Another day on the slopes at Lake Tahoe, another bear sighting.
Travel YouTuber Lisa Single posted a video of three bears – possibly a mother and two of her cubs – strolling through the snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort. The bears wandered past the gondola she was riding in. Watch the video below.
The video is titled “Grizzly Bears Strolling Through a Ski Resort in California - No big deal,” but they are almost certainly not grizzly bears. Grizzly bears were once abundant in California, but the last grizzly sighting in the Golden State was in 1924.
It’s at least the second notable bear interaction at Heavenly this month. Earlier in December, a bear scampered across a trail and nearly collided with snowboarder Hunter Martinez. Ekalak Lakshana caught it all on camera, and posted the video to his personal Instagram and TikTok accounts.
And in January Danielle Brilliant recorded a video of a bear sitting in the middle of Mombo Run at Heavenly.
"His fur was shaking on each step, and that was intense. So I, at that moment, was like 'wow, I gotta get out of here,'" she said to local news station ABC10. "I felt like it was unpredictable."
If you see a bear on the slopes, make sure to maintain a healthy amount of distance. While it can be incredible to see wildlife out there in bounds, it’s best not to approach any animals, especially a bear.
Riders should alert the mountain’s ski patrol immediately. A representative from California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife told ABC10 that because of the increase in human-provided food, some bears don’t need to hibernate through the winter anymore. "It's a special moment, but don't get too close for a picture,” Brilliant told ABC10. “Just zoom in on your phone."