SKIING / BOB LOCHNER : Some Resorts Rely on Man-Made Snow

Skiing is under way in the West, from Big Bear to Utah and on into Colorado, but don’t break out those super new skis yet. Last year’s boards will do just fine on the rocks, tree stumps and other obstacles that protrude through the early-season blanket of white.

In the Southland, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are operating on man-made snow, and Snow Valley plans to begin making snow today with a Thanksgiving weekend opening as its tentative goal.

Bear Mountain, which turned on the guns when the weather turned cold on Nov. 2 and greeted its first skiers a week later, shut down in midweek to facilitate construction of a high-speed, detachable quad chairlift, the Big Bear Express, but may reopen Friday and will definitely be back in business Saturday and Sunday. There is a 12- to 18-inch base on Claimjumper Run. The new lift, on Goldmine Mountain, should be ready for christening by mid-December.

Snow Summit started its season Nov. 8 and has intermediate to advanced skiing on Miracle Mile.

In the Sierra, Boreal, just off Interstate 80 on Donner Summit, opened Nov. 2 with Prospector and two beginner chairlifts serving runs covered by 12 to 24 inches of mainly man-made snow.

If an expected storm drops enough powder, Alpine Meadows and other resorts in the Tahoe Basin could conceivably be ready to roll by next Thursday.

Two ski areas are open in Utah with a mixture of natural and man-made snow--Brighton, with 22 inches, and Park City, with 15.

Taos Ski Valley, in New Mexico, reported a 28-inch depth Wednesday, mainly the result of an October storm, and said it is on track for a Thanksgiving opening.

Nationally, Vermont claimed first-to-ski honors when Killington fired up its lifts on Oct. 27.

As for Colorado, five major resorts are already selling lift tickets, and several more plan to go into at least limited operation either this weekend or next.

Aspen Mountain opened with a 20-inch base Wednesday, which General Manager Jon Reveal said was one week earlier than scheduled.

“This looks like the best opening we’ve had since 1984-85,” he added.

Little Nell chair No. 4 was the first lift to be cranked up, and more will be added as conditions warrant.

Elsewhere in “Ski Country USA,” Vail, Keystone, Loveland and Winter Park are operating; Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Telluride and Monarch will open Saturday, and Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Buttermilk, Beaver Creek, Steamboat, Crested Butte and Purgatory are hoping for a Thanksgiving launch.

The World Cup circuit doesn’t begin for a couple of weeks yet, but the U.S. ski team is already in disarray.

Kristi Terzian, who scored points in 17 races last winter, tore ligaments in her right knee during a training spill at Saas Fe, Switzerland, on Oct. 17 and is out for the season.

Terzian, 23, who was born in Sanger, Calif., and lives in Salt Lake City, underwent surgery in Vail by Dr. Richard Steadman, who said, “It was a really bad injury, a season-ender, but the long-term prognosis is good.”

Earlier this fall, the team underwent a lightning shakeup when the following occurred in quick succession:

--On Sept. 28, George Capaul was fired as men’s slalom coach by Alpine Director George McMurtry, who made only vague reference to “a series of things” and said, “Disappointing international results were only one factor.”

--On Oct. 4, Capaul was rehired by Howard Peterson, the team’s chief executive officer, who said: “We saw a mistake . . . (and) we’re correcting (it).”

--On Oct. 5, McMurtry was fired by Peterson, who issued a statement that included this comment: “We felt that John’s talents were better suited in another area of our program. The Alpine program is highly complex and much larger than it was two years ago, with over 50 employees and a $6-million budget.”

Peterson thereupon assumed the role of interim Alpine director and asked McMurtry to head the team’s new sports medicine and sports science programs. McMurtry turned down the offer.

Heavenly Valley, which straddles the California-Nevada border at the south end of Lake Tahoe, has been sold to the Kamori Kanko Co., Ltd. of Sapporo, Japan, in a transaction that should become final before the end of the year.

“All of the preliminary papers have been signed,” John Hultgren, vice president of Heavenly Valley, said. “The sale will be completed within 60 days of the signing. Part of the agreement between the private parties was that no sale price would be announced.”

The Japanese firm, which developed the Rusutsu Kogen ski resort near Sapporo, bought the Steamboat ski area in Colorado last year for a reported $100 million. Martin Hart of Steamboat will become chairman of both resorts; Bill Killebrew, currently Heavenly’s president and general partner, will remain as general manager.

Skiing Notes

Ski Dazzle, also known as the Los Angeles Ski Show, will open a four-day run today at the L.A. Convention Center’s North Hall. The 27th annual event includes more than 300 exhibits offering displays of the latest ski equipment and fashions, resort and travel information, demonstrations, movies and entertainment. A celebrity auction benefiting the March of Dimes, is scheduled for Saturday night, with Steve Kanaly as host. Show hours are 4 to 11 p.m. today and Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“Extreme Winter,” the latest ski film by Warren Miller, will continue its Southland run tonight at 8 at the Studio Theater in Studio City, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday night at 7:30 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and Tuesday night at both 7 and 9:30 at the Edwards Viejo Twin in Mission Viejo. Miller’s 41st full-length feature includes footage shot in Antarctica, the Soviet Union, the Canadian Rockies, the San Bernardino Mountains and the French Alps, site of the 1992 Winter Olympics.

The U.S. Pro Tour, with a record $2 million in prize money for the men, will open Nov. 23-25 at Park City, Utah. Races, for both men and women, are scheduled at 17 resorts, including Alpine Meadows Nov. 29-Dec. 2, Heavenly Valley Jan. 3-6, Snow Summit Jan. 24-27, Squaw Valley Jan. 31-Feb. 3 and Mammoth Mountain March 21-24. Roland Pfeifer, 25, who earned $221,816 while winning last year’s tour, will be defending his title against fellow Austrians Berhnard Knauss and Christian Orlainsky, and Tomaz Cerkovnik of Yugoslavia, Marco Tonazzi of Italy, Torjus Berge of Norway, Jorgen Sundqvist of Sweden and Phil Mahre and Steve Mahre of the United States.

A memorial service was held Thursday in Squaw Valley for Steve McKinney, who was killed in an auto accident near Sacramento early Saturday. McKinney, 37, was the first skier to exceed 120 m.p.h. and five times broke the world speed skiing record. He also was a former member of the U.S. ski team and a world-class mountain climber who once flew off Mt. Everest in a hang-glider. Steve, who was planning to promote the U.S. Ski Assn.’s Sprint Series at Sierra resorts this winter, was the brother of Tamara McKinney, 1983 World Cup champion and 1989 World Alpine combined gold medalist.