THE DAY THE SNOW FELL : Snowy, Cold Desert Resort Is No Place for Tourists’ New Shorts

It snowed on this desert resort Wednesday, a rare and altogether disheartening development for winter-weary vacationers who had come west in search of sun and warmth.

The 7,000 swimming pools and 600 tennis courts that make this city a recreation paradise were mostly deserted, and chilly midday temperatures of about 45 degrees thinned crowds at golf courses.

“I think this (stinks),” said Karrie Sheinker, a New Yorker who was bundled in sweats and a leather jacket as she ate lunch in a heated dining room. Sheinker lamented that she brought only warm-weather clothes for her stay at The Palms at Palm Springs health spa. “Wanna see my charge card and see all the T-shirts and shorts I bought at Bloomingdale’s last week? Well, I haven’t used one.”

Although major highways in and out of Palm Springs were closed for several hours early Wednesday, authorities reported no major accidents or unusual weather-related events in town. They noted that the snow--which last landed here on Feb. 2, 1985--fell at about 4 a.m. and quickly melted.

Tourism officials and hotel managers were understandably nervous about the implications for the region’s premier tourist season, which runs from November to May and is now at its peak.

“It’s cold, and there aren’t a lot of convertible tops down, but we’re trying to take a pro-active PR stance on this,” said Patrick Pharris, director of publicity and promotion for the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. Pharris issued a press release boasting that Mt. San Jacinto, which towers 8,516 feet above Palm Springs, had been “quilted by a picturesque supply of fresh snow,” creating what he billed as “breathtaking views.”

Hotel officials reminded guests that the temperature in Palm Springs surely beat that of places like Duluth, Minn., where the high Wednesday was minus-1 degree. Many visitors were less than mollified.

“I certainly expected to find it a lot warmer than it is,” said Spencer Videon, 50, an Aspen, Colo., businessman. He had been vacationing in Laguna Beach, but drove Wednesday to Palm Springs in search of sun. “I was hoping to play a little tennis, but the weather’s disappointing.”

Canadian Duane Heisler was even more discouraged. When the 40-year-old carpet and drapery store owner was last in Palm Springs, the temperature had been a sizzling 105 on the golf course. What better place, he told his wife, Cheryl, 39, to escape the sub-zero temperatures of the couple’s hometown, Weyburn, Saskatchewan?

“When we left home, it was 38 degrees below zero,” Heisler said. “Over every hill we traveled I said, ‘Cheryl, don’t worry, it’s going to get warmer.’ ”

It did, but 45 degrees wasn’t exactly what Cheryl Heisler had in mind. Clad in brightly colored ski jackets, the couple whiled away Wednesday in a downtown bar called Winners, kicking around plans for a flight to Hawaii.

Because many rooms are booked for conventions, hotel officials reported only scattered cancellations Wednesday. But some conceded that the cold snap had given rise to a sour mood.

“People did come here for the sun, which is something we haven’t seen in some time,” said Robert Devoe, general manager of the Doubletree Resort. “It has affected their attitude about tennis, golf and pool-side activity.”

The “birdbath” pool at Maxim’s hotel is usually one of the city’s hottest showcases of broiling flesh, but it was deserted at noon, encircled by 142 empty beach chairs.

“Yesterday,” said pool manager Angelo Pappas, 63, “I had three people in the pool; the day before I had two guys when the sun came out for a half-hour. But this is the first time in a couple of years that nobody’s come out.”

At the Palm Springs Municipal Golf Course, where tourists constitute 90% of the winter clientele, manager Mike Carroll said the overcast skies and chilly temperatures had cut activity by about one-third over the last few days.

“It’s not too pleasant, really, and I’ve got to admire the guys who are out there,” Carroll said as he watched one heavily bundled duffer tee off.

Less displeased were the people who simply live here. They savored the stunning views of surrounding snow-capped mountains and rejoiced in the ringing of cash registers as tourists consoled themselves with unrestrained consumerism.

“Traffic is up, sales are up, and our spirits are quite high,” said Gary Passapae, assistant manager of the Desert Fashion Plaza.

Passapae said sales at the mall were nearly double for a typical weekday in February. Selling fast, he said, were sweaters.