Bear Breaks Into Mammoth's Summit Gondola Station

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated May 23, 2025 3:49 PM ET

In the 20 years Vince Valencia has lived in the top terminal of Mammoth Mountain's gondola, he's never had a visitor like the one that stopped by on May 22, 2025.

Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Valencia woke to noises coming from the top of the gondola building. When he went to investigate, he discovered none other than the same black bear who had paid him a visit a few weeks prior. Valencia chased the bear out of the building the first time, but the second time, it seems the bear had quite the wander around the gondola terminal.

Valencia posted videos of the encounter to his instagram saying he'd never seen a bear up there before the last few weeks. The gondola building at Mammoth sits at 11,053 feet in elevation, which is a bit higher than the average American black bear habitat, according the the US Forest Service.

Tap the arrows in Valencia's post below to see more videos and photos of the curious bear.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vincent Valencia (@talkinghead1)

While it doesn't seem like the bear caused much damage to the building or gondola, Mammoth Mountain is still open for the season and will be spinning lifts through Memorial Day.

Although this bear's visit was more of a late-night romp, if you do see wildlife while out skiing, remember to give them plenty of room and tell ski patrol as soon as you can.

Hopefully that's the last of Valencia's Boo Boo encounters for now...Y'all STAY SAFE.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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