Bear sightings at Heavenly Resort in California (the resort also has terrain and facilities in Nevada), aren’t terribly uncommon. About 10 months ago, a bear was found trouncing through the glades. A month before that, a bear scampered across a trail filled with riders and skiers.
There have been quite a few run-ins, but a bear at Heavenly actually collided with a snowboarder on December 8, 2024. Ekalak Lakshana caught it all on camera, and posted the video to his personal Instagram and TikTok accounts on Monday.
Tap play to watch the video below. Keep reading for more info about the incident from Lakshana.
Video: Bear Collides With Snowboarder at Heavenly Resort, California
“When I saw the bear coming at me, all I could think was, ‘Today is not the day—you’re not catching me!’” he said in an email to Snowboarder. While Lakshana saw the bear coming, he didn’t notice it until it was already pretty close. It all happened pretty fast, he said. “I’ve seen bears near the slopes before, but never one running right in the middle like this,” he said.
He turned around, just to see his friend Hunter Martinez collide with the bear. The bear took off running almost immediately, and Lakshana stopped to see if Martinez was OK. “He gave me a fist bump before cruising down the slope, so all ended well,” he said.
Back in January, Danielle Brilliant recorded a video of an encounter with a bear sitting in the middle of Mombo Run at Heavenly. She later saw the bear again on the slopes, as it was running behind her. “His fur was shaking on each step, and that was intense. So I, at that moment, was like ‘wow, I gotta get out of here,'” she said to local news station ABC10. “I felt like it was unpredictable.”
Photo: Mike Thomas/Heavenly Mountain Resort
If you see a bear on the slopes, make sure to maintain a healthy amount of distance. While it can be incredible to see wildlife out there in bounds, it’s best not to approach any animals, especially a bear.
Riders should alert the mountain’s ski patrol immediately. A representative from California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife told ABC10 that because of the increase in human-provided food, some bears don’t need to hibernate through the winter anymore. “It’s a special moment, but don’t get too close for a picture,” Brilliant told ABC10. “Just zoom in on your phone.”
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