Mountain High now open for snow play, but warm weather preventing skiers from hitting the slopes

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- At Mountain High Resort near Wrightwood, the weather is still too warm for operators to allow skiers and snowboarders on the slopes. But overnight temperatures have been just cold enough for resort operators to make enough snow to open up the base of their east resort for snow play.

"This is great," said Glenn Skawski, who recently moved from Montana to Santa Clarita. "Yeah, just to drive up here was really nice."

The day after Thanksgiving, temperatures were in the mid-40s for most of the morning. Dozens of people arrived at the resort for the first day of snow play. The resort will be open again on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $20 and parking is free.

"Mother Nature is rearing her ugly head this year, and just hasn't given us the natural snowfall and or the cold temps," said Mountain High spokesperson Mike Childress, who said typically they're able to open the resort by Nov. 20.

"We were trying to get Mountain High West open for Thanksgiving, but that didn't happen. So at least we have snow play so people can get up here and enjoy."

Resort operators are optimistic they might be able to open for skiers and snowboarders sometime next week, but it all depends on the weather. Many of the restaurants and stores in Wrightwood depend on the resort for business.

"People come up here, and they eat at the restaurants. They buy gas at the gas station, they visit the grocery stores," said Childress. "All the snowboard rental shops downtown, they want to start moving product and bringing cash flow.

"So going through the summer it's a lull. And as soon as we start getting cold temps, they're telling us 'C'mon, lets go!'"