Mountain High is popular with skiers and snowboarders from throughout Southern California, including the Inland Empire. They tend to make a day of it at the resort, instead of coming for an extended visit.

By Trevor Summons

The first time I went to a ski resort, I was entranced. I was only passing through but the atmosphere was truly wonderful. The ultraviolet light bouncing off the snow, the warm sunshine, the excitement of the skiers and the clump of their boots all added up to something magical.

Unfortunately, at the time I was very engaged in business and feared the sport for its injuries. Back then we were quite used to seeing returning winter sports enthusiasts with a foot and lower leg encased in plaster of Paris, and trying to maneuver crutches around. We didn’t have the quick-release bindings and other scientific advancements of today. I left it well alone.

Many decades later I did try, and perhaps it was too late by then, as after a few attempts I had two broken ribs, a lack of dignity and the decision to literally walk away from it all.

Had I waited until now, and joined the “Learn to Turn” course being offered by Mountain High Ski Resort, the outcome might well have been different.

“We offer a day’s course, on Tuesdays,” said Kim Hermon, the marketing manager of the resort. “For $39 we provide the equipment, the lift tickets and the instruction to get you started.”

I think that would have been just what I needed.
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At Mountain High, they must be excited about the 8 to 10 inches of new snow the resort received on Wednesday, given this video that was posted on Vimeo…

Conditions at the Wrightwood resort should be wonderful for skiing and snowboarding all weekend long. Daytime highs through Sunday are expected to be in the upper 40s, and lows will dip into the 20s, according to weather.com.

Skiers and snowboarders tend to get more out of those banner days on the slopes at Mountain High when they visit the less-crowded East resort. (Mountain High photo)

By Art Bentley

You know who you are.

Evidently, 1,600 vertical feet with a consistent pitch doesn’t appeal to you. Perhaps speed on skis or a snowboard isn’t an attraction. Maybe your legs (or your nerve) aren’t up to the challenge.

Or it could be that you simply don’t do well in your own company. You need to be surrounded by masses of humanity, often with a slightly maniacal streak, a perverse taste for short runs, and an insane fondness for lift lines that can border on anarchy.

Or maybe you’re simply not the sharpest ski on the slope.

Whatever your shortcomings, you’re a Mountain High skier or snowboarder with an irrational preference for the crowded West resort, where any minute, especially on a weekend, you can be run down from behind or sideswiped by an out-of-control snowboarder. Meanwhile, you display an unfathomable disdain for the tranquil, unhurried East. Are you masochistic? How else to explain why you avoid it in droves?

Clearly, you need help. Even those who run Mountain High can’t figure you out.

“It’s always a challenge getting people to go over there,” says John McColly, chief marketing office and an unabashed fan of East.

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