Ski season is coming to a close in the San Bernardino Mountains, but that doesn’t mean outdoor activities in the area will stop.
Bear Mountain, the last open ski slopes, will close after Easter weekend, wrapping up a 149-day season despite below-average snowfall.
It’s part of the Big Bear Mountain Resort, which also includes Snow Summit and Snow Valley, both of which already said goodbye to skiing for this season.
Saturday, April 19, will be the last day for snow activities such as skiing and snowboarding at the Bear Mountain resort in Big Bear Lake.
Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear on Saturday, April 19, 2025, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. The resort will officially wrap up winter operations this weekend. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
A snowboarder takes a little jump at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
Snowboarder Eric Supangan, 28, of Glendale, makes the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
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Skiers and snowboarders make the most of the remaining snow at Bear Mountain in Big Bear on Saturday, April 19, 2025, as the 2025 ski season comes to a close. The resort will officially wrap up winter operations this weekend. (Photo by John Valenzuela, Contributing Photographer)
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“We didn’t have a typical natural‑snow season this winter,” said Justin Kanton, the resort’s advertising and public relations director.
“It’s really a testament to our operations staff that we were still able to provide a great experience for guests,” Kanton said.
Now it’s time for the mountains’ next tourism season.
With warmer temperatures accelerating the melting of snow, crews are clearing biking trails for summer.
Snow Valley’s lift‑served mountain bike park at the resort near Running Springs is set to have its official re-opening Saturday, April 19 — the earliest start in nearly a decade, Kanton said.
With a bike park pass, riders can load their bikes onto chairlifts at both Snow Valley and Snow Summit, which is in Big Bear Lake. At both spots, bikers can cruise down trails.
“This is the first time anyone could ski or snowboard in the morning and bike in the afternoon, all in one day.” Kanton said.
Snow Summit will offer hiking, sky chair rides and dining starting in early June.
At Snow Summit, visitors can find new activities for the next season. These include a 30‑foot climbing wall, Euro bungee trampoline, zip line, summer tubing lanes and a gemstone‑mining station for kids.
Snow Summit activities will kick off Friday, June 6. Online reservations will open May 13. Day passes and individual ride tickets will be available.
Across the street, Bear Mountain’s nine‑hole golf course will reopen for tee times that can be booked online starting Friday, May 16.
Throughout summer, the resort hosts mountain bike races, adventure challenges and free outdoor movie screenings.
A major draw is the Fourth of July fireworks party atop Snow Summit. Dubbed Above the Boom, it will include live music, dinner and a panoramic sky‑chair ride. Tickets go on sale at the end of June.
“It’s a pretty unique experience because you’re watching the fireworks from high up,” Kanton said.
The Big Bear area will again bank on visitors from outside the mountains seeking to enjoy its summer average daytime temperatures of 77 degrees.
“It’s a short jaunt to escape the summer heat and a great place to just unwind and let the city pressures disappear,” said Dan McKernan, who does publicity for the mountain community.
The University of Hawaii women’s volleyball team has added two transfers to its 2026 roster.
Maeli Cormier, a 6-foot-2 pin hitter who played at Oregon State this past season, and Panna Ratkai, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Dayton, have signed to play for the Rainbow Wahine and will enroll for the spring semester, UH announced this afternoon.
Cormier will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Ratkai will be a senior.
“Both Maeli and Panna add a lot of maturity and competitiveness that will immediately upgrade our gym and culture the moment they step foot on campus,” Hawaii coach Robyn Ah Mow said in a news release.
Cormier, who is originally from Quebec, Canada, was the starting opposite on Canada’s U-21 team at the NORCECA Continental Championship in 2024 in Toronto and led the team in kills in the tournament. She was second with 266 total kills for Oregon State last season and played with former UH setter Jackie Matias.
Ratkai, who is originally from Budapest, Hungary, was a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year at Purdue Fort Wayne before playing at Dayton in 2025. She competed for the Hungarian National Team last summer.
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UH previously announced the signing of two freshmen for the 2026 class — Cameron Holcomb, a 5-foot-8 freshman defensive specialist from San Marcos, Calif., and 6-foot-3 middle Rachel Purser from Henderson, Nev.
Hawaii lost three seniors to graduation and three other players entered the transfer portal.
Middle Maddie Way announced on social media earlier this week she will play for Saint Mary’s (Calif.) next season. Setter Audrey Hollis and outside hitter Ravyn Dash are also in the transfer portal.
From the 64 teams selected to compete in the NCAA DI women’s volleyball tournament, just No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 Texas A&M remain. Reaching the national championship is no small feat, from Dec. 4 all the way to Dec. 18, these two programs have battled to etch their names into history.
Let’s take a look on how the Wildcats and the Aggies punched their tickets to the national final.
No. 1 Kentucky
ROUND
NO. 3 TEXAS A&M
Def. Wofford, 3-0
First
Def. Campbell, 3-0
Def. UCLA, 3-1
Second
Def. No. 6 TCU, 3-0
Def. Cal Poly, 3-0
Regional semifinals
Def. No. 2 Louisville, 3-2
Def. No. 3 Creighton, 3-0
Regional finals
Def. No. 1 Nebraska, 3-2
Def. No. 3 Wisconsin, 3-2
National semifinals
Def. No. 1 Pitt, 3-0
👉 Check out the full schedule, scores from the 2025 women’s volleyball tournament
No. 1 Kentucky (30-2)
Big Blue fought for a dramatic five-setter victory over No. 3 Wisconsin to earn its second ever national championship appearance and first since their 2021 national title. The Badgers seemed to have all control after a Set 1 25-12 victory, but Kentucky wouldn’t be denied. Eva Hudson was on fire, accruing 29 kills on .455 hitting, while Molly Tuozzo’s back-court defense—with 17 critical digs—fought off a career night from Mimi Colyer.
No. 3 Texas A&M (28-4)
The Aggies knocked off No. 1 Pitt in three straight sets, continuing their historic season by earning the program’s first-ever national championship appearance. Kyndal Stowers powered the Maroon and White with 16 kills on .433 hitting while setter Maddie Waak orchestrated her balanced offense to an impressive .382 clip, with four different Aggies earning at least eight put-aways.
Both programs are heating up at just the right time, priming Sunday’s matchup to be an intense face-off between SEC foes. Make sure to follow the action here on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Catie Riley ’21 joined the Colby Track & Field coaching staff as an Assistant Coach to start the 2021-22 academic year.
“Colby is extremely excited to keep Catie in Waterville so soon after graduation,” said Head Cross Country Coach Jared Beers ’01. “Catie had so much positive impact in the team as a student athlete, I cannot wait for her to build upon that as a coach.”
During her four years at Colby, Riley competed for the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. In Cross Country she posted a personal best of 23:44 for the 6000m and finished as one of the team’s top-five runners in her junior and senior years. In Track & Field, she focused on the 5000m (personal best 18:53), the 3000m (11:04), and the 3000m steeplechase (12:29).
“I feel so lucky to be able to come back to Colby as an assistant coach,” said Riley. “During my time as a student, Colby quickly became my second home and the team was like family to me. I feel so grateful to have this chance to further explore my passion for running and give back to this amazing program. The pandemic has made this opportunity all the more special as I get to spend one more year with my former teammates and coaches, cheering them on and supporting them. Everyone was extremely dedicated to training this past year and I am looking forward to seeing that hard work pay off in the upcoming season.”
Riley graduated with a double major in Biology and Government. Beyond Colby, she connected with the greater Waterville community by volunteering in the Emergency Department at MaineGeneral Hospital and working with the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women’s volleyball finished the 2025 season with an overall record 7-15, including going 6-8 in Ivy League play.
The Crimson opened the season with a competitive nonconference slate and concluded it with a dominant 3-0 win over Stonehill. The victory over the Skyhawks propelled Harvard into the Ivy League slate as it won two of the first three contests, defeating Dartmouth and Columbia in three sets.
Harvard concluded its season in a similar fashion, recording two strong victories in the final three matches. First, Harvard sent its seniors out a top, defeating Brown 3-0 in the last game at the Malkin Athletic Center. The Crimson then closed out the year with a five-set thriller over the Penn Quakers in Philadelphia.
Two Crimson student-athletes received All-Ivy honors following strong seasons on the court. For the second year in a row Ryleigh Patterson received honorable mention All-Ivy honors. Despite missing six matches in the middle of the season, Patterson made her mark with 113 kills, 56 blocks, and nine aces. Sofia Rossi joined as another honorable mention All-Ivy honoree as she paced the Crimson’s offense with 238 kills in her first season. The standout first-year also tallied 74 aces, 28 blocks, and 15 aces.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season Harvard says goodbye to three seniors that have left their mark on the Crimson. Brynne Faltinsky, Peyton Hollis, and Hannah Nguyen made tremendous impacts on and off the court during their four years in Cambridge. The senior trio was instrumental in 37 victories and a 2023 trip to the Ivy League Tournament.
Although the loss of the seniors will be felt, Harvard is poised for a strong season in 2026 as it returns the core of its lineup. The Crimson will welcome back four of its top five attackers and its top four attackers from this past season. Included in its returners will be three first-year’s from a season ago who all appeared and made noticeable contributions in each match.
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota State volleyball team has announced the addition of Patrycja Labucka to its roster, beginning with the upcoming sprint semester. Labucka, a 6-foot-5-inch rightside, will join the Jackrabbits in January and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Labucka will transfer to SDSU after two seasons at Florida Southwestern State College, where she made two NJCAA national championship game appearances with the Buccaneers. The Bucs won the national title in 2024 and were the runner-up team in 2025. Labucka also helped FSW to multiple district championships and a state title during her time with the Buccaneers. Prior to her stint at FSW, Labucka spent one season at Middle Tennessee State, where she did not appear in any matches.
At home in Poland, Labucka was a member of the U16 Polish National Team. She also finished in the top-three at the Cadets Polish National Championship in three straight seasons from 2019-2021.
Labucka plans to major in entrepreneurship at SDSU.
SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Track & Field Elite Prospect Camp is set for Jan. 11 at Lund Center. The camp is available for high school juniors and seniors who are looking to gain exposure and are wanting to compete at the collegiate level.
Itinerary:
12:15 p.m. Check-in
12:45 p.m. Warm-up
1:00 p.m. Session I (hurdles, long jump/triple jump, pole vault, discus)
12:00-2:00 p.m. Time available to meet with an admissions counselor (parents and/or participants)
2:45 p.m. Break or warm-up
3:00 p.m. Session II (sprints, high jump, shot put)
5:00 p.m. Conclusion/Dinner with the team (parents dinner with coaches)
$50 to do one session or $65 to do an event in each session. More details will come after registration and as it gets closer to the camp date.
Included:
Elite prospect camp t-shirt
Dinner
Video analysis, individualized coaching and instruction
Campus tour and a meeting with an admissions counselor are available
Session I (1:00pm): Hurdles, Long Jump/Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Discus
