Apparently, a youthful bear lost its way Monday at Heavenly ski resort. And probably out of fear, raced across a busy ski run in front of several astonished skiers.
Most people have heard or used this punch line that elicits a rhetorical yes response: Does a bear shit in the woods? But is a bear typically found running across a ski run? The answer here is an emphatic no.
The good news Dec. 11 at Heavenly was the black bear made it across Ridge Run (accessed via the Canyon Chair) unscathed, returning to its mother and sibling on the other side of the trail.
And the bewildered skiers continued their way safely down the intermediate run, secure in the knowledge they will have a wild story to tell for a lifetime.
“In this case, it appears this bear was just looking to find some fresh tracks out on the mountain like the rest of us,” Heavenly spokesperson Cole Zimmerman said in jest. “You know you’re at Heavenly when even the bears are taking in those views down Ridge Run!”
Check out the Tahoe bear making its way along Ridge Run at Heavenly ski resort.
Alert skiers and snowboarders are always on the lookout for someone a bit reckless and going too fast. But sharing the slopes with a bear? That’s nothing pleasant about that. Pardon the pun, but that’s pretty unbearable!
Zimmerman says spotting bears can occur occasionally at Heavenly, but usually they are spotted from a distance and not on a ski run or trail. Wildlife sightings aren’t unusual because the popular South Lake Tahoe ski resort operates on national forest lands. Although there are procedures in place when animals are spotted, the animals are usually quickly gone once spotted.
“We do have a protocol where we recommend to give the bear space and notify ski patrol or mountain safety,” Zimmerman said. “We advise maintaining distance and promptly alerting our ski patrol, mountain safety, and security teams when needed.”
Peter Tira, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it’s fairly common to spot bears on ski resorts. There are reportedly 300-400 black bears in the Tahoe area.
“It’s prime bear habitat and we see bears at the ski resorts quite often, usually because of the access to food and garbage that’s available sometimes,” Tira said.
It’s no secret that Lake Tahoe and all of northern Sierra Nevada is bear country, but most people probably assume that bears hibernate as soon as winter begins. Depending on the temperature, most bears go into hibernation around late November or early December to conserve calories when food is scarce.re
However, in Lake Tahoe, some black bears have become accustomed to eating human food and garbage, and they don’t need to hibernate. The bears often find dens near ski runs in the wooded areas and can be awakened when skiers are close by.”
Bear attacks in Lake Tahoe are rare. In 2021, a homeowner left fruit on her kitchen counter and the door of her wooded unlocked cabin. She was later injured by the bear when she returned to the darkened home. Dozens of bears are killed every year by humans, most of the deaths caused by cars.
