Mountain High Resort - Wrightwood

The restaurant has great accessibility for a quick visit before hitting the slopes. The staff is friendly, and the other guests are very trustworthy. I accidentally left my phone near guest services, but another guest turned it in to the lost and found. They do an excellent job of keeping the area well-maintained and clean!

I've been snowboarding here for over 10 years, and it remains my favorite spot each season. The trails are wide and roomy, consistently well-groomed. Every staff member I've interacted with has been polite and helpful. This is also where I began teaching my daughter, and she loves it just as much!

It was a smooth drive up from Los Angeles, and I was pleasantly surprised by the light crowds on a Saturday in April. The West Resort had good coverage on the slopes, with nearly all the runs open. Most of the terrain was groomed, resulting in some fantastic corn snow turns by midday! However, I did notice that the afternoon conditions can get quite sticky this time of year.

Once we got the kids set up, which was surprisingly easy thanks to the moving walkway, I had to transport my gear down the hill. The easiest part of the experience was obtaining our lift tickets; we had purchased them online and were able to print them at the kiosks using QR codes. I also want to commend the kids' instructor—she was excellent and they really enjoyed their time with her. The RFID system was a good concept, but the execution was inconsistent. Sometimes the lift gates opened smoothly, while other times it took several attempts or assistance for them to function properly. Additionally, the lift lines were a bit chaotic, as there were three RFID gates leading into two or three lines that merged into one for the lift, creating a bottleneck similar to a busy freeway intersection. The snow conditions were decent in the morning when the temperatures were low, but as the sun climbed higher, it got warmer and the snow became wetter. The chair lift operators were frequently shoveling snow to ensure everyone could get on and off the lifts safely. Despite the challenges, having a ski resort less than two hours away from Los Angeles and Orange County is a real privilege. Mountain High can get quite crowded, but once you’re on the mountain, it’s not too overwhelming. You have to appreciate it for what it is—a convenient ski destination close to home—accepting that you might sacrifice ideal snow conditions and expansive terrain for that convenience.

The facility itself has a restaurant, a bar, free Wi-Fi, a shop for ski and snowboard essentials, restrooms, and plenty of parking as well as benches. When we visited on a weekend in April, parking was complimentary. I highly recommend this spot for anyone who has never tried skiing or snowboarding before. Every staff member we encountered was friendly and helpful. Don't forget to stop by the information cabin to grab your free stickers and air freshener!