These days, Big Bear Lake is known for being a ‘four-season’ resort. There are activities and fun to be had 365 days a year. It was not always that way. In Big Bear’s first couple of decades, the tourism season was strictly during the summer. People came for fishing, boating and swimming and just to get out of the heat. But when temperatures dipped and the snow began to fly, most folks fled to warmer climates. That all began to change in the 1920’s.
Big Bear’s first ski jump – circa 1928
Roads leading into and around the mountains were improved and automobiles were becoming more affordable and reliable. In the mid 1920’s, it was Walter Kruckman of the “Motor Transit Company”, who first seriously promoted winter sports in Big Bear. He sponsored radio spots on radio stations giving reports on weather, snow, and road conditions in an attempt to fill his empty buses during the wintertime. Winter sports in Big Bear got a major kick-start in 1928 when the first ski jump was built. Charley Stillwell built a snow slide at his resort and a ski jump was added nearby. These attractions finally aroused interest in winter activities here.
Lynn’s Hill Before the chair lift – 1938
Additional snow play areas were added over the years including ‘Lynn’s Hill’. It was Judge Clifford R. Lynn who led the way in an “uphill” battle to get the first chair lift built in Big Bear. Clifford formed the Park District in 1934, and immediately built a toboggan snow play area on the north facing slopes above of Big Bear Village. A “sling lift” was also built at the snow play area for skiers in 1938.
Throughout the late 1930’s and 40’s, Clifford struggled to raise money for a new chair lift. His work finally paid off, and construction was completed on a new 3,000′ chair lift in 1949, located behind Big Bear Village.
Lynn’s Chair Lift – circa 1950
It was in 1947, during the midst of all this activity, that Tommy Tyndall, the man most responsible for popularizing skiing in this valley, arrived in Big Bear. Among his many efforts to promote winter sports, Tommy is primarily remembered as the man who built “Snow Summit”. Organizing a group of investors, he opened Snow Summit with a one mile long double chair lift, two major ski runs and several rope tows in 1952. It was the beginning of Big Bear as a major Southern California ski area.
Snow Summit – 1950’s
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