A black bear named Charlie checks out the ice at a Tahoe skating rink

Employees at the Shops at Sky Village in Lake Tahoe had just finished preparing the mall’s skating rink when an unusual local man arrived for a night spin on the ice.

A black bear, nicknamed “Charlie” by locals, made his first guest appearance at the rink this year when he walked off the ice shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, according to staff.

Bears crawled under roped barriers to cross the ice, ignoring the “No Skating Without Skates” sign plastered at the entrance. It is debatable whether cages count.

“The ice may have just turned cold when one of our employees, Danny, saw Charlie skating and took a picture,” said Drew Morin, spokesman for the Shops at Heavenly Village. “Opening day today and he definitely took advantage of the fresh ice. … He got the first tracks on our ice rink.”

paradise village hanged Getting thousands of likes for Fuzzy Skater, about face-to-face on Facebook. “Think winter sports season is officially open! #OnlyInTahoe #BearOnIce,” the post read.

Morin said black bears are frequently seen at Sky Village, which is located at the base of the popular Lake Tahoe destination Sky Mountain Resort in late fall and early winter. The residential area has not reported any attacks in recent years. But sometimes humans and bears collide—literally.

Last year, a snowboarder on the slopes of Heavenly Mountain collided with a black bear cub on the snow, a situation that was caught on camera by a nearby snowboarder. Fortunately, neither the man nor the bear was harmed.

After his turn on the ice Thursday night, Charlie left on his own. But he apparently couldn’t help but return—presumably this time looking for dinner.

“Charlie returned to the village last night but he decided not to ice skate,” said Morin.

“Undoubtedly, bears come down to the ice in search of food, and relate to the smell of food and trash,” said Steve Searles, a wildlife writer and California bear expert known as “The Bear Whisperer.” “As winter has not yet arrived, it will be normal to see snow as long as there is no snow.”

The Nevada Division of Wildlife is warning Lake Tahoe residents to cover their garbage during the fall and winter because bears will enter homes and businesses in search of food. The department said that with such an abundant supply of snacks year-round, there is a risk that bears could avoid sleeping altogether if they rely on human food sources.

The phenomenon became such an issue that this year the California Department of Wildlife decided to introduce a Lake Tahoe trapping, tagging and “hazing” program, which involves the use of noisemakers, paintballs and beanbag rounds to prevent bears from moving into populated areas.

Charlie Skating isn’t the first comical encounter with local bears at the mall. A few years ago, a little black bear walked into a Nestle cookie shop to eat ice cream, Maureen said.

“We’re thinking about making a ‘Charlie the Skating Bear’ T-shirt,” Morin said. “He might just be our mascot.”