Skiing / Bob Lochner : White Stuff Finally Arrives in Mountains, but Some Green Stuff Is Gone

Ski season has finally made its appearance in the mountains of California. The first huge storm hit last weekend, about 10 days after Santa Claus, and all of the Southland ski areas are open, along with most of the resorts in the High Sierra.

Snowmaking kept the sport alive through December at Snow Summit, Goldmine, Mountain High, Ski Sunrise and Snow Forest in the local mountains and at a few scattered places up north, but elsewhere, that white Christmas the ski industry counts on for a big chunk of its annual profit generally turned into a brownout.

Mammoth Mountain, for example, had its latest opening day since the early 1960s. Sunday’s start was one day later than the Jan. 3 date in the drought winter of 1976-77. “Before that, the worst one was back in about February of ‘62, but there aren’t many people here now who remember it,” a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Mammoth is reporting an average snow depth of 38 inches, with its gondola, nine chairlifts and one surface lift running. It plans to be in full operation by this weekend.

Nearby June Mountain, Mammoth’s off-season acquisition, has a 36-inch base and is operating four chairs. The new No. 6 detachable quad chair to the top, which provides access to a three-mile run, should be ready by Saturday.

Closer to home, 10 ski areas are operating after picking up 3 to 8 inches of fresh snow for a total of 18 to 36 inches. They are Goldmine, Snow Summit, Snow Valley, Snow Forest and Ski Green Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains, and Mountain High, Ski Sunrise, Mt. Baldy, Mt. Waterman and Kratka Ridge in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Among the other major resorts open in the Sierra, with their reported bases, are Squaw Valley, 24 to 36 inches; Alpine Meadows, 36-60; Northstar, 24-36; Heavenly Valley, 30; Sugar Bowl, 36-60; Kirkwood, 36-48; Mt. Reba at Bear Valley, 36-48; Badger Pass at Yosemite, 36, and Sierra Summit, 21-33.

Tamara McKinney is hanging onto fifth place in the World Cup women’s overall standings behind four Swiss racers as the troupe heads for Mellau, Austria, and a downhill and a slalom this weekend. The 1983 champion has 93 points and trails Vreni Schneider, 157; Maria Walliser, 150; Brigitte Oertli, 113, and Erika Hess, 108.

McKinney, 24, said this week in Europe that she intends to continue racing through the 1988 Olympic Winter Games and then retire at the end of that season.

“I have had enough,” she told the Associated Press. “It’s a turmoil with psychology--not a very good feeling. This is my ninth year. One more and I am retiring.”

On the men’s side of the “White Circus,” there’s no American within reach of the top 15. Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland, with 120 points, holds a two-point lead over Richard Pramotton of Italy.

Next are a downhill and a super giant slalom this weekend at Garmisch, West Germany, followed by a giant slalom Tuesday at Adelboden, Switzerland.

ESPN will televise the Garmisch downhill a day late, Sunday at 3 p.m.

“Let’s Go Skiing, America!” is the theme of a nationwide promotion that will involve 200 ski areas and 900 ski shops starting Friday and continuing through Feb. 8. The idea is to attract first-time skiers into shops and then to the slopes, with the hope of keeping them involved in the sport.

Beginners will be offered free skiing lessons, rental equipment and skiing this Friday only. Then, special discount packages will be in effect for anyone wanting to take up this crazy sport. Participating resorts include Goldmine, Kratka Ridge, Ski Sunrise and Snow Summit in the Southland, plus several in the Sierra. A few ski-touring centers are also taking part.

Further details are available by calling (800) 238-2300.

Skiing Notes Roswitha Raudaschl, a 19-year-old newcomer to Women’s Pro Ski Racing, won both races on the circuit’s first weekend, defeating defending champion Cathy Bruce in the finals of both the giant slalom and the slalom at Beaver Creek, Colo. Next stop is Purgatory, Colo., for a $15,000 event this weekend. . . . The U.S. Men’s Pro Ski Tour will launch its 12-meet season today through Monday at Vail, Colo. . . . Travel Alberta has information about the ’88 Calgary Winter Olympics at its exhibit in the 22nd annual Anaheim Sports, Vacation and RV Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, through Sunday. . . . Snow Forest will play host to the Southern California Special Olympic Winter Games’ Nordic events Sunday. . . . Alpine Meadows is celebrating its 25th anniversary by giving away a season ticket to a random lift-ticket purchaser every Sunday. . . . Andre Roch and Friedl Pfeifer, two of the pioneers in the creation of skiing at Aspen, Colo., are the honorary co-chairmen of that resort’s 40th anniversary observance this week.