, along with Scenic Sky Chair rides.

Winter offerings

During winter, Snow Summit offers snow sports. Its winter offerings include skiing, snowboarding, lessons, and equipment rentals. Tubing is also available. The resort also holds selected night sessions during the winter season.

The resort notes that its seasonal operating dates can change. These adjustments are typically due to weather conditions and staffing.

Score breakdown

The experience itself measures what the visit or activity delivers. Snow Summit scored 8 out of 10 in this area. Reviewers appreciate the terrain range, snowmaking, and staff.

Value measures what you get for what you spend. This section received a score of 5 out of 10. Value complaints are a recurring issue noted in reviews.

Further details

Crowds and wait measures how busy it gets and how long you wait. Snow Summit received a 5 out of 10 for this criterion. Long peak-time lift lines and parking delays during busy periods are noted limits.

Setting and access measures the surroundings and how easy it is to get there and park. This criterion earned a score of 8 out of 10. The mountain offers terrain for multiple ability levels and dependable snowmaking.

The overall score is a weighted sum of these four criteria. The weighted sum of the four criteria resulted in an overall score of 6.8 out of 10. Dependable snowmaking and varied terrain support the experience, while peak-time lines, parking delays, and value complaints lower the result.

Terrain and attractions

Snow Summit provides over 240 skiable acres, featuring 33 trails and more than 18 skiable miles. The winter terrain is distributed with 35 percent for beginner or low intermediate skiers, 40 percent for intermediate, and 25 percent for advanced or expert levels. For those interested in freestyle, Snow Summit’s Skill Builder and Freestyle terrain parks are equipped with boxes, tubes, and other snow features.

Beyond winter sports, Snow Summit also operates as a bike park during the summer months. They offer group and private mountain-bike lessons suitable for riders aged six and older.

Dining and amenities

At the summit of Chair 1, Skyline Taphouse offers dining with views toward Mount San Gorgonio. The menu includes wagyu burgers and hot dogs. Access to this dining location requires a lift ticket, and it provides both indoor and outdoor seating.

For plant-based options, Snow Summit’s Garden of Vegan serves items like vegetable spring rolls, Thai noodle salad, and a Mediterranean rice bowl with falafel. Additionally, Summit Poke Co. allows visitors to customize their own bowls by choosing a base of rice or salad, a protein, and various toppings.

Tommi’s bar, named after resort founder Tommi Tyndall, is available for drinks. The bar features a selection of domestic and craft beers, as well as cocktails from martini and bourbon menus.