Bear Valley Mountain Resort will reopen tomorrow, February 21st, after remaining closed Friday due to a major power outage impacting the surrounding community and posing safety risks on the mountain, according to an operations update released Friday evening.
The outage, centered in Arnold, California, left downed power lines and fallen trees in its wake, directly affecting Bear Valley Electric Service (BVES) employees and hindering their ability to prepare the resort for operation. Several employees were reportedly unable to leave their homes, while others remained at the resort to assist with preparations.
“Like many of you, our employees travel the same snow-packed roads and are navigating the same challenging conditions,” the resort stated. The decision to close Friday was made after operations teams assessed conditions and determined the ongoing storm, high winds, and elevated snow slide risk made opening unsafe.
BVES has served the Considerable Bear Valley since 1929, providing electric power to approximately 23,000 customers. The utility acknowledged that proactive power outages, known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), are becoming more common in California due to increasing wildfire risks. These shutoffs are implemented as a last resort when weather and fire conditions threaten public safety.
The Bear Valley Community Services District (BVCSD) has been fielding questions from residents regarding the PSPS events. In response to community concerns, the BVCSD submitted questions to Southern California Edison (SCE) regarding the conditions leading to the recent shutoff and the timeline for restoration. SCE explained that the combination of wind and dry vegetation increased wildfire risk, triggering the need for a PSPS.
SCE also stated that inspections of power lines are required before power can be restored, and these inspections can be time-consuming, particularly in rough terrain and often requiring daylight. “Safety is our number one priority,” SCE stated. “We know any outage is a hardship. We must make sure It’s safe to restore power.”
Bear Valley Mountain Resort anticipates slight delays in the opening of some lifts Saturday as employees navigate challenging road conditions to reach the mountain. Avalanche mitigation and further operational assessments will continue in the morning to ensure a safe return for guests and staff. The resort plans to open frontside lifts first and expand terrain as conditions allow.
