Newsgroups: rec.skiing
Subject: Re: skiing w/in hours of L.A.?
From: carlson@dwp.la.ca.us (Carlson Peters)
Date: 30 Dec 92 23:42:20 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: L.A. Dept. of Water & Power

In article <1992Dec30.193804.10636@cbnewsi.cb.att.com> wrw1@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (wayne.r.wiebalk) writes:
>
>I will be in Los Angeles in January.  I will have 1 weekend to
>ski.  I am looking for suggestions on someplace "not too far away"
>to spend the weekend skiing.
>
>To give you a reference point....I spent part of my honeymoon at
>Mammouth and June.
>
>Since I will only have 2 days to ski (arrive at the slopes late 
>Friday night, and catch a late Monday morning flight out of LAX), 
>I am looking for anything that has a shorter driving time than
>Mammouth/June.
>
>Thanks!  (If you have a favorite hotel/condo, you could include
>that in your reply too!)
>
>	Wayne Wiebalk
>
>(Sorry, I couldn't limit distribution to CA)

Thought I'd post this as we have lots of snow here now and skiing
is very good.

San Bernardino Mts.


     Big Bear Area - The only place to ski when the snow hasn't fallen
     yet.  Due to the near limitless quantity of water that can be
     drawn from Big Bear Lake, smowmaking can quickly cover Snow Summit
     and Bear Mt. 100% by Christmas provided that there is ample cold
     weather.  Snow Summit is mostly all lower intermediate with just
     a smidge of beginner and advanced terrain.  1000 ft vertical.
     Bear Mt. has more upper intermediate and beginner terrrain. 
     Bear has fewer runs than Summit but 1600 ft. vertical and a
     high speed quad more than make up for it.  Both have extensive
     grooming and modern lifts and amenities.  The drive to Big Bear
     is torturous.  This is the curviest road to a ski area that I
     know of and I've skiied a lot over the west.  Full lodging/apres 
     ski options. About 40 miles from San Bernardino via highway 330.

     Snow Valley - I've never skiied here, but the terrain looks
     mostly lower intermediate from the road.  There is advanced
     skiing on slide peak (hidden from view).  They have a small
     resevoir and do supplemental snowmaking.  Slide peak is
     only open after a big storm however.  The only advantage I can 
     see to going here is it is at least a half an hour shorter drive
     than Big Bear.  Limited lodging/apres ski nearby.

San Gabriel Mts.

     Mt. High - 2 Mts. connected by shuttle bus, East is 1600 ft.
     vertical, West is 1000 ft.  They have large resevoirs and can
     cover quite a bit of terrain but I always wait for a few decent
     dumps before I go here.  West has lots of short runs - headwalls
     really - that are faily steep and challenging.  They let many
     of them get really moguled - unlike the Big Bear area where
     everything gets groomed every day.  East has a high speed quad
     with three long cruisers and a handful interesting connector
     runs to add variety.  Olympic bowl has some truly steep terrain
     when it is open.  Perhaps the best thing about Mt High is the
     drive.  Virtually no treacherous roads.  One minute you are
     climbing into the high desert, the next minute your parking
     your car.  Limited lodging/apres ski in Wrightwood 2 miles away.
     Cabins next to the slopes.  Take I-15 north, exit on 138 West to
     2 West.  About 15 miles from the freeway.

     Mt. Baldy - The gem of the local ski scene - when it has snow(no
     snowmaking). This is really two ski areas in one. The lower half is seldom
     open because of it's lower elevation and southern exposure.  You
     ride 1300 ft to the lodge and ski off two separate peaks that
     converge at the lodge.  Thunder Mt. is a wonderful mix of upper
     intermediate, advanced and expert terrain.  The runs are cut
     from a very sparse forest so skiing is possible almost everywhere.
     It holds snow even when the lower Mt. is totally bare.  And speaking
     of the lower Mt. - it has a good assortment of steep chutes and
     gullies that would challange most anyone.  Even when the one
     "intermediate" run is open to the bottom, many people opt to 
     ride the chair down to the parking lot.  Exit I-10 onto Mountain
     avenue.  About 20 curvy miles from the freeway.  Limited lodging/apres
     ski nearby.

     Mt. Waterman and Kratka Ridge - a beautiful 45 minute drive from 
     La Canada on the Angeles Crest Highway lie two very funky but fun
     ski areas.  Both have slow, diesel fired chairs - Kratka's main
     chair is a single!  Waterman is the better of the two.  The face
     drops steeply down into the parking lot and has 1000 ft. of very
     steep, knarly runs and glades.  Above is the lodge and above and
     behind the face is another area with some shortish beginner and
     intermediate terrrain.  Grooming is almost non-existant so conditions
     are either heavenly or hellish.  Of course, there is not a single snow
     gun between them.  I can't help but remeber what skiing used to
     be like when I was a little tyke when I ski at places like this,
     a real trip down memory lane.  Almost no amenities, so come prepared.  


        Baldy....................................(714) 981-3344
	Bear Mt..................................(818) 764-8888
	Kratka Ridge.............................(818) 449-1749
	Mammoth Mt...............................(213) 935-8866
	Mt. High.................................(310) 578-6911
	Snow Summit..............................(818) 888-2233
	Mt. Waterman.............................(818) 790-2002


-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carlson Peters			L.A. Dept. of Water & Power
carlson@manta.dwp.la.ca.us	111 N. Hope St., Room 1129
213.481.7898			L.A. CA 90012
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carlson Peters			L.A. Dept. of Water & Power
carlson@manta.dwp.la.ca.us	111 N. Hope St., Room 1129
213.481.7898			L.A. CA 90012
From: glenb@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Glen Baker)
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 08:00:05 GMT
Subject: rec.skiing FAQ *[0-9]/1
Organization: Toyz R. Me