Another Top-Notch Winter on Horizon for California

As recent storms began to whiten Sierra slopes, Bob Roberts predicted another outstanding season and extended a special offer on behalf of California’s resorts.

“We’ve made it very clear up here that any member of the Nino family has a standing invitation to stay with us, well, as long as they want,” he said.

The executive director of the San Francisco-based California Ski Industry Assn. was referring, of course, to El Nino and kid sister La Nina.

Two seasons ago, El Nino’s influence on global weather patterns produced record snowfall throughout California, and skiers and boarders responded with a record 7.4 million visits to the state’s 42 ski areas.

Last season, La Nina, while largely snubbing Southern California, brought loads of snow throughout the Lake Tahoe area and the Eastern Sierra.

In fact, last season was nearly as good as the season before, with 7.3 million skier-boarder visits. Heavenly Resort, on Tahoe’s South Shore, accounted for 930,000 visits, a record for the sprawling facility straddling the California-Nevada border. Mammoth Mountain and nearby June Mountain combined to log just under 1 million.

Even the larger Southland resorts drew sizable crowds, despite the lack of natural snow, thanks to cold temperatures that enabled them to make their own. Mountain High in Wrightwood, for example, had 380,000 visits, second only to Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake, which always seems to top the 400,000 mark.

What all this means is that everything is white in this world as far as most resort operators are concerned.

In fact, for the first time since the mid-1980s, California has replaced Colorado as the top winter destination in the United States. Colorado’s share of overnight ski trips taken by U.S. tourists dropped from 18.9% in 1997-98 to 16.2% last season. California’s share increased from 13.9% to 17.1%.

A big deal?

It is to Colorado ski associations and tourism agencies. That story made the front page in the Denver Post and triggered a commissioned study to see how the state can regain the king-of-the-hill status it had enjoyed for so many years.

Naturally, it’s also a big deal for California resort operators, who almost literally have their heads in the clouds with another La Nina winter at hand.

The jet stream again is positioned to funnel storm clouds through the Tahoe area, and enough snow has already fallen to allow for a productive weekend, with bases ranging from 10 to 22 inches at most resorts. Mammoth Mountain, which usually gets the same weather a day or so later, got six-10 inches last Saturday, over a base of 20-30 inches. None of the resorts will be fully operational this weekend but they’re getting there.

Recent temperatures have lowered enough to allow the Southland’s four major resorts--Snow Summit, Mountain High, Big Bear Mountain and Snow Valley--to make enough snow to open on a limited basis.

If this season goes anything like last, the only ones really struggling will be the small, family-run layouts, which struggle even when powder is deep.

“Unfortunately, the problem with the industry is that if you’re not at a certain size now, you’re in trouble,” Roberts said.

Size certainly matters, but so does technology. Roberts was quick to point out that although influences of El Nino and La Nina have helped California rise to No. 1, most of the credit should go to aggressive growth and improvement campaigns.

Mammoth Mountain, for example, spent $20 million last summer as part of a five-year, $130-million improvement plan. Most notable among the improvements is the completion of the Panorama Gondola, which replaces an antiquated one and enables skiers to ride to the top in less than nine minutes.

In the Southland, Mountain High has upgraded its facility considerably--and it really needed upgrading--since new ownership took over in 1997. Nearly $9 million has been spent and new this winter will be the Blue Ridge Express, a high-speed quad lift that is 2 1/2 times faster than the three-seat chair it replaces.

In the Tahoe area, Heavenly has spent $30 million in the last seven years and has two new high-speed quads and a day-care facility, among other things, to show for it. Squaw Valley USA, already with the only high-capacity “Funitel” aerial transportation system in North America, is unveiling a new gondola as well.

South Shore resorts, notably Heavenly, should benefit further this season with the resumption--after a four-year hiatus--of commercial airline service into South Lake Tahoe Airport, which includes daily flights to and from LAX and Burbank airports. This eliminates the need to fly to Reno and a 1 1/2-hour drive to the South Shore.

Across the lake, Squaw Valley is offering those staying at South Shore hotels free shuttles to Squaw’s slopes via Hornblower Cruises’ Tahoe Queen, billed as the world’s only water-borne ski shuttle.

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Also new to all of the major California resorts this season is the fifth-grade snow passport program, allowing anyone in the fifth grade--or born in 1989--to ski free if accompanied by a paying adult. They can download and print applications on the Internet at https://www.californiasnow.com. Be forewarned, each resort has “blackout dates” during which the passport is invalid, so it’s best to check beforehand.

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The 36th Ski Dazzle ski and snowboard show is scheduled Dec. 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More than 350 exhibitors and representatives from more than 75 resorts will be there.

Cost is $9 (good for a free weekday lift ticket at Big Bear Mountain) for adults, $3 for children 6-12 and free for those 5 and younger. Details: (213) 741-1151, or on the Web at https://www.skidazzle.com.

FISH REPORT: D16