Snow Remains, but the Crowds Are Melting Away

Call it the endless winter.

So plentiful and powdery is the snow right now that it hardly feels like spring.

So frequent and frigid are the storms blowing in from the north and west that it might as well be January instead of April.

“Instead of diminishing, the snowpack is increasing and conditions just keep getting better,” says Judi Bowers of Bear Mountain in Big Bear. “The snow is more winterlike than springlike.”

Indeed, springtime in the local mountains hasn’t been this cool since, well, the El Nino season of 1982-83.

But while the snowpack seems to be growing by the day, the numbers of skiers and snowboarders are diminishing, to the point where resort operators don’t know how much longer they can stay open.

“We’re all up in the air as to how far we can go,” says Jerry Price, general manager at Ski Sunrise in Wrightwood, where crowds averaging about 50 people last week have had three to six feet of packed powder to themselves. “We’ll be open as long as we have customers, and that’ll be at least [this week] because kids will still be out of school.”

It’s the same story at most Southland ski areas.

“Once it starts turning warm, people start heading to the river and the beach,” says Dave Wilson, general manager at Big Air Green Valley, a snowboarding-only resort near Big Bear. “We could have 100% powder out there, but it doesn’t matter. April 19 is our closing day, no matter what, because ridership is starting to fall below the break-even point.”

Yes, these are great times for those who still want to go skiing and snowboarding. They don’t have to wait in lines and can enjoy conditions that actually have improved since winter turned to spring.

But they are hardly the best of times for the owners and operators, who are trying to keep people interested by reducing lift-ticket prices.

A brief rundown on the situation at the Southland’s nine ski and snowboard areas:

* Ski Sunrise: Lift tickets are $10 Mondays through Thursdays until closing day, whenever that is, $25 on Fridays and $30 on Saturdays.

* Mountain High: The Wrightwood resort claims to have had 16-27 inches in the first week of April and 263 inches for the season. Some dispute these totals, but there remains a substantial base and a powdery surface nonetheless. Spring pricing--$25 lift tickets--goes into effect Monday and lasts until closing day, which will probably be mid-May.

* Mount Waterman: “We can go well into May if things keep going the way they are,” says Tom Moriarty, general manager, who has tried everything to bring people to his mountain. The latest (and with Moriarty, things are always subject to change): $25, with $10 Wednesdays after Easter. Be forewarned: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are ticketing those leaving the ski area boundaries to ski or ride the advanced back-country terrain to Angeles Crest Highway.

* Snowcrest: “As to how late we’ll stay open, I don’t know,” says ticket manager Jackie Hodge. “We were going to close [today], but so much snow has fallen, we’re going to go on.” Conditions are similar to those at nearby Waterman. Lift tickets are $10 on weekdays, $25 on weekends.

* Mount Baldy: “Skiing is so phenomenal, we’re looking to stay open into June,” says John Koulouris, public relations manager, adding that excellent cover exists all the way down to the parking lot. “Our record is June 7, not that we’re trying to break any records.”

The record was set during the 1982-83 season. Baldy is offering $20 lift tickets, beginning Monday. Just mention the $20 special.

Of special note for advanced skiers: The resort has a permit to offer skiing on the north-facing backside of the mountain--five giant bowls and 2,200 vertical feet--and guided tours are planned for this spring. Details: (714) 297-2891.

* Big Air Green Valley: From now until April 19, lift tickets are $19 weekdays and $27 on weekends.

* Snow Valley: No date has been set for closing, what with weekday crowds still averaging about 500 and five to eight feet of packed powder. Lift tickets are $34 on weekdays, $40 on weekends.

* Snow Summit: The Big Bear resort plans to stay open at least until late April.

* Bear Mountain: Lift lines are short, despite a drop in prices to $29 until the end of the season, April 20 at the earliest.