NOTES
INTRODUCTION
1. “Winter Sports Development in California: A Project of the California State Chamber of Commerce,” March 1, 1932, 1.
2. Ibid.
3. Robert O. Foote, “Skis Enter Sunny Land,” New York Times, January 24, 1937.
4. Report of the Winter Sports Committee of the California State Chamber of Commerce—Summary of Activities, 1937–1938 Season, Ethel Van Degrift Collection, California Ski Library.
5. Ethel Van Degrift, Vacation Time, radio program broadcast on KFWB in Los Angeles, February 24, 1939, typewritten transcript, Ethel Van Degrift Collection, California Ski Library.
6. “Winter Sports Development in California,” 1.
7. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Bear Valley Has Most Ski Tows in the World!” January 13, 1950.
8. Lynn Rogers, “Southland Snow Meccas Visited,” Los Angeles Times, February 13, 1955.
9. Pasadena Star-News, “Small Resorts at Mercy of Mother Nature,” December 3, 2002.
CHAPTER 1
10. Lake Arrowhead Winter Sports Brochure, n.d.
11. For more on Walter Mosauer and Otto Steiner, see Wicken, Pray for Snow.
12. Los Angeles Times, “Gorgonio Scaled by Ski Group,” March 8, 1934.
13. Walt Beesley, “Ski Meet Drawings Made,” Salt Lake Tribune, December 29, 1934.
14. Prior to his ski activities in Lake Arrowhead, Salm was a leader in building tows at Green Valley Lake. He built the first rope tow there in 1937, one of Southern California’s first ski lifts. See the Green Valley Lake section.
15. Russ Leadabrand, “Let’s Explore a Byway…Across the San Bernardino Mountains,” Westways, December 1961, 5.
CHAPTER 2
16. Los Angeles Times, “Los Angeles Park Attracting Crowds,” February 11, 1929.
17. Doris Wubben, “Green Valley Winter Sports,” unpublished paper, 1993.
18. The remnants of the old automobile engine that powered Wubben’s tow can still be found at the top of the run.
19. Lyle Ferguson, interview by author, Green Valley Lake, CA, March 13, 2000.
20. Ibid.
21. Diane Slezak, “Ski Green Valley Tests Snowboard-Only Days,” San Diego Union-Tribune, January 18, 1993.
22. Mike Erickson, “Green Valley Offers Relaxed Atmosphere,” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1961.
23. Randy Pattison, e-mail to author, February 10, 2012.
24. Ibid.
25. Erickson, “Green Valley Offers Relaxed Atmosphere.”
CHAPTER 3
26. The other two were at McGee Creek in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, built in 1937, and Fish Camp (Snow Valley), built in 1938.
27. It is unknown if Lynn was on snowshoes or skis. Skis were often referred to as snowshoes at that time.
28. J.W. Dustrude, United States Government Memorandum, Special Use Permit—Snow Forest, Inc., November 16, 1966. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
29. For more on Edi Jaun, see the Lake Arrowhead chapter.
30. Mountaineer, “Upski Towers Being Erected,” November 11, 1938.
31. Doug Pfeiffer, “One of a Kind—The Big Bear Sling Lift,” Skiing Heritage, June 1998, 29.
32. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Record Crowds Enjoy Skiing,” November 27, 1946.
33. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Ski Fans Keep Tows Busy Over Weekend,” December 10, 1947.
34. Mugelnoos, “Ski Huts and Ski Ups,” November 10, 1938, 2.
35. Grizzly, “Winter Sports Furnish Outing of Thrills at Big Bear,” February 18, 1944.
36. 1947 National Skiing Guide, 91.
37. For a more complete biography and account of Tyndall’s accomplishments, see Wicken, Pray for Snow and Dick Kun, The Snow Summit Story.
38. Dewitt Nelson, Forest Supervisor, to Regional Forester, September 10, 1940. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
39. C.B. Morse, Assistant Regional Forester, to Forest Supervisor, September 20, 1940. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
40. W.L. Minaker, Division of Engineering, to Regional Engineer, October 9, 1940. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
41. DeWitt Nelson, Forest Supervisor, to Regional Forester, November 6, 1940. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
42. William E. Young Sr., Assistant to Purchasing Agent, to United States Forest Service, June 22, 1948. San Bernardino County Archives.
43. Fearn E. Munster, “The Sitzmark,” Limelight News, April 1, 1949.
44. Lynn was found in his apartment adjoining his court with a pistol by his side. He had been despondent over poor health. He was sixty-two years old.
45. Dedicatory Speech for Ski Lift, September 24, 1949. Written by Mrs. Underhill, editor of the Grizzly Press, read by Mrs. Bertha Burton. San Bernardino County Archives.
46. Big Bear Winter Club postcard, courtesy of Snow Summit.
47. C.A. Bonner, Superintendent, Safety Division, Pacific Indemnity Company, to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, July 14, 1950. San Bernardino County Archives.
48. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Expect to Begin Work at Once on Chair Lift,” September 1950.
49. Big Bear Lake Park Board to San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, February 16, 1950. San Bernardino County Archives.
50. The Skier, “Big Bear Better Than Ever,” January 15, 1951, 8.
51. Bear Valley ski tow operators to the County Park Board, November 9, 1950. San Bernardino County Archives.
52. The $125,000 minimum bid was slightly more than the capital outlay for the area. Beginning with the construction of the sling lift to final work during the 1956–57 season, $113,373 had been invested in the area.
53. Daily Sun, “County Ski Lift Purchase Goes to 2nd Buyer Group,” April 3, 1963.
54. D.M. Tucker, Recreation and Lands Staff Officer, Memo: Special Use Permits, Snow Forest, May 19, 1964. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
55. Daniel Platus to Ronald J. McCormick, District Ranger, April 17, 1967. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
56. Daniel Platus to Ronald J. McCormick, District Ranger, July 19, 1967. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
57. Dan Platus to David Nelson, District Ranger, June 27, 1970. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
58. J.W. Dustrude, United States Government Memorandum, Special Use Permit—Snow Forest, Inc., November 16, 1966. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
59. David G. Mohla, Acting Forest Supervisor, to Regional Forester, September 18, 1978. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
60. Michael D. Duffy, Director Fiscal Management Staff, to San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor, October 6, 1978. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
61. The Skier, November 15, 1979.
62. The Skier, “Snow Forest Rebuilds,” December 1, 1980.
63. Don R. Bauer, Forest Supervisor, to Robert B. Rigney, Assistant Administrative Officer, County of San Bernardino. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
64. Doug Padilla, “Public Facing Avalanche of Snow Forest’s Bills,” San Bernardino Sun, February 1, 1995.
65. Glen Binford, “Ski Trails,” Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1956.
66. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Snow Making at Rebel Ridge Is Successful Chuck Smith Reports,” December 28, 1956. Moonridge was the first Big Bear Lake ski area to successfully install snow making, but by the mid-1960s, it was no longer using it. Moonridge advertised its man-made snow as “Magic Snow.”
67. Bill McMains, interview by author, Big Bear Lake, CA, April 27, 2000.
68. Skiing, “Rebel Snow,” January 1961, 47.
69. Mike Erickson, “Snow Making System Boosts Rebel Ridge,” Los Angeles Times, December 20, 1960.
70. Man-made snow had been experimented with elsewhere in the United States. In 1950–51, Walt Schoenknecht successfully experimented with snow making at Connecticut’s Mohawk Mountain.
71. Bill McMains, interview, April 27, 2000.
72. By January 1964, Rebel Ridge, Snow Summit and Snow Forest all had snow-making systems in place. The lone area in Big Bear without snow-making facilities was Moonridge.
73. Ski World, Los Angeles Times, “Custom Snow Planned for Nearby Areas,” November 8, 1963, 9.
74. Rebel Ridge held a copyright on the term “Custom Snow.” Lou Desser, “New Mexico Boasts Skier’s Paradise,” Los Angeles Times, January 6, 1965.
75. Los Angeles Times, “Rebel Ridge Promises Two Feet of Snow,” November 4, 1966.
76. Los Angeles Times, “Big Bear Resort Has Designs on L.A. Skies [sic],” November 4, 1966.
77. Lou Desser, “New Chairlift Doubles Snow Valley’s Capacity,” Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1966.
78. Grizzly, “Publicizing Ski Slopes,” December 10, 1948.
79. Big Bear Lake Limelight, “Mill Creek Ski School to Promote Winter Sports,” December 10, 1948.
80. Big Bear Lake Limelight News, August 6, 1948.
CHAPTER 4
81. The Big Pines Ski Club is still in existence, giving it the distinction of Southern California’s oldest surviving ski club.
82. Big Pines Ski Club Resolution, December 6, 1940, California Ski Library.
83. The Big Pines Ski Club later built a private rope tow adjacent to its clubhouse. It is unknown when the tow was built, but the club was attempting to sell the tow motor in 1963, and the cables and other remnants were removed in 1977. Some remnants of the upper tow pulley still remain just below Table Mountain Road.
84. Howard V. More to William V. Mendenhall, Forest Supervisor, February 8, 1945. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
85. Howard V. More to George Armstrong, June 1, 1949. San Bernardino National Forest, Office of the Supervisor, Record Group 95, Records of the Forest Service, National Archives at Riverside, Perris, California.
86. Valerie J. Nelson, “Howard More, 91; Southland Ski Pioneer,” Los Angeles Times, July 3, 2006.
87. Howard More, interview by author, Pasadena, CA, December 8, 1999.
88. The original permit application for Kratka Ridge lists ten members of the Angeles Winter Development Corporation. Larry Zimmer is not listed on the permit application but became involved with the area shortly thereafter. He became the eleventh member of the group.
89. “Application for Use Permit at Kratka Ridge, Mt. Waterman Area, Angeles National Forest, May 16, 1949,” Howard More Collection, California Ski Library.
90. Ibid.
91. Ibid.
92. The Skier, “Muscle, Vision and Dynamite at Kratka Ridge,” October 15, 1953, 8.
93. Southland Skier, “The Kratka Ridge Story,” December 1, 1964, 14.
94. By 1963, Hensley had become a partner in the Angeles Winter Development Corporation.
95. Ray Hensley, e-mail to author, June 23, 2012.
96. Ray Hensley, e-mail to author, July 1, 2012.
97. Hal Snyder, “Snowed Under by High Insurance Costs: ‘Mom and Pop’ Resorts Might Be a Dying Breed,” Orange County Register, December 31, 1987.
98. Berkley Hudson, “Kratka Crunch: Ski Facility’s Snow-Making Project Is Snagged by a Five-Inch Frog,” Los Angeles Times, November 28, 1993.
99. Ibid.
100. Ibid.
101. Ibid.
102. Kratka Ridge, “News Release: Los Angeles Is Gaining a New Major Ski Resort,” November 10, 1994.
103. Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, “Businessmen Buy Family-Owned Ski Areas,” Pasadena Star-News, December 14, 1999.
104. Dave Strege, “No Snow Doesn’t Stop Sale: New Ownership of Local Resorts Plan to Add Snowmaking Equipment and Enlarge Facilities,” Orange County Register, December 9, 1999.
105. Micah Abrams, “L.A. Story,” Skinet.com. Accessed July 9, 2011. www.skinet.com/skiing/resorts/2009/09/la-story-0.
106. Ibid.
107. Tiffany Hsu, “The Revival of Mt. Waterman,” Los Angeles Times, March 12, 2009.
CHAPTER 5
108. Leadabrand, Guidebook to the Sunset Ranges, 5.
109. For a history of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, see Davis, Wilderness, Politics, and Bureaucracy and Wicken, Pray for Snow.
110. Editorial, Palm Springs Limelight, January 14, 1939.
111. Palm Springs Limelight, April 27, 1940, quoted in Davis, Wilderness, Politics, and Bureaucracy, 160.
112. Hemet News, “Proposed Ski Lift Would Open Higher Altitudes of San Jacinto Mountains,” January 5, 1940.
113. Walter Mosauer, “Ski Trips in Southern California,” Sierra Club Bulletin, June 1934, 47.
114. Harry C. James, “The San Jacinto Winter Park Summer Resort Scheme,” Living Wilderness (Winter 1949–50): 13.
115. Ibid.
116. Ibid.
117. Ibid.
118. Town Crier, “High Altitude Survey,” March 5, 1949.
119. Town Crier, “Tramway Ski Plan Dimmed,” April 10, 1964.
120. Town Crier, “A-Weaseling We Will Go,” January 3, 1948.
121. Jo Tyndall, “Snow Gently, Sweet Blizzard,” 45.
122. Town Crier, “Snow Sports Crowds Enthusiastic,” January 8, 1949.
123. In 1949, Cannon built the Lynn Lift, Big Bear Lake’s first chairlift.
CHAPTER 6
124. Cuyamaca Peak, located forty miles east of San Diego, is the second-highest point in San Diego County at 6,512 feet elevation. Hot Springs Mountain is the highest at 6,533 feet elevation.
125. Ski-Nooz: A Bimonthly News-Sheet Published by and for Members of the San Diego Ski Club, “Fireworks at Cuyamaca,” November 26, 1941.
126. Ski-Nooz: A Bimonthly News-Sheet Published by and for Members of the San Diego Ski Club, “Cuyamaca Mud Fest,” March 2, 1942.
127. Ethel Van Degrift, “Ski Slants,” Los Angeles Times, April 21, 1942.
128. Langley, American Ski Annual 1943, 192.
129. Harold Keen, “S.D. Girl First to Qualify: Stenographer Gets Badge No. 1 After Test,” San Diego Tribune-Sun, January 31, 1942.
130. Walter Clemmons, letter to Charles Dole, September 29, 1941.
131. The Skier, “San Diego Skiers to the Rescue,” February 1,1949, 4.
132. Far West Skier, “San Diego Ski Area Open,” October 28, 1966.
133. Peter Brueggeman, e-mail to the author, July 14, 2012.
CHAPTER 7
134. Wooden Wings was a star-studded club, with a roster including Hollywood greats Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda, David Niven, Tyrone Power and David O. Selznick.
135. Notes about pine needle ski slope, Ethel Van Degrift Collection, California Ski Library.
136. Ethel Van Degrift, “Pine Needles Pinch-Hitting for Snow on Hollywood Ski Run,” Sporting Goods Dealer, October 1939, 60.
137. Ibid., 74.
138. Bill Southworth, “Sepp Benedikter,” Sepp Benedikter Collection, California Ski Library.
139. Robin Morning, e-mail to the author, July 3, 2012.
140. Van Degrift, “Pine Needles,” 96.
141. Wilson Turner and C. Barry Hammons, “No-Snow Skiing,” Ski, November 1, 1966, 100.
142. Stanley H. Ireland, “Where Snow Is Old-Fashioned,” Ford Times, July 1967, 12–13.
143. Burt Sims, “Summer Skiing in Los Angeles,” Far West Skier, October 14, 1966, 1.
144. “Artificial Ski Surface,” Patent number 3,406,617. Marion G. Randazzo, Inglewood, CA, assignor to Karen Supply Co., Inc., Chino, CA, October 22, 1968.
145. George G. Siposs, “There’s Snow on This Hill,” Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram Southland Magazine, September 25, 1966.
146. Far West Skier, “Grand Crash Trophy Goes to Baxter at Ski Villa,” November 25, 1966, 7.
147. Bob Cartmell, “Snow Blanket for the Holidays,” Pasadena Independent, December 6, 1966.
148. Ibid., 8.
149. Modern Plastics, “One Polypropylene Ski Slope=320,000 lb. of Resin,” November 1966, 92.
150. Bud Tucker, “Snow-less Skiing,” Oxnard Press-Courier, July 3, 1966.
151. Notice to Creditors and Stockholders of Karen Supply Co., Inc., a Corporation Doing Business Under the Name of Ski Villa, October 2, 1967. Charles Morse Papers, California Ski Library.