Skiing / Bob Lochner : Snow Summit Makes Snow--and Opens
The number of ski areas now open in California doubled this week when Snow Summit, near Big Bear Lake, began running one chairlift over a beginners’ slope covered with 6 to 20 inches of custom snow.
Custom means man-made in the terminology of the ski industry. That’s about the only kind there is right now. A fast-moving storm dumped several inches in the High Sierra last Friday night, but it was not nearly enough for general skiing to get under way.
Boreal, on Donner Summit, is the only other California ski area currently in business. It has 8 to 22 inches of man-made snow and is operating two chairlifts.
If you’re getting impatient to start skiing on more than just a novice slope, Mt. Bachelor, near Bend, Ore., reported that it has about four feet of snow, and on Friday, at least, the price will be right: Everyone will ski free.
The occasion is the opening of the resort’s new Pine Marten Super Express detachable quad chairlift, and that’s as good an excuse as any.
Tamara McKinney is back. The 1983 Alpine World Cup champion from Olympic Valley, Calif., finished second in the slalom and seventh in the giant slalom last weekend at Park City, Utah, and has taken the early lead in the women’s overall standings.
The Park City races were conducted on mainly man-made snow. However, the women should find plenty of the natural stuff at their next stop, Waterville Valley, N.H., where they will compete in a slalom Friday and a giant slalom Saturday.
Both races will be televised on a one-day delay by ESPN, Saturday at 3 p.m. PST and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. PST.
The World Cup men’s circuit will continue today through Saturday with a downhill, super G and giant slalom at Val d’Isere, France.
Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland has taken the top spot in the standings after his third place in last Sunday’s giant slalom at Sestriere, Italy.
Skiing Notes The Val d’Isere downhill will be taped by GGP Sports for showing Dec. 13. It is the first of several international events to be televised by the San Francisco-based syndication and production company this winter. . . . The Nordic World Cup season will open this weekend with cross-country races at Ramsau, Austria; jumping at Thunder Bay, Canada, and a combined event at Ely, Minn. . . . Bill Koch, the leading U.S. Nordic skier since he was a silver medalist in the 1976 Olympic 30-kilometer race, has retired from international competition at 31. . . . Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the host for a celebrity ski event Dec. 11-14 at Nakiska and Mt. Allan in the Canadian province of Alberta. The diverse entry list for the races, which will be conducted on the runs to be used in the 1988 Winter Olympics, already includes Mary Lou Retton, Roman Polanski, Brooke Shields, Cliff Robertson, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, William Shatner and Kim Novak.