Mountain High
Encyclopedia
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 6600 feet (2,011.7 m) to 8200 feet (2,499.4 m) for the Mountain High East Resort, 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) for the West Resort and 7200 feet (2,194.6 m) to 7800 ft (2,377.4 m) for the North Resort.
. 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.
The Mountain High East Resort, originally known as Holiday Hill, opened in 1948. In the 1960’s, the cost of a lift ticket was $1.50. 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.
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.
. 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 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.
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
in Los Angeles County in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Mountain High is the most-visited resort in Southern California. The resort is located along State Route 2 west of Wrightwood
Wrightwood, California
Wrightwood is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California. It sits at an elevation of . The population was 4,525 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of the resort is 6600 feet (2,011.7 m) to 8200 feet (2,499.4 m) for the Mountain High East Resort, 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) to 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) for the West Resort and 7200 feet (2,194.6 m) to 7800 ft (2,377.4 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 Olympics1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
. 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.
The Mountain High East Resort, originally known as Holiday Hill, opened in 1948. In the 1960’s, the cost of a lift ticket was $1.50. 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
The Mountain High West Resort
At 7000 feet (2,133.6 m)-8000 ft (2,438.4 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 snowboardingSnowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
. 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 (6600 feet (2,011.7 m)-8200 ft (2,499.4 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.The Mountain High North Resort
At (7200 feet (2,194.6 m)-7800 ft (2,377.4 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
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
. "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.