Mountain High Ski Resort Area - Wrightwood, California

Address:Wrightwood, California
Tel: (888) 754-7878

Want a close drive to a ski resort with no mountain driving involved? Jump on the highway, drive 75 miles North from Los Angeles and Orange County, and you'll reach Mountain High Resort; the closest ski mountain to San Diego in Southern California. The season runs from early November to late April, so gear up for a good season's worth of runs, not too far from the city.

As you survey the mountain and enjoy the views of the Mojave Desert in the background, relish the 290 acres of terrain, 60 trails, and vertical drop of 1600 feet. Snowfall averages about 144 inches, and 95% of the snow is manmade to compensate for what the season doesn't bring by nature.

Three distinct mountains are available – West, East, and North Mountains. Each has its own personality as well as separate lodges, ticketing counters, rentals, and pro shops. There is a free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes between each, offered to ease travel among them. In total, there are 13 beginner trails, 25 intermediate, and 22 advanced slopes to work your equipment and stamina on, and they are serviced by 16 chairlifts.

Lift tickets can be purchased in 4 to 8 hour blocks of time, in which the time doesn't start until you ride your first lift. Alternatively, you can buy a "points" ticket in 200, 500, or a 1000 point denomination, which works like a debit card and deducts points depending on which lifts you take. All points carry through the season and expire when the season is over, making it a flexible ticket. Military discounts are available as well as group rates. Children under 6 accompanied by a paying adult ride free, as do senior citizens over the age of 70. Celebrate your birthday by receiving a free lift pass, as long as you have a valid ID with proof of your birthday. All lift passes are valid on all 3 mountains, excluding the tubing park. There is also a 60 minute satisfaction guarantee. If in the first 60 minutes you decide to not ski or ride due to slope conditions or for any other reason, you will receive a full refund. Prepare to plunk down a credit card deposit of around $300 on rentals however, so if you own your own gear, or find a cheaper deal at an independent ski rental shop, factor this into your spending amount.

North Mountain has a young, energetic feel to it with 3 terrain parks and a halfpipe for the snowboard crowd. The terrain features large and small jumps for variety on both a board and skis. Mountain High's Children's Learning Center is located here. Also if you are interested in night skiing, this is the mountain to be on from 5 to 10pm, 7 days a week.

East Mountain reaches an elevation of 8200 feet, and stretches 1.6 miles up the mountain. Here the feeling is one of more classic alpine skiing. A high speed quad zips you to the top of the mountain in under 5 minutes. "Olympic Bowl" boasts the longest, steepest bumps run in the Southern California region. Plenty of cruising trails, the longest stretching to a length of a mile and half, await you. There are also 20 acres of beginner's trails here that are serviced by their own quad lift. These feature obstacle courses, terrain gardens, small jumps, and rollers.

North Mountain caters more to families with its "Bite Size" snowboarding park for wee ones and novices. There are also 14 lanes of tubing chutes with 2 carpet tows at their "North Pole Tubing Park," with both single and family sized tubes to fly down on. North Mountain is only open on peak holidays and weekends.

There is a free ski check while you duck into the lodges on site to grab a quick sandwich, hot soup, or cold drink to quench your thirst. Check out the "Virtual Snow" lessons in which you ride a revolving rug on either a snowboard or skis to perfect moves and get rid of bad habits all under the watchful eye of a professional instructor. You must make reservations in advance, and this is only offered in private lessons.

When all is said and done, check into the Mountain View Hotel, only 2 miles away, which offers Jacuzzi or kitchenette rooms for rent. All units are duplexes and you must call early for reservations. If you're looking for cabins, mini-lodges, Inns, Chalets or even a Bed and Breakfast, travel within a half hour to the city of Wrightwood and you'll have access to all of this and more.

Be sure to check out the Monster Music Stage on the North Mountain which features live bands, fashion shows, and après ski events. Or just head back into the city for all the nightlife you could hope for. Either way, for a quick get away, Mountain High is waiting for you!

Mountain High is Southern California's most popular winter resort. Just 75 minutes from Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the area welcomes its guests with three distinctly different mountains and a wide variety of lifts and trails. Each base area is complete with ticket windows, restaurants, rentals, sport shops, ski & snowboard lessons and more. Though you can't see it from the base area, the East Resort stretches 1.6 miles up into the mountains offering some of the best cruising trails and powder runs in the region. At the West Resort you'll find an equally impressive mountain loaded with both technical terrain and wide-open beginner areas. And last year the area was proud to announce the addition of Mountain High North. You will find it seated directly across from Mountain High's West Resort and open peak-season for lessons, tubing and more.