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<\/p>\nA new clip shows three bears\u2014what look to be a sow and two cubs\u2014running across a powdery groomer. Skiers strapped to boards and skis stopped uphill and across from the trio, taking in the unusual sight.<\/p>\n
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(Photo: Jared Alden\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Published February 19, 2026 01:25PM<\/p>\n
Skiers and snowboarders in California witnessed a rare bear sighting at Northstar Resort, as the North Lake Tahoe<\/a> mountain recorded several feet of snow<\/a> during a winter storm.<\/p>\n A video<\/a> shared to Instagram on February 18 showed three bears\u2014what look to be a sow and two cubs\u2014running across a powdery groomer. Skiers strapped to boards and skis stopped uphill and across from the trio, taking in the unusual sight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is very rare to see bears out of the den in such snow in mid-winter,\u201d Chris Servheen, the former national grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told Outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even more peculiar is seeing bears in busy ski areas in such deep snow, added Servheen.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we call a California winter safari ride!\u201d wrote original poster Barclay Weyhrauch in the video comments.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Northstar Resort<\/a>, where the video was taken, is a ski mountain near Truckee, California. The mountain features 100 ski trails with more than 3,100 skiable acres served by 20 lifts. As of this writing, the resort has already received\u00a068 inches<\/a> of snow during a recent winter storm<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lake Tahoe is home to a large population of American black bears, which are often cinnamon-colored and resemble their larger cousin, the grizzly bear. Servheen said that because there are no grizzlies in California, these three are likely black bears. Tahoe Basin<\/a> is no stranger to run-ins between humans and bears. Tahoe black bears occasionally show up on the ski mountain. In January 2025, a trio of bears was spotted from the chair lift<\/a> at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe.<\/p>\n But shouldn\u2019t the bears be hibernating?<\/p>\n While some area black bears slow down and den up over the winter, some remain active year-round, searching for human food, writes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n When, or if, a bear hibernates depends on their ability to find food. In the cooler fall and winter months, natural food sources decline, and snow covers mountainous regions like Tahoe. Bears generally go into hibernation to save energy and resources\u2014but that\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, bears that continue to find and access unnatural food sources like garbage, bird feeders, pet food, and other human attractants may bypass hibernating altogether and stay active through the winter. This can create a reliance on human food that can be harmful for bears,\u201d wrote the Tahoe Interagency Bear Team on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you happen to come across a bear while skiing, Servheen offered a key piece of advice.\u201cThe best thing to do is stay away from the bears and give them space so they can get away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n