Local skiers, boarders gear up as Mammoth prepares for epic snowfall
- Keith Agnello
- Jan 6, 2017
- 3 min read
There’s a buzz at Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa, where snow-lovers are stocking up on snow gear and making sure their boards and skis are tuned up and waxed in preparation for the trek to a winter wonderland.
The hype is thanks to a series of storms – called an “atmospheric river” – that already has produced epic conditions at Mammoth Mountain, where an estimated 20 feet of snow is expected as about 10 days of storms pass through. Already about seven feet of snowfall has dropped from the first of three storm systems.
“It’s as good as it gets,” said Surfside Sports co-owner Duke Edukas. “I feel relevant again.”
For years, Edukas has struggled with lackluster sales in the snow department as a result of drought conditions that have plagued the state. Last year saw some relief as Northern California got battered by storms and brought significant snowfall to Lake Tahoe.
But the latest storm is being touted as one of the best snowfalls at least since the 2010-2011 season at Mammoth Mountain, a favorite among Southern California enthusiasts willing to make the five- to six-hour haul.
Unfortunately, snow-lovers will have to make that longer drive if they want heaps of fresh snowfall – the storm is too warm to provide much snow at nearby Mountain High or Big Bear resorts, and will likely produce mostly rain.
Big Bear could get a dusting of snow, in the chance the storms become cold enough.
The storm brought rain Thursday to Mountain High in Wrightwood, and while the skies cleared Friday, operators were expecting more rain to fall on the horizon.
“We’re not getting a whole bunch of snow, unfortunately,” said John McColly, chief marketing director at Mountain High. “We’re definitely in a wet weather pattern.”
The mountain isn’t losing snow and will remain open through the wet storms. So far this season, Mountain High has had just 22 inches of snow.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “I wish it would just turn to snow.”
Tim LeRoy, spokesman for Mammoth Mountain, said the next system is expected to come through starting Saturday morning, with consistent snowfall anticipated through Jan. 13.
“The first of three (storms) delivered as anticipated,” he said. “The scary thing is, it could be more.”
While the thought of fresh snow makes snowboarders and skiers drool, this much snowfall in a short amount of time comes with dangers.
“Safety is our number one priory,” LeRoy said. “We would appreciate patience for the folks that come up. It’s just going to take time to safely open up the mountain.”
Especially important is following boundary rules. Avalanche dangers are also a concern.
“The terrain is going to be so variable right now, we need to do the best we can do to control those conditions,” he said. “We’re going to be really selective in terms of what terrain is open. It’s going to be tempting to go off and ski eight feet of fresh powder, but there’s definitely safety concerns.”
And those going to Mammoth should make sure to check Caltrans for updates on road conditions.
“You don’t want to be the guy or gal stuck at the side of the road with no chains,” he said.
Artie Castro, of Orange, had one thought when he heard how much snow was expected to dump at Mammoth Mountain.
“That’s pretty insane,” he said.
The long-time snowboarder, who heads the training program at Bear Mountain, said he can’t remember the last time Mammoth got a dump of this magnitude in such a short period.
Castro plans on waiting until next week to shoot up to Mammoth, when the storms clear but conditions are still good and more of the lifts are open.
“I love how Mammoth handles it,” he said. “I can’t wait to get up there.”
Contact the writer: lconnelly@scng.com
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