Bear! Skier narrowly escapes crashing into bear on Tahoe slope: Watch video
Bearly made it!
A skier almost crashed into a black bear as he was coming down the slopes at Heavenly Ski Resort's Ridge Run Trail in Tahoe.
Video footage captured by TikTok user Tao Feng @Tao7570 shows a bear dashing in front of the skier before running off, narrowly escaping a collision between the two.
Feng told KLTA5 that he was skiing down the trail at around 11 a.m. on Sunday when he encountered the bear as it sprinted out the woods and across the slope between skiers and snowboarders.
The skier told the media outlet that he didn't realize it was a bear till it was "too close.”
Fortunately, no one collided with the bear and the animal reunited with its mother after it crossed over to the other side of the slope, as per KLTA5.
Feng told ABC10 that he felt very lucky that he didn't collide with the bear and that he felt better after seeing the bear reunite with his mother off the trail.
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Bear sightings are common
A spokesperson of Heavenly Mountain Resort Cole Zimmerman told USA TODAY that wildlife sightings are common in the area since the resort operates on national forest lands. However, he said that the resort has proper safety protocols in place to ensure safety of both the animals and guests.
"We deeply respect the diverse species that inhabit the area within and surrounding the resort," said Heavenly Mountain Resort in a statement. "In situations where these animals are noticed, we have specific protocols to prioritize the safety of our guests and the well-being of these animals. This includes maintaining distance and promptly alerting our ski patrol, mountain safety, and security teams when needed."
Zimmerman said that animals usually move on fairly quickly once spotted.
"Tahoe’s bears are pretty nonchalant towards humans and no parties were injured – including the bear," Zimmerman said. "You know you’re at Heavenly when even the bears are taking in those views down Ridge Run!”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
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