Man-made snow enchants Mountain High, drawing skiers of all ages

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - Heavy snow at Lake Arrowhead, and in many parts of the San Bernardino Mountains, made roads treacherous.

Heavy fog along Highway 18 also made driving tough. The winter storm has attracted skiers and snowboarders like a magnet to resorts like Mountain High.

The resort's snow this weekend was about 90% man-made, according to Kevin Somes of Mountain High. 

Somes says the big storm seemed to skirt Wrightwood but the resort fired-up their snow-making machines anyway and all was good with the snow world!

"It's fantastic," said skier Paul Badilita.

"It's really fun," said Hannah Grimblat.

"It's a very fun experience for when you are in the moment," said Serena Zheng.

Using his helmet camera, Joaquin Johnson showed us what "in the moment" looked and felt like to him. 

"I'm feeling a rush of enjoyment," he said. "Because I'm up here with my friends and there are some really nice conditions up here."

"This is my first time coming up here and snowboarding so came up, fell on my butt a whole bunch," said Blaine O'Leary, of Castaic. "And now I'm having a great time and actually able to do it."

Then there's little 6-year-old Marlee Meraz. She acts like a pro on the hill.

To her parents, she's a little daredevil. 

"Mommy and Daddy want me to go (motions a S move) and I just want to go Zoom!" the little girl said.

She adds she loves the breeze in her face.

To avoid needing those folks who are ready at a moment's notice to help skiers who might take a tumble, Carina Zheng says to take it slowly on whichever part of the hill has your favorite spot.

The temperature at the resort was 24°F and expected to get into single digits overnight, which resort operators say gives them high hopes for a lot of skiing business as we head toward the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend.