Snowboarding the Sierra Nevada

Facing up to the cold: Ellison Hong is geared up and ready to go at Mountain High.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Fly tunes: Snowboarder Alan Hewitt, 16, of Palmdale listens to music on his iPod while he rides.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Carving: Snowboarders rule on this slope at Mountain High.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

All clear ahead: Snowboarders carve down the mountain as low clouds blanket the L.A. Basin.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Fun run: Snowboarder Mary Tran, 35, of Garden Grove, holding a Burton Feelgood snowboard, shares a laugh with a friend.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Flipping out: Bryan Ortiz, 19, of Wrightwood, does a back flip high over a jump at Mountain High.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

Airborne: A snowboarder on a jump at Mountain High.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)

What a ride: Snowboarder Mike Del Rosario, 25, of La Mirada, at the end of a run at Mountain High in Wrightwood.  (Allen J. Schaben / LAT)