Skiing Legend Finds Bear Living Under His Tahoe Hot Tub
The growing bear population in Tahoe has been heavily documented on this website, with bear-human interactions being scary and hilarious, and everything in between. Most Tahoe locals are used to the bears in their neighborhoods and sometimes our furry friends can find shelter in odd locations.
Skiing legend Jonny Moseley spends much of his time in Tahoe during the winter, skiing at Squaw Valley. He recently had a run-in with a bear living under his Tahoe hot tub:
“I love bears but not sure I want to live with one,” wrote Moseley on Instagram. “@boonthedoggle was barking at the hot tub last night so I went over to take a peak. #notamouse He/She is still currently vibing there about ten feet away from the couch I’m sitting on.”
Later, Moseley found evidence the bear had left the premises.
“Bear update: was trying to get a visual on the bear yesterday and my phone popped off the pole and straight into the den. Found some tracks and other evidence 💩 indicating the bear had left the building. The Warden came down and helped me confirm. I crawled up there and got my phone. I did not discover any evidence of cubs. I boarded up the access points and we all lived happily ever after.”
In the wintertime, it’s very rare to come across a bear since most are hibernating. But black bears don’t officially hibernate, instead entering a lighter form of hibernation called torpor. In torpor, bears will emerge from their den during mild winter days to look for food.
If you want to hear his full account of the bear encounter, listen to this episode of his podcast.