I arose at 6AM in a futile attempt to procure a Nintendo Wii before Christmas (I needed to get up by 4AM). What was noteworthy is that the dew on my windshield (elevation only 700 ft.) was partially frozen. The front side of the San Gabriel Mts have a dusting of snow down to 4,000 feet and the local ski areas got 4-5 inches. The ski areas are predicted to stay below freezing continuously for the next 3 days. So I expect to see significant snowmaking expansion of terrain at Big Bear and modest expansion at Mt. High.
Mammoth also got a pleasant surprise from this, 12 inches at Main Lodge and estimated 18 up top. It's light and dry though, not what they need to build on the skimpy base. This week's skiing on the 20-30% open should be decent, though I'm not so sure what it will be like once the thundering hordes arrive Dec. 26 with minimal new snow predicted for the rest of December. Mammoth will also be much colder than normal so they should blow lots of snow this coming week.
Mammoth also got a pleasant surprise from this, 12 inches at Main Lodge and estimated 18 up top. It's light and dry though, not what they need to build on the skimpy base. This week's skiing on the 20-30% open should be decent, though I'm not so sure what it will be like once the thundering hordes arrive Dec. 26 with minimal new snow predicted for the rest of December. Mammoth will also be much colder than normal so they should blow lots of snow this coming week.
