SPORT REPORT

Mike Gerard’s career has been heading downhill fast for 14 years now--so imagine his surprise at suddenly becoming a TV celebrity as spokesman for the Bear Mountain Ski Resort. “Two girls came up to me just the other day and asked me for my autograph,” he marvels. “I told them, ‘Get out of town!’ ”

Actually, Gerard is, well, stoked at his snowballing fame. It means that his winter weeknight appearances on the “Bear Mountain Ski Report,” a series of TV ads describing conditions at the Big Bear Lake resort, have captured an audience. Despite the recession, he says, “our ticket sales went up 70% last year. I’d like to think the report had something to do with that.”

His same-day slope reports are strategically aired every weeknight at 7:50 on KCBS, smack between Alex Trebek’s announcement of the Final Jeopardy category and its answer. So add the drama of “Jeopardy” to Gerard’s signature sign-off--”See you on the slopes!”--and the result is the Southland’s best-known skier.

Gerard, 32, isn’t a Johnny-ski-lately; he strapped on his first set of rails at the tender age of 10 and has skied and taught all over the country. Nowadays he’s employed year-round as ski school director and special events coordinator, but occasionally he makes it to Los Angeles to see his fans in their natural element. “I try to get down the hill every once in a while for my beach fix,” he says. “L.A. skiers are fair-weather skiers,” he adds. “And they’re definitely into the fashions.”