Mountain Bear Madness: Beary Holidays!! Roanoke, VA

Mountain Bear Madness is a yearly event that the Virginia Mountain Bears throw to entice bears and their admirers to come party and socialize with fellow like minded people over the course of a long weekend.

A bear run is a social event hosted usually by a bear club that is meant to bring the bear community together from abroad. Usually starting on Thursday and running through Sunday, the event is a weekend long party meant to bring the community together as well as raise money for charities.

People from all walks of life come to bear runs. The bear community is a very diverse and accepting group in the gay community. Both singles and couples (even a few triples) come to the event for different reasons. Some come to socialize with like minded folks, others for more premiscuous reasons. *wink*

The package prices vary depending on when you purchase it. Please visit the registration page for pricing info. Virginia Mountain Bears club members get a reduced rate ($10 off) on early and regular registration dates.

Your package includes access to MBM from Thursday through Sunday. Included over the course of the event are two catered meals, access to the hospitality suite, free beer all weekend (till it's gone), transportation to certain excursions, access to exclusive areas of the hotel reserved for MBM attendees, a goodie bag with MBM memorabillia and offers and promotional items from our sponsors, and of course access to the nightly parties. Trust me when I say, you will get your money's worth.

Believe it or not, we have been asked this repeatedly. The Virginia Mountain Bears spends tens of thousands of dollars to put on an event of this size. This includes not only food and alcohol, but fees, taxes, licenses, and room rentals. We only feel it is fair that EVERYONE that enjoys the event, has helped fund the fun. We do not allow locals to come to the event without purchasing a run package, even to just "hang out by the pool". We pride ourselves on running a tight ship to spot people trying to sneak in, and are even more proud that our attendees help us keep it honest for everyone. You can try, but don't get mad when you're escorted out in front of everyone. :) Again.. you get your money's worth, don't be "that guy", register early and save the most money and come enjoy the weekend with us.

We have discussed and voted against day passes for three years in a row. We feel that our event is value priced for the amenities that you receive. We look at the extra time and work involved to manage processing people coming in after registration is closed. All of the MBM Staff purchases a run package at the same rate as it's attendees. We strive to offer a great time for all, and that includes us as well.

Nope. Where you stay is totally up to you. We do however discourage drinking and driving so if you are not staying at one of the MBM Properties we ask that you be conservative on the amount of alcohol you consume. Know your limits and obey all travel laws. Don't Drink and Drive!!

Nothing and everything. We only oversee the bookings at the "host hotel" to keep the crashers at bay. If we find you there, we will escort you out. We only feel it is fair that EVERYONE that enjoys the event, has helped fund the fun. We do have hired security checking for proper identification.

.. then that attendee must leave the hotel premesis and come to you! We have noticed a growing problem of people bringing tricks to the hotel and said trick hanging out all weekend. In the past we have overlooked this practice, however we are enforcing a new rule that all tricks with non attendees be offsite. Let me repeat that. NON ATTENDEES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE PREMESIS: THIS INCLUDES YOUR ROOM. If you are unable to find someone at the event you are free to leave the premesis to do otherwise. Guests found having non attendees in their rooms will have that guest escorted from the premesis and the attendee will be asked to leave as well. Non attendees found on the premesis will be banned from future MBM events.

The best time of your life! No really, you should expect the following: A great group of men in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages, with varying degrees of furiness having a great time. Bears typically are very tactile and bear runs tend to bring that out more. Expect to be approached in varying degrees. 99% of the people attending events are there looking for a great time and usually leave the drama at home, but there is always that 1%. Bear runs typically have a LOT going on to keep you both relaxed and engaged.

No you don't need a Paypal account to pay online. Guests wanting to register online can pay for their package using most major credit cards through Paypal without signing up for an account if you don't have one.

Most certainly. If you're having problems paying for your registration, please do not hesitate to contact us from the contact page. Please note that all registrations not paid for within 48 hours of registration will be deleted.

We do accept checks. Please download and print out the pdf registration form (click here) (or right click on the link and choose Save Link As) and mail it along with your payment to the address on the form. Please note that you will not be able to register at the host hotel until we have received your payment and the check has cleared. Registration rate changes apply. Registrations received after a rate change must be postmarked before that change or the registration will be voided and the check returned.

At Mountain Bear Madness we take pride in having you taken care of from the time you get here till you leave. From great food to free soft drinks and water along with drink tickets for premium spirts, as well as transportation to our major outing events. That being said, Friday Lunch is on your own and there are only so many free drink tickets you will receive. We also have vendors on site selling bear and leather related merchandise plus there is the silent auctions for great items that goes to charity. I would say you could enjoy the event for under $50 if you are conservative on your drinks and eating out. But the vendors have some really great items and the silent auction items are always highly sought after so I would recommend at least $150.

The theme this year is Beary Holidays where we plan on celebrating Valentines, Easter, Mardi Gras, St Patricks day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years. There will be a Monster ball (Halloween) party on Thursday night so get you a costume together! Saturday night is the Black Tie & Boxers party. Be sure to check out the videos from the front page for more info.