Bear terrifies skiers after sprinting across California slope: 'Thought it would attack'
A frantic skier on the slope at the time said 'all I could think of was to get away fast'.
Skiers in California were left terrified after a black bear suddenly jumped onto a slope in Lake Tahoe.
Tao Feng, a skier on the slope, captured the scary moment on camera on Sunday during his stay at Heavenly Mountain Resort.
In the video, the bear is seen emerging from a nearby woods before standing still on the slope.
The beast then swiftly sprints across the trail while skiers are making their way down the slopes.
The video went viral on TikTok, amassing more than 800,000 views and thousands of shares.
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Luckily, no skiers collided with the animal.
Mr Feng later told California television network KTLA that the bear reunited with its mother on the other side of the slope.
He added: "Didn't realize it was a bear until it was too close."
Reacting to Mr Feng's video, one TikTok user said: "Bearly made it!"
Another asked: "I’ve watched this many times...that bear was waiting to cross! How was everyone casually skiing by?!"
Mr Feng responded: "I was honestly afraid it would attack me if I stopped too close. All I could think of was to get away fast, I bet the bear thought so too, and we both underestimate the other's speed."
Another person wrote: "I could BEARly watch. I was afraid of a GRIZZLY outcome or PANDAmonium, but it turned out to be the POLAR opposite, a KODIAK moment!"
One commenter also said: "Poor bear he was like y’all are fast and scary and I just need cross over real quick."
There are believed to be between 30,000 and 40,000 bears in California according to the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The authorities warn that bears' behavior can be unpredictable, but encounters rarely result in injuries.
