Skiing / Bob Lochner : Mammoth Is Open for Season

Ski season is off and sliding throughout the West--and just in time for Thanksgiving.

Mammoth Mountain opened Thursday with 3 lifts operating over a 12- to 17-inch base. It was continuing to snow lightly at mid-day after a 6-inch overnight fall.

Resorts farther north in the High Sierra picked up about 12 inches of new snow from the current storm. Kirkwood, with more than 36 inches, has been going all week, as have Sierra Ski Ranch and Boreal.

They’ll be joined today by Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar and Mt. Rose, Nev., then by Heavenly Valley, Mt. Reba at Bear Valley and the Royal Gorge Nordic Center on Saturday.

In the Southland, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are each running just one beginner lift and hope to make enough additional snow to add more runs by next Thursday. Snow Valley and Mountain High are not open yet but also have their snow-making guns laying down powder atop the natural stuff that fell Monday.

Bear Mountain is the former Goldmine ski area near Big Bear Lake, which was bought by the owners of Killington and Mt. Snow in Vermont. They’ve spent $10 million on improvements this year.

Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor was the first West Coast resort to open for the 1988-89 season, flipping the switch Nov. 10. A series of storms have dumped up to 44 inches on the Cascades so far this month.

Sun Valley, Ida., measured 28 inches on the top of Baldy, 16 inches at Ketchum, and at least the Warm Springs side of the mountain is set to go next Thursday.

Utah should be in close to full swing for skiing by Thanksgiving. Deer Valley and Brighton are already operating, with bases ranging from 14 to 30 inches. Alta and Park City will start today, Snowbird and Solitude Wednesday.

Brian Head, the closest to Los Angeles, reported 11 inches but needs 18 to 24 more to open.

Sundance, Robert Redford’s hideaway in the Wasatch Mountains, is aiming for a Dec. 15 launch.

In Ski Country USA, also known as Colorado, where many slopes are already covered by 12 to 27 inches of that touted, fluffy, Rocky Mountain powder, these are the major scheduled openings:

ALREADY OPEN--Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland Basin and Winter Park-Mary Jane.

TODAY--Copper Mountain and Monarch.

SATURDAY--Arapahoe Basin.

WEDNESDAY--Crested Butte, Purgatory, Steamboat, Telluride and Vail-Beaver Creek.

NEXT THURSDAY--Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk and Snowmass.

For really serious skiers, the word from Taos Ski Valley is that Ernie Blake will decide today whether to begin Wednesday or wait until Dec. 15. The New Mexico resort reported about 24 inches with more on the way.