Wrightwood, CA – With a pool of cold air hanging over southern California, snowmaking began last evening at Mountain High and the Wrightwood ski and snowboard resort has already laid down close to a foot of new snow at its West Resort, where officials are hopeful for a season opening this week.nOver the next several days conditions look favorable for nighttime snowmaking and Mountain High will continue to make snow whenever possible. Ski area officials indicate that Thursday would be the earliest possible opening date, but if it doesn’t take place by Friday they’ll wait until next week when snowmaking conditions return.

Mountain High has been the first resort to open in southern California for the past 13 years. They’ve invested more than $600,000 in the resort’s snowmaking system over the past two years and this season added five new guns, three fully automatic.

They’ve been making snow, too, in Big Bear Lake, where they shut off the guns at Bear Mountain this morning as temperatures rose to near 50 degrees after a solid 12 hours of snowmaking. Snow Summit ski area, too, blew snow on their Miracle Mile, Summit Run, Ego Trip and Westridge runs for 12 hours overnight. Officials of Big Bear Mountain Resorts, which owns both ski areas, have yet to announce any potential opening date.