BIG BEAR, Calif. — Big Bear Mountain Resorts is operating at limited capacity because of the pandemic, but some residents have voiced concerns over their parking lot shuttle service.
Shuttles taking visitors to and from remote parking lots and base areas at Big Bear Mountain Resort has been a hot button issue.
Full-time Big Bear resident and small business owner Joanne Norton has lived in Big Bear for three years. She said that she and some other residents are concerned that distancing protocols aren’t being followed.
“I’m seeing a lot of I don’t know how else to put it but overpacking of those shuttles. People are literally hanging off the sides of those,” Norton said.
But Big Bear Mountain Resort’s Justin Kanton said that the company has been working with state, county, and local agencies since March and is in compliance with current guidelines for ski area operators.
These open-air shuttles typically have a 70-75 person capacity. But the company said they’re limiting that and ticket sales.
“As it pertains to the shuttles, we’re actually operating all of our shuttles at reduced capacities, usually about 50% below what we would normally operate at. So I think it may just be a perception issue of people seeing people on an outdoor shuttle cart and thinking we’re not taking the proper precautions when in fact we are,” Kanton said.
Snow boarder Ryan Liu is visiting from China and just finished a session at Snow Summit, making his way back to a remote lot.
“Yeah I feel safe. Everybody wears a face mask, so we’re doing the protection good and just ride for three or four minutes,” Liu said.
And for Big Bear the balance is a fine one. The area relies heavily on tourists to generate income so it can be a balancing act for City of Big Bear Lake City Council Members like Bynette Mote.
She said that after seeing pictures posted on social media of parking lot shuttles, she immediately reached out to check on their compliance.
“We are a four season resort ski town. We do have to balance the residents that live here and work here along with the residents who live here and have retired here. So it’s a very difficult balance to struggle with the economy and the health and safety of our residents. So we’re trying to find the best balance we can as far as meeting everyone’s needs and concerns financially, mental health-wise, safety-wise, you name it,” Mote said.
And in the bigger tourism picture, it’s been tough for restaurant owners like Alison Faust who’s actually in escrow and managing Sweet Basil Bistro. With changing guidelines, she’s been limited to take-out only. But she doesn’t fault the resort for being in business.
She said it’s the restaurant guidelines she’s frustrated with. She is trying to keep her bistro afloat with at least five businesses having closed for good within the city’s only seven-square-mile city limits.
“There seems to be a lot of disconnect and a lot of contradiction as far as all these new rules we’re supposed to be abiding by and who can do what and I feel that personally I would feel as safe sitting in a restaurant. If we were allowed to open as we had in June with half-capacity, with at least six feet in between tables, I would personally feel safer there than getting on a large shuttle being crammed in with people,” Faust said.
As visitors continue to look for ways to safely endure the pandemic, Justin said Big Bear Mountain Resort will continue to operate within guidelines.
“We really just want to provide a service for folks who are looking to come to the mountains and enjoy some sort of outdoor recreation but do so safely and responsibly,” Kanton said.
But while tourism generates income, those residents like Joanne, said that despite limiting capacity at resorts during the pandemic, they worry about crowds overall in the area.
“The locals need an answer of why we’re having this overcrowding just in general. Not just on the transports,” Norton said.