If you go back through 23 years of the VIX, there's no meaningful trigger point to indicate a bull or a bear. It's just a measure of volatility. Generally market bottoms are more volatile than market tops, but determining a bull or bear market would need far more analysis than the VIX alone can provide.

P&F charts are showing a bear. 200 day moving averages are showing a bear. The yield ratio movements are showing a bear. Sector configuration is showing a bear.

And the market could zip right straight up to 1600 without blinking an eye.

You just have to be a little more right than wrong.