09/25/2026
Mt. Waterman Ski Area was a small ski spot in the San Gabriel Mountains, about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles along Angeles Crest Highway, that I used to ski from time to time. It’s one of the oldest ski areas in Southern California, originally developed in the late 1930s and opening to the public in 1939.
Unlike the larger ski resorts, Mt. Waterman had no snowmaking and no overnight lodging. It was entirely dependent on natural snowfall. This gave it a more simple feel, much like skiing in the early days. The terrain is a mix of intermediate and advanced runs, with a focus on tree skiing and ungroomed slopes. There are three chairlifts and about 27 named runs, plus some hike-to terrain.
The biggest challenge for Mt. Waterman over the recent years was reliability. Southern California's variable snowfall, combined with wildfire damage, road closures on the Angeles Crest Highway, and aging infrastructure, has meant long periods when the area couldn't operate. For many years, whether Waterman would open each winter depended as much on weather and access as on the ski area itself.
