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 west of the two tunnels. It lies in the Pearblossom, California postal zip code (93553).

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, prompting the owners to change the name back to Kratka Ridge.

...
Wikipedia