Featured image credit: Mountain High
Fighting fire with fire sounds great in the climax of a movie script. But in practice? Not such a hot idea. Just ask any of the countless firefighters battling blazes around Southern California as the 2024 wildfire season begins with a bang. Homes have already been lost; acres of precious forest have been charred to a crisp. And, for one night, it seemed that the cherished Mountain High Resort, a ski refuge for Angelenos, was one of the casualties. And while tragedy continues to burn bright at the heart of area wildfires, the story of Mountain High gives us an exceedingly rare happy ending. Because they didn’t choose to fight fire with fire. They opted for snow cannons.
An Unsettling Introduction to 2024’s Wildfire Season
A little good news goes a long way in Southern California’s wildfire season. And this year’s is shaping up to be brutal with several notable blazes in the Greater Los Angeles area including:
- The Airport Fire (Orange and Riverside Counties)
- The Line Fire (San Bernardino County)
- The Bridge Fire (Angeles National Forest)
The wildfire we now know as the Bridge Fire was first identified on the evening of Sunday, September 8 near Glendora Mountain Road. It wasn’t exactly a surprise. At this time of year, wildfires are depressingly common. Much of the Greater Los Angeles area was in the midst of a triple-digit heatwave at the time. The arid heat set the stage perfectly for a trademark introduction to the 2024 wildfire season. And the fire’s location in the Angeles National Forest added a deeper level of concern.
LA’s Take on a Ski Lodge
By Tuesday evening, the Bridge Fire had expanded to the northeast, reaching LA’s mountain communities about 80 miles north of Downtown LA. One of those communities was Wrightwood, home of the Mountain High Resort. Mountain High, situated along Highway 2, actually encompasses three separate ski resort areas stationed on their own mountains to the east, west, and north.
Skiers and snowboarders flock to the resort in the colder months to take advantage of a wintry nearby retreat. The Mountain High Resort also offers an ice skating rink and a children’s area for sledding and intertubing. It’s easy to understand why so many people adore the resort. And why Tuesday night was devastating for many of them.
The Premature Mourning of the Mountain High Resort
“Mountain High just burned down.”
The Reddit post emblazoned with this title shot to the top of the Los Angeles Subreddit as patrons of Mountain High checked in to mourn the sacred ski sanctuary. They weren’t just taking the word of the original poster. The post linked to live webcam footage that showed the ski lift of the beloved Mountain High Resort seemingly engulfed in flames so blisteringly hot that they were emitting a ghostly purple light.
The blaze radiated that horrible violet glow from computer screens across Los Angeles until all went dark. Throughout the evening, Angelenos shared beloved memories against an imagined backdrop of the Mountain High Resort in a bittersweet eulogy soaked with nostalgia. It was a community collectively trying to come to terms with the senseless loss of one of life’s purest treasures.
The Battle of Mountain High
But a different story was unfolding behind the scenes. Staff members of the Mountain High Resort looked into the oncoming blaze and saw an opportunity to fight. And armed with their trusty snow cannons, they took it. Snow cannons are typically employed as a means of creating snow in cold, yet dry conditions. By blasting aerated water into the air in chilly weather, the falling water becomes man-made snow. Straddling the line between crazy and ingenious, the staff of Mountain High joined firefighters and began to rocket the aerated water into the scorching assault. It was a desperate plan. Yet, when the ash and water droplets settled, Mountain High was still standing.
It wasn’t until the sun rose over Wrightwood on Wednesday morning that the fate of the Mountain High Resort became clear. Perhaps aware that Mountain High patrons were already mourning the resort, Mountain High issued the following statement:
“Fire raced through the area yesterday, but all the main lifts and buildings survived with little to no damage. Thank you to all the employees and fire fighters for their hard work. Our hearts go out to the Wrightwood families that may be suffering. We are with you!”
The Bridge Fire Burns On
Sadly, several Wrightwood homes fell to the Bridge Fire as it continued to rage onward. Over that Tuesday evening, it grew 10 times in size from 4,000 acres to just short of 48,000 acres. At the time of writing, fire fighters and emergency responders continue to battle the Bridge Fire along with other blazes across Southern California. It’s even made it to portions of Mt. Baldy.
It seems that 2024’s wildfire season will be an unfortunately memorable one. Back at Mountain High Resort, it remains unclear whether ski season will begin in November as usual. But even if the season is delayed, Angelenos can rest assured that more good times at Mountain High are just over the horizon.
