SKIING / BOB LOCHNER : Here’s One Gift Everyone Wants Under the Tree

Just in the St. Nick of time, Pacific storms have begun blowing into the High Sierra, setting the stage for holiday skiing from Mammoth Mountain to Lake Tahoe.

The first blast arrived early Monday and was somewhat on the warm side, but temperatures dropped Tuesday night, and by Wednesday powder was accumulating on even the lower slopes--from the sky and from snow-making guns activated to take advantage of the cold.

“We haven’t seen the sun since Sunday,” Mammoth spokeswoman Wendy Kelley said at noon Wednesday. “And it’s still snowing. We have four to five feet at the main lodge and maybe six feet at the summit. It’s hard to tell because we can’t see the top of the mountain.

“He should have 25 to 30 lifts going by the weekend.”

Farther north, here’s the situation at midweek:

--Sugar Bowl, located near Donner Summit, will start running at least three lifts on Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Judah today.

--Kirkwood, south of Tahoe, had picked up two feet at its base elevation of 7,800 feet and more than four feet on top, and will open today with five lifts in operation, including Chair No. 6 on the Cornice, which will be left ungroomed for powderhounds.

--Squaw Valley, which reported two feet at mid-mountain, with more falling, will begin daily operation Friday.

--Northstar-at-Tahoe, Bear Valley and Mt. Rose, near Reno, are planning Saturday starts.

--Heavenly Valley and Alpine Meadows are gearing up to open, possibly as early as this weekend.

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Southland ski areas are still waiting for winter to arrive on a permanent basis. Rain fell in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains early this week, but a colder storm is expected by Friday.

“If the forecast proves correct,” a Snow Summit spokesman said, “we could be on a fast track for a pre-Christmas opening.”

The same would be true for Bear Mountain, Snow Valley, Mountain High and the other local venues.

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AJ Kitt, one of the top U.S. downhillers, underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and other damage in his left knee Monday at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo.

“Everything went well,” Dr. Richard Steadman said, “and AJ is excited about coming back next season.”

Steadman said Kitt, 27, who was injured last Friday while training at Val d’Isere, France, should regain his form more quickly than teammate Tommy Moe, who suffered a similar injury last spring. He was 52nd and didn’t qualify for the second half of the shortened two-run downhill Saturday at Val d’Isere, then wound up 39th in Sunday’s super-G.

“I feel strong and healthy, and it’s just a matter of time before I get that mental edge back again,” Moe told the Associated Press.

Skiing Notes

World Cup racing resumes for the women Friday through Sunday at St. Anton, Austria, where two downhills, a slalom and a combined are scheduled, and for the men Saturday, Sunday and next Tuesday in Italy--a downhill at Val Gardena, a giant slalom at Alta Badia and a slalom at Madonna di Campiglio. . . . Katja Seizinger holds a slim lead over fellow German Martina Ertl atop the women’s standings, 260 points to 251. . . . On the men’s side, Lasse Kjus of Norway leads with 545 points.

The two women’s races that were canceled at Lake Louise, Canada, have been reset, the slalom for Dec. 22 at Veysonnaz, Switzerland, and the giant slalom for Jan. 5 at Maribor, Slovenia. . . . Kyle Rasmussen was the top U.S. finisher in the men’s downhill at Val d’Isere, placing 19th.

Sun Valley, Ida., started its season with two lifts operating on Lower Warm Springs, Jackson Hole, Wyo., is 55% open and Taos Ski Valley, in New Mexico, will begin daily operation today.