UPDATE, FEB. 6, 11:36 A.M.: Check out this tweet:
ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 6, 5:39 A.M.: It.just.keeps.snowing.
That’s how Tim LeRoy describes the conditions at Mammoth and June mountains outside Bishop, whose resorts he represents, but it also applies to Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, his company’s sister properties near Big Bear Lake.
As LeRoy was checking in on Tuesday, there were 20 inches of fresh snow on the ground at Big Bear Mountain Resorts with more on the way.
Totals are 3 feet at the base areas and 4 feet 4 inches at the peak.
“So far this winter season, with 69 inches of total snowfall, Big Bear has almost double the entire snowfall from last winter (39 inches),” LeRoy says.
The 31 to 27 inches of snow that have fallen since Saturday—including the 19 to 21 inches from noon Monday to noon Tuesday—wreaked havoc at Snow Valley Mountain Resort outside Running Springs.
“Much of the snow that fell prior to Monday evening was wet in nature and has resulted in deicing work needed to be done on our upper mountain lifts,” reads the ski area’s report for today. “While our crews are working on that major task, the Snow Valley Express will have a delayed opening on Wednesday morning.
At the time the report was made, visibility was “virtually zero” at Slide Peak, so an assessment is going to have to be made this morning about the steep-and-deep slope’s status. As for the terrain parks: “We’ve received so much snow that we’re going to do a total rebuild of our parks as soon as the storms clear out!”
Snow Valley crews vow to fire up the snowmakers as cold temperatures are said to be coming later this week.
A winter storm warning remains in effect in the San Bernardino Mountains until 4 p.m. today. Heavy snow, with accumulations of 2 to 5 inches, were expected to have fallen Tuesday evening, and gusty winds are forecast to decrease late this afternoon. The snow level is expected to have lowered from 3,500 feet Tuesday morning to 2,500 feet by this morning.
Chain restrictions may be imposed on mountain drivers. Damage to trees and power lines is likely, and you should be prepared for reduced visibility. For the latest road conditions, call 800.427.7623.
There are no chain requirements heading up to Mountain High near Wrightwood, although it is always recommended you keep chains with you just in case.
“Definitely one for the books!” says the resort of 15 to 18 inches of new snow that fell in the previous 24 hours Tuesday, bringin the total to 24-36 inches in the past seven days.
Every trail at the West Resort is now open, and Mountain High expects the East Resort to open Friday.
Clear skies are forecast today at Mammoth and June mountains, which reported upwards of 10 feet of snow on the ground before 10 or so more inches were expected to fall Tuesday afternoon before clearing out that evening.
A high temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit is forecast for Mammoth today, with a low of 5 degrees-F overnight.
If you are driving up, check road conditions first because the 395 and the road leading into the resort’s Main Lodge were closed Tuesday.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.