A winter storm that blew into Inland Southern California to start the weekend vanished as quickly as it arrived, leaving residents with pleasant temperatures and a ring of snowcapped mountains Sunday.

High temperatures in Riverside on Sunday were about 5 degrees higher than the day before when what was billed as possibly the coldest storm in a decade whipped through with wind, rain and snow levels that dropped to about 2,500 feet.

Riverside reached 54 degrees Saturday, 15 degrees cooler than the mean high temperature for Feb. 26.

Big winners in the storm were Southern California ski resorts, which have suffered through an erratic season. The twin resorts of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in Big Bear received about 30 inches of snow this weekend, as did Mt. Baldy. Mountain High in Wrightwood got about 26 inches.

"It's been a roller coaster this year," said Chris Riddle, director of marketing at Big Bear Mountain Resorts. "It started out great in November, then we had all the rain in December and the heat in January. Now we're back to where it should be, with excellent winter conditions."

It didn't take long to get the word out to skiers, snowboarders and others seeking winter play opportunities.

By 9:30 a.m. Sunday, a 10-mile line of cars stretched from Big Pines across Highway 2 from the Mountain High West Resort, through the town of Wrightwood and onto Highway 138. Every nook and cranny along Highway 2 big enough to fit a car was filled with mountain visitors looking to ride a sled or throw a snowball.

Chain controls remained in effect for several stretches of mountain roads Sunday morning and may remain a good idea for the morning hours all this week, as overnight temperatures in the higher elevations are forecast to dip well below freezing.

Daytime temperatures, meanwhile, should stay consistently pleasant through the rest of the week in the Inland valleys, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego. Highs are forecast to reach the mid 60s through Thursday, with overnight lows in the mid 40s for the Riverside area.

Daytime temperatures are also forecast to reach the 60s in Temecula and Hemet, with overnight lows forecast to stay around 40. In the low desert, daytime temperatures could brush 70 degrees later this week, with overnight lows in the upper 40s.

The only possible meteorological glitch for the week, according to forecasters, is the chance of partly cloudy skies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Other than a power outage that affected about 5,000 residents in the Crestline and Lake Arrowhead area, no significant problems from the storm were reported.

About 1,900 customers remained without power in those San Bernardino Mountains communities Sunday afternoon, with no time estimate on restoration, said Lauren Bartlett, a spokeswoman for Southern California Edison.

The cause of the outage has not been determined.

Russ Barrett of Newell Nursery in Yucaipa said the business prepared for the cold Saturday by bundling plants and placing them under eaves and other cover. Sleet and snow fell on the nursery about 3 p.m. Saturday, he said, but quickly melted causing no damage to the nursery's stock.

Despite talk of bone-chilling cold borne by the storm, only one temperature record was broken Saturday. That was at Lake Arrowhead, which reached a daytime high of 26 degrees, besting the old record of 27 degrees set on the same date in 1962, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm dropped 2.43 inches of rain in Devore, 0.95 in Riverside, 1.85 in Temecula and 1.74 inches in Beaumont, according to the Weather Service. Idyllwild got 13 inches of snow, while Pine Cove recorded just under 2 feet.

Reach David Keck at dkeck@PE.com or 951-368-9465.
source: www.pe.com

As we head into March, it's a great time to book a ski vacation. It's still snowing across the country and spring skiing deals are plentiful. You'll find discounted lodging, ski lessons, and on and off the slope activities for the entire family.

Not sure where to go to get the most out of the rest of ski season? Looking for a great ski vacation destination?

Here are the top ski resorts including profiles, ski resort information, skiing photos, and reviews of skiing at the top ski resorts, including destination ski resorts, family ski resorts, and international ski areas.
source: skiing.about.com

February 28, 2011 - An eight-year-old boy was flown to a Calgary hospital by STARS air ambulance after he fell from a lift at the Nakiska Ski Resort on Sunday.

Three children and an adult were riding on the lift when the incident happened, said Matt Mosteller, of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which operates Nakiska Ski Resort.

The safety bar was securely in place when the incident happened soon after the load, Mosteller said.

The child's goggles initially got caught, leaving him suspended before falling about nine metres to the ground below, said Mosteller.

Emergency crews were called to the scene and the decision was made to fly him to hospital via air ambulance for "precautionary reasons," Mosteller said.

A spokesman for Foothills ambulance said an eight-year-old boy was flown by air ambulance to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary.

Mosteller said appropriate safety features were in place. It's important for children to learn how to properly load the lift, he noted.

"The big deal is making sure they maintain that proper position with their bum and back against the back seat," Mosteller said.

These types of falls are "unfortunate but rare," said Mosteller.

source: www.calgaryherald.com

26 Feb. 2011 - Last weekend skiers were shot, an explosive device damaged a lift and a car bomb was defused. With the next Winter Olympics taking place in Sochi there are real concerns over security and much is being decided behind the scenes.

Last weekend's terrorist attacks have sent a shock wave through the country.

In a random attack in the North Caucasus region a mini-van was stopped and the people questioned. When they were found to be from outside the area and going skiing they were killed by automatic gunfire.

Two men and a woman died and two other people were seriously injured.

We reported on the attack last weekend and the other incidents too.

It is part of an Islamic insurgency in the area.

The suicide-bomb attack on Moscow airport last month that killed 36 people was carried out by the same rebels.

The ski resorts and tourist authorities claim the situation is under control but skiers are reported to be cancelling their ski trips following the attacks.

Pictures of the bullet-riddled car have been shown across national television and it has been widely reported in the media.

There has been a huge increase in security in the ski areas with a high-visibility strategy.

The attacks comes as the Russian government seeks to build more ski areas in an ambitious $15b development plan.

We have already reported on it here on PlanetSKI.

With massive development going on in the nearby region of Sochi, as it prepares for the 2014 Winter Olympics, the BBC has reported on the building projects and the security fears.
source: www.planetski.eu