MOUNTAIN HIGH: Local Knowledge

Resort Name: Mountain High
Web address: www.mthigh.com
Distance from nearest major airport in miles: Less than an hour from LAX
Rideable Acres: 220 rideable acres, 415 permitted acres
Lifts: 13
Parks: 1 park covering all of Mountain High West
Pipe: Mini-pipe with features

Best Après: Sunset Blvd
Cheapest Lodging: Bel Air
Cheapest Food: Del Taco at the Wrightwood exit
Cheapest Drink: Tallboys on the sundeck
Meat Market: West Hollywood
Locals’ Bar: Viper Room

Mountain High is located 45 minutes from downtown Los Angeles in Wrightwood, California, in the Angeles National Forest. Being the closest ski resort to SoCal as well as having ample night riding makes it perfect for those of us who actually work or go to school during the week and want to shred on the weekends (or at night for that matter). I suppose you could even fulfill the ultimate SoCal stereotype and get tubed at ‘bacteria break’ in the morning, skate vert at the Encinitis Y in the afternoon, and lap the Mountain High park that same night. It’s real cheap too. Their Freedom Pass is only $199, making it the smart choice if you plan on riding more than four times this winter.

The mountain is divided into two separate areas, East and West. A chunk of out-of-bounds terrain separates the two. East Base claims the area’s longest run and is as they put it, “is groomed better than a metrosexual.” Freeriders and soul carvers will enjoy this area more due in large part to lack of crowds. Chances are though you are going to want to check out the West Base. The Faultline terrain park crew has left few runs un-gnarlified here. The whole mountain is one big carnival of attractions. I am going to give you a few words to play with now: rail, box, up, down, rainbow, wall-ride, step, drop, ledge, jib, butter, off, on, mini, rad, kink, lip, curved, slant, pipe, hit, hip, table, transfer, bump, roll, jump. OK, now pick any four or five of these and put “Mountain High has a” in front of it. Example: Mountain High has a rainbow ledge transfer hip. Or, Mountain High has a kinked lip rad pipe. Every three out of four combinations is correct; even then you’re just scratching the surface. You couldn’t be more creative with an ounce of meth and a box of Legos.

The lift lines at Mountain High can be trying but, like everything else, are worth it if you put in the time. Luckily, they limit the number of tickets they sell so you seldom wait more than five minutes. Overall, Mountain High is not what you would call a destination resort or the type of place you should plan your “fantasy ski vacation” around. But it is fun as hell. For those of you who have “real jobs,” a family, or what one might call responsibility, there is no better way to keep the dream alive than to rally up to Mountain High a few hours each week.