CALIFORNIA ALBUM : Forgotten Storms Spring a Summer Surprise on Slopes : Skiing in June? Yes, indeed--thanks to all that snow that fell last winter. Even on June 21, some resorts still have runs open.

Paul Holtrop never dreamed he would go skiing on his birthday.

But there he was in the middle of June, celebrating his 30th in his shorts, short-sleeve shirt and orange sunglasses, gliding down the ski run here known as “Sympathy.”

“I figured skiing on my birthday in June was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the Sacramento attorney.

Indeed. Summer skiing, historically a rare event in California, has been made possible this year by the heavy winter and spring storms that ended the state’s six-year drought.

Here it is, the first day of summer, and some ski resorts still have runs with nine feet of snow. For the first time, three of California’s ski areas--Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows--plan to stay open until the end of June or later.

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Mammoth, blessed with a higher elevation and more snow than other resorts, expects to keep operating until July 5 for the first time in seven years. Alpine has set its last day as June 27. Squaw Valley hopes to keep its lifts running until the Fourth of July and then offer year-round skiing with artificial snow on a beginner’s slope.

Granted, summer conditions are less than ideal. But for die-hard skiers and novelty-seekers who don’t mind getting up early, there is still some very good skiing left.

“The quality of the snow is fabulous,” said Rand Carter Sr., who skis every morning at Alpine now that Diamond Peak--where he is ski patrol director--has shut down for the year. “It’s nice skiing in the morning and then water-skiing on Lake Tahoe in the afternoon.”

At Alpine, bare rocks and dirt have replaced much of the snow. Marmots laze in the sun and chipmunks scurry through the trees. Streams rush down the mountain. Grass pokes up next to the ski lift loading stations.

But by bringing snow from nearby slopes, grooming the runs nightly and salting the snow to keep it firm, Alpine has been able to keep at least one lift operating, with runs open from the top of the mountain to the bottom. The resort also has shifted its hours to avoid the afternoon heat, opening at 7:30 a.m. and closing at 2 p.m.

Within the space of a few yards, the snow conditions can range from superb to slush. Some runs are as white as, well, snow. In other places, the snow is tinged with brown crud.

Even so, skiers say conditions are better now than on many days during the previous six seasons.

“I’ve skied a lot worse snow than this,” said Tom Holmes, a rock musician from San Rafael who once wrote a ski song called “Snow Girls.” “What’s amazing is to leave 100 degrees in the Bay Area and come up here and go skiing. Should I be skiing or surfing?”

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There is a special art to summer skiing.

During the night, the snow often freezes. As it melts under the morning sun, it can reach a perfect consistency, but only for a short time. Just when the slopes reach their best conditions depends on which direction they face.

The trick is to be able to read the mountain and be on the right run at the right time. Sometimes it can mean traversing several hundred yards or even hiking uphill a little to find the perfect run.

“It’s like a big huge wave--a crystalline wave,” said Chad Burrill, an enthusiastic skier and former surfer from Laguna Beach. “It’s tubular.”

John Randolph Smith of Stockton, skiing with his 8-year-old son, Eric, agreed: “It’s as good as it gets. It’s just about perfect in the compact areas.”

Of course, on the flat stretches near the bottom of the lift, it was a different matter. The slush made the going so tough that Smith towed his son with a ski pole.

The summer can produce some unusual ski fashion. Many people ski in shorts and T-shirts; others in bathing suits. One man skied in nothing but his boots--at least long enough for his buddy to take a picture.

A handful of skiers have come from around the country to take advantage of the long season, but so few people are used to skiing in June that lift lines have been nonexistent.

“It’s a different breed, the summer skier,” said Terry Mooney of Utah, who skis during the day and camps by Lake Tahoe at night. “They can’t accept that summer’s here.”