Big Bear Today Magazine August 2022

Big Bear Today August 2022—Page 7
Gravity Festival, basecamp at Summit
Three days of intense mountain bike
racing that’s spectator-friendly is on tap
August 19-21 at Snow Summit.
Strait Acres Invitational returns to the
resort as part of Team Big Bear’s Gravity
Festival. Exciting head-to-head dual sla-
lom racing highlights Strait Acres Invitational,
produced by Kyle and Rachel Strait.
Thirty two of the world’s top pro men and
women compete on a custom-built track
in the base area with jumps and more..
The stakes are high with $20,000 in
Climbs, thin air test Kodiak 100 runners
Elite runners will tackle sustained running
at 7,000 feet or above with nearly
17,000 feet of vertical climbing during the
10th annual Kodiak Ultra Marathons on
August 19-20.
The event returns with 100-mile and
100K runs plus 50K, half marathon and
10K, featuring distance running at altitude
that attracts elite athletes from around the
country and even the world. In 2022 the
event is a qualifying race for the brand new
One Hundred Mountain Ultra Trail series,
which sports straight forward ranking system
and professional live streaming.
Big Bear cash prizes include $1,500
to the 100 mile winner, $1,000 for the
100K with a total cash purse of $17,000
up for grabs. Other events are in Brazil,
Portugal, Wales and a final race in
Abruzzo, Italy. The combined purse for all
One Hundred events is over $100,000
Long distance
runs at Kodiak
100
The Kodiak 100 is a true mountain
hundred-miler, technical with steep climbs
to 10,000 ft. summits and flowing
singletrack, through epic canyon passages.
The 100K is shorter but still 60-plus miles
at elevation.
Runners spend many hours on trail,
with winners out nearly 20 grueling hours,
others 24 hours, some over 30, enduring
cool mountain nights in the process. Rod
Farvard was last year’s 100 mile winner
with a time of 19:31:00, nearly five minutes
faster than second place finisher Tony
Torres.
The route is a clockwise loop around
Big Bear Lake sporting epic views and taxing
climbs, starting and finishing in the Village.
It climbs to the top of Sugarloaf
Mountain, highest peak in Big Bear Valley,
crosses Deadman’s Ridge and descends
into Siberia Creek Canyon to Seven
Oaks, then up to Grandview Point before
the finish.
There’s 20 miles on the famed Pacific
Crest Trail, under towering pines and spiny
Joshua trees. Saturday sees 50K, halfmarathon
and 10K out of the Village as
runners climb singletrack up the southern
ridge, enjoying views of Mt. San Gorgonio
along the way, and descend with a threemile
dirt road descent back to the Village.
Proceeds benefit San Bernardino
Search & Rescue, Big Bear Valley Trails
Foundation, Mountain Top Radio Association,
Civil Air Patrol, and Middle School
Interact Club.
For information or to register call
(917) 370-3712 or Kodiak100.com.
Exciting dual slalom racing, basecamp fun and more at Gravity Festival
prize money up for grabs. Competition
begins Friday with morning practice prior
to afternoon amateur qualifying that starts
at 1:15 and open qualifiers at 4:15 p.m.
Saturday’s the big day as amateur slalom
finals commence at 2 p.m. Open finals
at 6 p.m. showcase the top riders.
It’s all part of a weekend of gravityfueled
thrills that also includes enduro and
downhill action. Enduro racing is set for
Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and downhill is on
Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
With vendors and basecamp activities
like zip line, climbing wall, Euro Bungee
and more, the resort’s base area will be a
full-on festival. Good eats too with barbecue
from the Big Horn Steakhouse.
Also there’s the Scenic Skychair that
transports sightseers and riders with their
bikes to the top of the mountain. Enjoy a
leisurely 20-minute ride through the forest
to the 8,200 ft. summit where there’s
food and drink at Skyline Taphouse and
great deck with panoramic views of 11,502
ft. Mt. San Gorgonio and the surrounding
Wilderness.
Play horseshoes at the highest pit
around, explore view-filled hiking trails
and more. Plus there’s a free adventure area
for kids ages 5-12 with natural features like
logs, ropes and other obstacles. Then ride
the chair down or walk for more adventure
and exercise.
Purchase Skychair and basecamp activities
at bigbearmountainresort.com; buy
in advance to save.