Mountain High

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Mountain High
Location Big Pines, Los Angeles County, California
Nearest city Wrightwood, California
Vertical 1600 ft (490 m)
Top elevation 8,200 feet (2,500 m) (East)
8,000 feet (2,400 m) (West)
7,800 ft (2,400 m) (North)
Base elevation 6,600 feet (2,000 m) (East)
7,000 feet (2,100 m) (West)
7,200 ft (2,200 m) (North)
Skiable area 290 acres (1.2 km2)
Longest run 1.6 miles (2.6 km)
Terrain parks Yes
Snowmaking Yes (partial)
Night skiing Yes (partial)
Web site Official Site

Mountain High resort is a winter resort in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County in California. Mountain High is the most-visited resort in Southern California. The resort is located along State Route 2 west of Wrightwood, California. The elevation of the resort is 6,600 feet (2,000 m) to 8,200 feet (2,500 m) for the Mountain High East Resort, 7,000 feet (2,100 m) to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) for the West Resort and 7,200 feet (2,200 m) to 7,800 ft (2,400 m) for the North Resort.

History

Coinciding with the population growth of Southern California in the 1920s, hikers and ski enthusiasts began using Big Pines, an area near the present day Mountain High resort. In 1929 the construction began on the world's largest ski jump of that time in an attempt to attract the 1932 Winter Olympics. In 1931 when it was completed, Alf Engen set the new world record by jumping 243 feet (74 m).

The Mountain High West Resort was originally known as Blue Ridge and is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country. Its first year of operation was 1937 with a rope tow, and it built the 2nd chairlift in California in 1947. In 1975, upon being sold by its original owners, it was renamed Mountain High.[1]

The Mountain High East Resort, originally known as Holiday Hill, opened in 1948.[2] In the 1960s, the cost of a lift ticket was $1.50.[3] In 1979, the resort was sold to the new owner of the Mountain High resort and used primarily as parking for the West Resort, as well as add terrain when there was adequate snow and skiing conditions.

The Mountain High North Resort was originally known as Table Mountain Ski Area in 1938 and later changed to Ski Sunrise in 1975. Due to several years of poor snow conditions and lack of snowmaking equipment, it was sold in 2004 to the owners of Mountain High. Mountain High now operates the North Resort as a ski school, tubing and snow play area to relieve congestion at the West Resort, but have not yet installed snowmaking equipment there. Table Mountain has been used previously as a U.S. Geologic Survey site and a Smithsonian Museum site.

Resort

Mountain High Resort
Mountain High

Mountain High's resort is separated into three different areas along State Route 2. Lift tickets purchased at any one of the areas are good at the other two, and a shuttle normally operates between the west and east resorts, ferrying skiers and snowboarders back and forth.

The Mountain High West Resort

At 7,000 feet (2,100 m)-8,000 ft (2,400 m)), the West Resort is the most popular of the three resorts, and most of its terrain has been dedicated to Mountain High's Faultline Terrain Park. Faultline contains many original terrain features such as the Slayer Box, and the Paradox catering mostly to the sport of snowboarding. Aside from the terrain parks, the West Resort also has excellent glade skiing and snowboarding in an area known as "The Reef." This area is only open when there is a substantial amount of snow. Due to its slightly higher elevation, the West Resort is often the first resort in Southern California to open and the last to close.

The Mountain High East Resort

At (6,600 feet (2,000 m)-8,200 ft (2,500 m)) the East Resort has longer runs and more open terrain providing a more alpine snowsports experience. The longest run at Mountain High, Goldrush, is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and located at the East Resort, and is also the longest run in Southern California.[4]

The Mountain High North Resort

At (7,200 feet (2,200 m)-7,800 ft (2,400 m)) the North Resort is dedicated to mainly beginner and intermediate terrain and snow play. This resort, formerly known as Ski Sunrise, only has one quad chair lift and three handle tows. It is also the location of the North Pole Tubing Park.

The North Pole Tubing Park

The North Pole Tubing Park is a part of the North Resort that is dedicated almost entirely to Snow Tubing. The tubing facility is served by two handle tows and has many lanes, so many tubers can get down all at once. The tubing park has a moving conveyor belt lift.

Sunrise disc golf

The Mountain High North Resort is open during the summer to offer disc golf. "Sunrise" offers three courses with nine holes that meander throughout the Angeles National Forest. The course was first developed in 1999 by Dave Dunnipace when the resort was still known as Ski Sunrise.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.pacificrimalliance.org/F.PublicAffairs/SkiHistory/historySoCal.html Pacific Rim Snow Sports Alliance 2006
  2. ↑ http://www.pacificrimalliance.org/F.PublicAffairs/SkiHistory/Resorts.html Pacific Rim Alliance Ski History, 2006
  3. ↑ http://wrightwoodcalifornia.com/history-of-wrightwood/page-08.html Wrightwood History, Walter Feller, 2005
  4. ↑ http://www.mthigh.com/mtn_info/stats.html Mountain High Resort Mountain Statistics (2007)

External links

Coordinates: 34°22′29″N 117°41′36″W / 34.37472°N 117.69323°W / 34.37472; -117.69323

Ski Areas in California
Alpine areas
Cross country areas
Defunct Ski Areas
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