🎿 Big Bear Just Quietly Put Winter on the Calendar

Hey Ski Fam,

I did something this morning that made winter feel very real. I looked at Big Bear lift tickets. 🎿

Not trail maps or old powder videos. Not a weather forecast from some guy on YouTube who owns seven Doppler radars and hasn't slept since 2019. 😂 I looked at actual winter lift tickets.

Big Bear Mountain Resort is now selling 2026/27 lift tickets with dates beginning November 21, 2026. Before anyone starts loading skis onto the roof, there is one VERY important detail.

November 21 is NOT Big Bear's official Opening Day.

It is the earliest date the resort says it may open. The real opening date will depend on cold weather, snowmaking and conditions. Still, something changed for me today.

Winter isn't just coming anymore. We can actually start planning it. ❄️

🏔️ Big Bear Just Made Winter Feel Real

There is always a weird point in September when I stop thinking about skiing as something far away. I think we just crossed it.

Big Bear says it likely won't know its official opening date until around mid-November, when temps drop enough to get the snow guns going. But winter lift tickets are already available for dates beginning November 21.

And that got my attention because buying a lift ticket feels very different from talking about ski season. One is dreaming. The other is a plan. 🎿

🎟️ Here's What Big Bear Is Selling

Big Bear has started rolling out its 2026/27 winter products, and there are now a few ways to get yourself onto the mountain.

Regular Big Bear lift tickets are already on sale. Adult prices currently range from $89 to $169, depending on the date. Those tickets give you same-day access to Snow Valley, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, as conditions and operations allow.

Season passes are also on sale, with adult prices currently ranging from $499 to $739, depending on the pass.

But there is another option coming next week that caught my eye. 👀

🎿 A New Two-Day Ticket Is Coming

On October 1, Big Bear plans to launch something called Double Play.

This could be interesting for SoCal skiers who want more than one ski day but don't ski enough to justify a full season pass. You get two ski or snowboard days for $149.

Big Bear says that can save up to 50% compared with buying single-day lift tickets. The two days require reservations, but there are currently no blackout dates listed.

For the skier who gets up to Big Bear a couple of times each winter, this is exactly the kind of deal I'd take a closer look at. I'm going to watch it when it goes on sale because, as always, the little details matter. 🎟️

💰 This Is When I Start Doing Ski Math

Every skier knows ski math.

A $149 dinner? Absolutely not. That's outrageous.

Two ski days for $149? "Well... technically that's only $74.50 per day." 😂

And suddenly I'm an accountant.

But there is a real point here. If you know you want to ski Big Bear this winter, now is when I start comparing the options instead of waiting until the first storm hits and everybody in Southern California has the exact same idea.

Think about how often you'll really ski:

• 🎟️ One day: A regular lift ticket may make the most sense.

• 🎿 Two days: The new $149 Double Play could be worth a look.

• 🏔️ Several days: Start doing the math on a season pass.

Don't buy something just because it says "deal." Buy it because it fits the winter you're actually going to ski.

❄️ November 21 Is NOT Opening Day

I want to repeat this because I can already imagine somebody texting their ski group:

"BIG BEAR OPENS NOVEMBER 21!!!" 😂

Not quite.

Big Bear says November 21 is the earliest date its resorts may open for the 2026/27 season. The resort says it most likely won't know the true opening date until around mid-November.

Southern California needs cold enough temps for snowmaking, and Mother Nature doesn't accept calendar invites. So I would not book November 21 expecting guaranteed skiing.

I'd circle it, watch it and start getting ready. ❄️

📅 October Is When Things Start Moving

Big Bear has also published a rollout for more winter products.

The new Double Play is scheduled to go on sale October 1. Then in early November, Big Bear plans to release more of the stuff we use to build an actual ski weekend:

• 🎿 Snow Valley lift tickets

• 🌙 Night Session tickets

• 👧 Kids Ski Free Week tickets

• 🎓 Ski and snowboard lessons

• 🥾 Ski and snowboard rentals

• ❄️ Snow tubing and snow play

That's when winter stops being a date on my phone and starts becoming a trip.

Who is going? Where are we staying? Are the kids skiing? Do we need rentals? And, most important, who is bringing the breakfast burritos? 😂

These are the questions that build great ski seasons.

🏔️ The SoCal Ski Calendar Is Taking Shape

Last week, I wrote about Mammoth being just eight weeks away. Mammoth has November 13 scheduled for Opening Day, weather and conditions permitting.

Now Big Bear has winter tickets available beginning November 21, although that is not a confirmed Opening Day.

A month ago, we were talking about winter. Now we're starting to make plans for it.

I can almost see the morning already. Coffee in the cup holder. Heat blasting. Skis rattling on the roof. Somebody asleep in the passenger seat. Then you catch that first glimpse of white through the trees as you climb into the mountains. 🏔️❄️

Yep. We're getting close.

🎿 What I'm Doing Right Now

I'm not buying every ski product I see. I'm figuring out what kind of winter I actually want.

If Big Bear is part of your plan, think about how many days you realistically expect to ski there. Then compare a normal lift ticket, the new Double Play and a season pass.

And don't forget the biggest variable of all: snow.

A cheap ski ticket isn't a deal if you never use it. That's why I like planning early while leaving myself enough room to chase the good days.

That's the art of being a SoCal skier. 😎❄️

❄️ The Big Lesson

Today isn't exciting because Big Bear announced Opening Day. They didn't.

It's exciting because the pieces are starting to fall into place. Lift tickets are on sale. Passes are on sale. A new two-day option arrives October 1. More winter products arrive in November.

And November 21 is sitting there on the calendar as the first date Big Bear says skiing could begin.

For me, that's enough to start checking the gear, waking up the ski legs and asking the most important question of fall:

Who's skiing with me this winter? 🎿

Because the first ski day doesn't really start when you click into your bindings. It starts weeks before, when somebody finally puts a date on the calendar.

Winter doesn't start when the snow falls. It starts when you make the plan. ❄️🎿

Know a Big Bear skier who's ready for winter? Share this with them and start planning those first turns.

– Sasha Everett ⛷️❄️

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