A NEW ICE AGE? You’ll never be...

A NEW ICE AGE? You’ll never be able to ice skate at the Sepulveda Dam, but winter sports are enjoying a banner year. . . . Local ski areas report strong openings, and ice skating and hockey have surged in popularity. “It’s just been unbelievable,” said Susan Berens of the Iceoplex in North Hills. “We have over 900 people in our senior hockey league and 700 in our youth league. And we probably have 50 to 75 skaters training here that are trying for the Olympics.”

INTO THE WOODS: A favorite Valley spot for a hot toddy after a frolic in the snow, the Big Oaks Lodge in Saugus offers a warm fire and hot meals in the heart of the Angeles Forest. . . . Just a few miles up the road, there’s plenty of snow for sledding and snowman-building near the Bouquet Reservoir. Manager Dee White said the lodge played host to about 30 stranded travelers during last week’s storms.

OUT OF THE COLD: Since mid-December, the 16 homeless shelters in Los Angeles County have housed 38,000 people, including Daryl Lupien and 2-year-old Angel Garnett (above) at the Van Nuys National Guard Armory. Recently, 2,000 beds were added for families fleeing bad weather. . . . Says Marlene Singer of the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority: “Every year more beds are offered. . . . They are full every night.”

WINTER WHITE: Yes, the weather’s been wet and even snowy lately. . . . But it’s nothing beside the 7 1/2 inches of snow that blanketed the Valley in January, 1949. “In the Valley here it looked just like a snow scene. . . . It was just unbelievable,” recalls Larry Woo, 66, who grew up on a farm in North Hills. Last memorable snow: half an inch in 1989.

STORMY WEATHER: As if last week’s deluge weren’t enough, WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times, predicts a wetter-than-normal winter this year. . . . Already, rains have eclipsed the average 3 1/2 inches that fall in the Valley each January, and they’ve surpassed year-round totals with six months left to go.