Kratka Ridge

Kratka Ridge or Snowcrest is a skiable area on Waterman Mountain in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California. Located 36 miles northeast of La Cañada and Pasadena along the Angeles Crest Highway, it reaches a height of 7515 feet (2,291 m).

The area featured two chair lifts and a rope tow, had a total of 13 runs with a vertical drop of approximately 750 feet (230 m).

Trail difficulty can be rated as 30% beginner, 30% intermediate, and 40% advanced.

The resort is located 4.2 miles (6.8 km) west of Angeles Crest Highway mile marker 52.6, about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east of Mount Waterman ski area, and about 2.7 miles east of the two tunnels.

History

The area was developed in 1950 by the Joe Diener and the Angeles Winter Development Association, a group of Mount San Gorgonio ski club members. In 1954, the first chairlift at Kratka Ridge was constructed. Its single chair was believed to be one of the last of its kind in operation as of 2001 besides the single chair at Mad River Glen.

The area was later owned by John and Jacqueline Steely.

Kratka Ridge changed its name to Snowcrest, then back to Kratka Ridge. After the switch back to the original name, "Kratka" referred to the skiing and snowboarding terrain from the base to the summit, while "Snowcrest" referred to the snowplay/tubing area at the base.

On August 29, 1999 5 teenagers crashed a Toyota Camry off Angeles Crest Highway (mile marker 68) when driving home from a Jujubeats "rave" party held at the then-named Snowcrest Resort. The families of the teens took legal actions to sue the venue owners however the disputes were settled outside of court. This event may have contributed to a bad image of "Snowcrest" thus prompting the owners to change the name back to Kratka Ridge.

The ski area was open through the 2000-2001 ski season. The single chair lift was damaged by avalanche during a large storm during February 11-13, 2001, which left approximately 7 feet of snow. In December 2001, a mysterious fire destroyed the chairlift base area (http://www.skisocal.org/snowcrest_fire) and the resort has been closed since the 2001-2002 season. The parent owner of the resort, Angeles Crest Resorts, collected insurance on both events but did not begin reconstruction. The ski area's closure may have been related to the fire or other economic reasons.

The permit for Kratka Ridge has been completely revoked, either the current owners must sell or the resort will be torn down. Another local resort, Mountain High has shown interest in buying the lift structures, probably for its new North Resort.

On March 12, 2006, the Pasadena Star reported that Lynn Newcomb and Rick Metcalf, a Southern California businessman, are looking to purchase Mt. Waterman from the existing owners.

The former manager for Mount Waterman under Lynn Newcomb has reported that Lynn Newcomb and Rick Metcalf have purchased the resort and plan to have it open by the 2006-2007 winter season. As of October 18, 2006, reconstruction of the chairlift base area has been heavily under way. Plans for the area are not certain, however, as many speculate it to be a play area while neighboring Mt. Waterman will host ski lifts.

External links

* [http://www.gieszl.com/snow/mtwaterman/ Kratka Ridge and Mt. Waterman] article about the two lost ski areas of Southern California.
* [http://www.gieszl.com/snow/mtwaterman/kratkaridge-ski-area-map.html Kratka Ridge Trail Map] 2000-2001 season
* http://www.skisocal.org/sg/kratka/
* http://angeles.sierraclub.org/hps/signatures/14k.htm
* http://www.pacificrimalliance.org/F.PublicAffairs/SkiHistory/historySoCal.html