Our Quick Trip to Snow Valley

One of the biggest perks about living in Southern California is the easy access to both the beaches and the mountains. With all the recent rainfall, the mountains are littered with fresh snow. Last year Snow Valley became part of the Ikon Pass so we decided to give it a try. We went on one the busiest days of the year which was President’s Day Weekend.  We left our house for what was supposed to be a 1 hour and 15 minute drive but due to the traffic it ended up being about a 2-hour adventure. The holdup was primarily near the entrance where there was only one attendant collecting money for this paid weekend. Snow Valley normally has free parking so entering isn’t an issue but on the busy weekends they do charge parking so a prepaid parking is recommended. Even with an Ikon Pass or prepaid parking you will need to wait in that atrocious line to get in. The resort opened at 8:30 in the morning and we got there at about 8:45. The parking lot was over half empty which was rather surprising. With our passes we simply just walked right in and in under 5 minutes we were on the lifts at Snow Valley express.

The snow was nice and slushy and the runs were very well groomed.  It was a little icy for the first hour but it soon became slush. The runs coming down Snow Valley Express were filled with awkward and clumsy snowboarders many of which were sliding on their faces. That part made it rather dangerous but if you are an experienced skier you just consider them obstacles. Considering they said this was one of the busiest weekends of the year, it was really not that bad. The busiest lift was Snow Valley Express and we never waited more than about six or seven minutes to get on. We worked our way to chairs 3, 8,9  and 11 which for the entire day had absolutely no wait. We literally skied right onto the lift and were able to plow our way down many of the same runs that led off of Snow Valley Express. Our favorite one by far was those coming off of lift 3  because of the terrain park. The runs were well groomed and it was mostly cruiser blue runs. To get to the summit you have to take lift number 8 and then 9 which will lead you to 11. From there it will take you to the top but in all reality those are not very good runs. The runs are very short and they are a nightmare for snowboarders because there are many flat areas. However, this is the place to go if you are looking for moguls and off trail runs.  

For eating I recommend that you avoid the main lodge. If you do go you need to beat the lunch hour rush and get there around 11:30. The line is rather miserable for mediocre food. At the bottom of lift 3 there’s a small grill that has hot dogs and burgers which is essentially the same as the lodge. Don’t expect any gourmet food but rather simple grill food.

All in all it was a fantastic day and well surpassed our expectations. Considering how close it is compared to Snow Summit I highly recommend you give this place a try.

Tips

– arrive early and there’s plenty of parking. Check to make sure it is not a paid parking weekend
– Snow Valley Express is the longest line but it really isn’t that bad so don’t let the crowds scare you since after all it is an express