Whoa, there's snow: Big Bear Snow Play just opened for the season

Just as we're basking in some sunny sumtumn afternoons — those golden and fleeting times when autumn flaunts a summer-warm coat — we learn that snow is flurrying near Big Bear Lake.

This isn't snow from the sky but rather snow-making guns, those devices that create the cold and frosty stuff for snow-centered attractions.

Big Bear Snow Play is one such nexus of bundle-up fun, a mountain-merry place that has become synonymous with snow tubing for many Southern Californians.

But the hill-laden location isn't waiting for winter to get the snowy scene ready for tubers: It broke out the snow-makers over five frigid fall nights, starting on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.

Temperatures dipped into the 20s over several overnights, prompting the Big Bear Snow Play to begin the snow-creation process in icy earnest.

"The weather conditions this past week were absolutely ideal for making snow," said Big Bear Snow Play General Manager Kim Voigt. "The results are just astonishing with three to four feet of snow."

"We're happy to announce that the snow season starts now!"

And that "now"? It's officially Nov. 3, meaning Big Bear Snow Play is open for the season.

There are "more ideal snowmaking opportunities" in the days soon to come, reveals the attraction's team. The hope in the weeks to come? That some 20 feet of snow will adorn the destination's busy runs.

There are eight runs in all, by the by, and a pair of Magic Carpets, those handy lifts that whisk tubers back uphill when they're ready to take another speedy zip downhill.

Glow tubing, the popular evening offering, begins on the day after Thanksgiving 2023.

As with all snow-related experiences, you'll want to check the Big Bear Snow Play site and social pages before heading up the mountain, all to make sure that the attraction is open and conditions are just right.

A snow-tubing day session is $45; find more prices and details at the Big Bear Snow Play site.