Mount Waterman Ski Resort

At Mt. Waterman ski and snowboard park, the vintage two-seater chairlifts are a bit on the rickety side, and equipment pokes through the snow near a huddle of no-frills buildings and plastic picnic tables scattered halfway up the slope. With none of the chaotic cacophony of larger resorts, the isolation is punctuated only by the soft swish of skis, the occasional darting flash of a boarder through the trees, the snow melting into the sky. And that's how the regulars like it.

At Mt. Waterman ski and snowboard park, the vintage two-seater chairlifts are a bit on the rickety side, and equipment pokes through the snow near a huddle of no-frills buildings and plastic picnic tables scattered halfway up the slope. With none of the chaotic cacophony of larger resorts, the isolation is punctuated only by the soft swish of skis, the occasional darting flash of a boarder through the trees, the snow melting into the sky. And that's how the regulars like it.

Even for Southern California it would make an unusual real estate ad: "Fixer-upper on large lot w/fab views from chairlift. Must see--esp. in summer, when 16 ft. of snow has melted. A bargain at $1 million." And did we mention historic? The Mt. Waterman Ski Resort in the Angeles National Forest is on the block after five decades of operation by the pioneer Newcomb family that settled the rugged mountain area more than a century ago.

The new owners of the Mt. Waterman and Kratka Ridge ski areas say they're close to completing the first phase of snow-making systems that will enable them to greatly increase their operating days. A snow-making system could be operating as early as March 11 on a portion of Kratka Ridge that will be set aside for snow play, as well as a beginner area for skiing and snowboarding, said Barry Stubblefield, president and chief executive of La Canada Flintridge-based Mt.

After half a century wrangling with snowdrifts and ski bums, 79-year-old Lynn Newcomb is winding down his days on Mt. Waterman, the ski area he helped build in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada Flintridge. The resort, with vintage ski lifts and no snow-making equipment, was open just five days last winter for lack of snow. Newcomb says he is planning to sell the works to Torrance-based BRGS Inc., a partnership that lists snow-making equipment as its top priority.

The new owners of the Mt. Waterman and Kratka Ridge ski areas say they're close to completing the first phase of snow-making systems that will enable them to greatly increase their operating days. A snow-making system could be operating as early as March 11 on a portion of Kratka Ridge that will be set aside for snow play, as well as a beginner area for skiing and snowboarding, said Barry Stubblefield, president and chief executive of La Canada Flintridge-based Mt.

After half a century wrangling with snowdrifts and ski bums, 79-year-old Lynn Newcomb is winding down his days on Mt. Waterman, the ski area he helped build in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada Flintridge. The resort, with vintage ski lifts and no snow-making equipment, was open just five days last winter for lack of snow. Newcomb says he is planning to sell the works to Torrance-based BRGS Inc., a partnership that lists snow-making equipment as its top priority.

Even for Southern California it would make an unusual real estate ad: "Fixer-upper on large lot w/fab views from chairlift. Must see--esp. in summer, when 16 ft. of snow has melted. A bargain at $1 million." And did we mention historic? The Mt. Waterman Ski Resort in the Angeles National Forest is on the block after five decades of operation by the pioneer Newcomb family that settled the rugged mountain area more than a century ago.