January 2022 Big Bear Today Magazine

Page 4—January 2022
Alpine Slide satisfies inner Olympian
Unique ride serves up a bobsled-type slide!
Big Bear Today
Lean into the banked turns and get almost
perpendicular to the ground.
Go into a tuck through the straightaways
to reduce wind resistance. Guide the
sled over undulations as snow-covered—
or not—slopes blur by.
A preview of next month’s from the
Winter Olympic Games perhaps? Actually
these visuals play out every day at Alpine
Slide, home of the only authentic bobsled
ride of its kind in Southern California.
While most of us will get no closer to
experiencing the thrills of Olympic
bobsledding, luge or skeleton than we will
to flying in outer space, Alpine Slide brings
much of the excitement and gravitational
forces of the sport down to Earth as part of
a ride that never needs snow and always
delivers thrills galore. Riders control how
fast—or slow—they go down the track in
the most unique ride around.
Unleash your inner Olympian while
navigating sleds you control down two
quarter-mile long cement tracks. The sleds
sport ball-bearing wheels and teflon runners
so snow and ice aren’t necessary, but
otherwise the ride is the same as drivers
whip through turns and down long straightaways.
It’s a ride so real bobsledders could
train at Alpine Slide and lets everyday folks
get a taste of the Games’ exciting event.
Each sled carries one or two riders—
typically parent with a young child. Pulling
the control handle toward you applies
brake and slows the sled down; pushing
forward releases it and allows the sled to
roll freely. Far from an amusement park
attraction where there’s little or no guest
interaction, Alpine Slide offers an experience
that’s different every time down, since
riders control their own speed.
Skill is the main factor in determining
what kind of experience guests have: when
to brake and when to go faster, how to lean
into and out of each turn and more. Watching
experienced drivers negotiate the track
really brings home images of the Olympics,
especially as they shoot through
banked turns at high speed.
Each trip down starts with a scenic ride
up the chairlift, where there’s stunning
views of Big Bear Lake along the way.
Don’t let the lake views distract on the way
down though, for this is a real ride where
each driver controls their own destiny and
while some streak, many crawl.
The Olympics were the furthest thing
from the mind of seven-year-old Ellie
Thomson during a recent visit. The San
Diego resident was visiting Alpine Slide
with father Ramon as part of a YMCA Adventure
Guide weekend and the pair got
all the adventure they could handle.
“You start slow then whoop! whoop!
you press forward and go faster,” Ellie said.
“Yeah I’m excited! Lean forward into the
turns to go faster.” Even five-year-old
friend Frida Colas, also from San Diego,
got in on the fun. She rode with dad Alex
but he let her control the sled, much to his
daughter’s delight.
“Mine couldn’t go that fast till we did
the bumps (track undulations),” she said.
“Then we went really fast!”
While similar tracks are found worldwide
and at a couple dozen locations in
the country, mostly at prominent ski resorts,
the closest other one is in Park City,
Utah. Each ride serves up the ultimate Go
Pro moment as drivers with cameras
donned shoot through the turns. Some try
to video with cellphones or selfie sticks in
hand but that’s a difficult task that leads to
more distracted driving. Bobsled rides cost
$9 each, or $40 for a five-ride book.
There’s more Go Pro moments on Alpine
Slide’s inner tubing hill, a family favorite
for years. Alpine Slide’s ski resort
quality Lenko snowguns have made an
amazing amount of snow despite the challenging
winter with depths of 15 feet or
more already.
The enclosed 210-foot long Magic
Carpet uphill lift to take guests and their
tubes to the top of all that snow—just step
on and step off, no uphill climb to tucker
parents and kids out means they save all
their energy for downhill fun and get all
Even non-Olympians enjoy bobsled-like rides at Alpine Slide
the rides they can handle.
Nightly grooming just like at the ski
resorts ensures smooth tubing on perfect
corduroy seach morning with a nice run
out at the bottom built forr the end of the
ride. Sessions are daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
and cost $40, $25 small child, which includes
tube rental and lift ticket.
Tubing under the stars during night
sessions was introduced at Alpine Slide
several years ago
and has become
wildly popular.
Guests love sliding
on snow that
gets another fresh
grooming after the
day session ends
and the slopes are
lit up. Snow gets
faster and faster as
the evening
progresses. Night
sessions are Fridays,
Saturdays
and holiday periods
that include
nightly through
January 8 plus
Jan. 16 from 5-9 p.m.
The latest unique attraction at Alpine
Slide is the new Mineshaft Coaster which
opened summer 2020. Negotiate carts you
control up and down a mile-long track
filled with corkscrews, long descents and
more, reaching speeds up to 27 mph in the
process. Along with the Soaring Eagle.
Alpine Slide is at 800 Wildrose Ln.
Call (909) 866-4626.
Soar like an eagle!
Control your speed on the new Mineshaft Coaster as well (left) or slide out of control down snow-covered slopes aboard inner tubes, camera in hand (right)