Conquer the Wall

Conquer the Wall takes place each August (August 15, 2026) at Snow Summit Resort, challenging runners to climb approximately 1,000 vertical feet in roughly one mile, following the ski area’s maintenance road from base to summit in what amounts to a controlled sufferfest with spectacular payoff. Registration costs $49.10 and includes your race bib, timing chip, a finisher medal, a catered lunch at the summit, and a scenic chairlift ride back down (because running downhill on that grade would wreck your knees for a week). The event usually caps around 300 participants to prevent dangerous crowding on the narrow road, so register early through the race website, and plan to arrive at Snow Summit’s base area by 7 a.m. for packet pickup and pre-race instructions, with waves starting around 8 a.m. and continuing until everyone’s on course. Snow Summit opened in 1952, three years before Bear Mountain, and at 8,200 feet its summit offers commanding views across Big Bear Lake and south toward the San Gorgonio Wilderness, where peaks top 11,000 feet and hold snow into July most years. The resort’s location on the lake’s north shore means you’re looking directly across 3,000 acres of water toward the quieter south side, where Forest Service land prevents development and preserves the sense that you’re genuinely in the mountains rather than at a resort town. The chairlift descent after your climb lets you study the route you just conquered, picking out the sections that hurt most and planning how you’ll attack them faster next year, and the summit lunch (usually sandwiches, fruit, and plenty of hydration) tastes better than it has any right to after an hour of suffering. For a celebratory dinner, make reservations at The Captain’s Anchorage (established 1983), where the steaks and seafood have fueled decades of Big Bear visitors, or keep it casual at Peppercorn Grille (opened 2005), which specializes in game meats and mountain-sized portions. The race attracts trail runners looking for a novel challenge, CrossFit athletes testing their uphill power, and ambitious recreational runners who want a bucket-list experience that’s tough enough to mean something but short enough to survive. Book your Big Bear Lake lodging through Lake.com early, as mid-August represents prime summer season, and consider arriving a day before the race to acclimate to the elevation, which can hit unprepared sea-level dwellers harder than they expect even over a single mile.