State of emergency, baby! Ski industry bets big on El Niño
Your morning catch-up: What El Niño means for skiers, California condo fees are soaring and more big stories
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While many Californians are bracing for a miserable few months of rain and floods courtesy of the developing El Niño, millions of outdoor enthusiasts are celebrating the possibility of the greatest winter ever.
If you’re a skier or snowboarder, your social media feed is probably bursting with giddy predictions of a season for the ages. The parade of atmospheric river storms that could soak flatlanders could just as easily deliver record-breaking powder at higher, colder elevations.
Which means resorts such as Mammoth Mountain, whose 11,000-foot summit makes it the highest ski area in California, stand a real chance of hitting the jackpot this season. In the Tahoe area, Heavenly, at 10,000 feet, could fare pretty well, too.
Cautious optimism gave way to unrestrained joy last month, when Gov. Gavin Newsom included snow-removal equipment on the long list of supplies to gather and have ready in his El Niño state of emergency declaration. Ski resort marketing directors across the state must have swooned: State of Emergency, baby!
It’s hard to blame them for going a little over the top.
Ski resorts hope to bounce back
Paltry snow across the American West last winter dealt a crippling blow to resort towns whose economies depend heavily on tourism.
The “snow famine” hit particularly hard in California which, despite its reputation as a beach destination, is home to the most skiers and snowboarders in the United States — more than 2 million, according to industry data.
And most of them understand that bad years are no longer isolated incidents: The overall warming of the planet poses serious long-term risks to their hobby and the multibillion-dollar industry it sustains.
All of which fuels the urge for resorts and an ever-growing legion of mountain lifestyle influencers to sell El Niño like it’s El Savior.
Things grew to such a fever pitch, even Powder Magazine, a publication that depends on ski industry advertisers, recently pumped the brakes with the headline, “Skiers beware, the El Niño hype train has officially left the station.”
In fact, the historical record is pretty slushy.
El Niño is not a sure thing for skiers
Two of the last three so-called Super El Niños — when the surface temperature of the water in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean rises exceptionally high and produces powerful storms — resulted in disappointing snowfall in California’s High Sierra.
The most recent one in 2015-16 — dubbed “Godzilla” at the time — generated the hoped-for storms but they veered off course, dumping rain on the Pacific Northwest instead of snow in the California mountains.
And the best year on record? When the snowpack in the southern Sierra reached a record-shattering 300% of average and a June ascent of Mt. Whitney looked more like an Everest expedition than a California hike?
That was during a three-year La Niña — the opposite of El Niño — when Pacific Ocean temperatures were unusually cold.
Top stories
California condo fees are soaring
- Residents of one San Clemente condo community recently were levied an emergency assessment of $26,000 per unit.
- Experts say it is becoming increasingly common as California’s condos age, the state’s insurance crisis worsens and homeowners associations comply with new safety standards for balconies, potentially leading to unanticipated costs that many condo owners cannot afford.
Bass and Raman court Latino voters
- With mail-in voting just days away, Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman are stepping up their efforts to reach Latinos, whose votes are expected to be a decisive factor in the Nov. 3 election.
- Raman leads Bass among Latinos 45% to 21%, with 34% undecided, the latest Berkeley IGS-L.A. Times poll shows. But in the primary, Bass carried 35 Latino majority neighborhoods compared with seven for Raman.
Details of medical chopper crash off Catalina emerge
- Three people died after a medical transport helicopter flying from Santa Catalina Island to the mainland crashed into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday; two others were rescued and stable.
- The crash follows another fatal REACH Air Medical Services helicopter accident last October in Sacramento.
More news
- How to vote in California’s November 2026 general election.
- Strange visitors and starving pups: What El Niño means for California’s coast.
- “Saved by the Bell” star Dennis Haskins was a staple at Burbank’s Dimples karaoke bar. Former patrons remember “America’s principal,” who died Sunday after an eight-year fight with Parkinson’s disease.
Commentary and opinion
- Forget your grandma’s matzo brei. Times restaurant critic Jenn Harris says Mish Delicatessen is the Jewish deli of her wildest dreams.
- Staff writer Daniel Hernandez says L.A. is ready for an upscale Salvadoran restaurant. So where is it?
- Columnist Anita Chabria writes about why Trump’s series of cringy, self-glorifying ads aren’t just ego.
Editor’s pick
The Trump administration’s oil blockade has plunged Cuba into crisis. A photographer hit the road to see how people were faring.
More picks
- Nicolas Cage, who has played multiple Marvel characters, says the MCU has become a “glorified WWE.”
Things to do
- 👻Spooky season is here! 13 things to do in L.A. for a frightfully epic October
- 🍨The Times’ Food team compiled their favorite sundaes and banana splits around the city. Here are 20 of their favorites.
- 🍿The 12 movies you need to see in L.A. this month.
- 📕Read Sylvester Stallone’s new memoir “The Steps,” a sobering reminder of just how far Stallone had to go to make it.
Today’s recipe
Welcome to October! Skip peeling “eyeball” grapes and making the kids scared to eat spaghetti and red sauce. These jack-o-lantern quesadillas with beans and cheddar are much easier — and less scary.
Question for you
What’s a television show that takes place in California that you’d recommend to friends?
David F. says, “While ‘Columbo’ may be the greatest character ever, for a show based in California, it’s definitely Jim Garner’s ‘Rockford Files.’ Case closed!”
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
Photo of the day
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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