Bear Valley, CA…The Rasmussen Classic is the annual kick-off to the Far West-Central Sierra race series. Young racers from Dodge Ridge, Badger Pass, China Peak, and Bear Valley Resort come together honoring the rich racing history at Bear Valley. Yesterday you could hear the rhythmic clack, clack, clack as the young racers cross blocked the slalom gates seeking to gain milliseconds on the course. Today is GS or Giant Slalom and the gates get farther apart and the speed soars and the youngsters test their skills. If you would like to see these young skiers in action you don’t even need a ticket as spectators can walk up to “Coaches Corner” and watch them fly by.

The Race is organized by the Bear Valley Snowsports Foundation

Located in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, Bear Valley is the ideal location for kids, families and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages to build their snow sports skills while enjoying the world class beauty of the environment.

Founded in 2001 as the Bear Valley Race Team Foundation, Bear Valley Snowsports Foundation has evolved to support all Bear Valley’s teams including All Mountain Development (Devo), Freeski, Snowboard as well as the Race team. Working in close collaboration with Bear Valley Mountain, BVSF provides support in ways which otherwise would not be possible for the Mountain.

Our Mission
The Bear Valley SnowSports Foundation (BVSF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the support of Bear Valley’s snow sports athletes in achieving their athletic, academic and personal goals. The programs we support promote the development of essential skills; stimulate interest in competitive events and the positive values of sportsmanship, self-discipline, goal setting, character building and the pursuit of healthy lifetime activities.

BVSF assists Bear Valley’s competitive and development teams in many ways including team communication and administrative tasks. We support the professional development of coaches and support their efforts in providing the best possible skills development for our athletes. Our members assist coaches with training setup, safety monitoring, team communication and administrative tasks. Through fundraising and on-mountain volunteer work, we provide Bear Valley with the necessary parent and community support to develop highly competitive ski and snow sports teams. Through these efforts Bear Valley’s programs are among the most affordable in the Sierras. This enables more young snow sports athletes to participate in a sport that would otherwise not be affordable.