SKIING / CHRIS DUFRESNE : A Few Ways to Beat the Holiday Crunch

The week after Christmas is to skiing what the day after Thanksgiving is to shopping.

On your marks, get set . . . snow.

Who can deny the joys of brake lights, lift lines, boot blisters and Ben-Gay?

Is there any way around the madness between Christmas and New Year’s Day, traditionally the busiest week of the skiing season?

Pam Murphy of Mammoth Mountain says, well, sort of.

In the Sierra, Mammoth awaits us. Southern California is the fuel that drives the resort as skiers take to the high country to make post-Christmas fashion statements.

Murphy says more than 90% of the business at Mammoth next week will come from Southern California. It doesn’t take a genius to guess how many cars that means on U.S. 395.

Murphy, a Mammoth spokeswoman, maintains that there are ways to make it there and back in one piece.

She has suggestions:

--Always carry chains. Here’s how it works if you don’t: The closer you get to the mountain, the more expensive they get. Ignore reports of balmy weather. It’s no joke that we recruit L.A. weathermen from comedy clubs. “If you buy chains along the way, you’ll pay two to three times for them,” Murphy says.

--Ski early and avoid the crush. Post-Christmas skiers tend to be vacationers, more apt to sleep in late. Murphy: “I recommend arriving a little earlier. Get up when the first lift opens at 8 a.m., and make a few runs on the lower mountain, prior to everyone getting up. Also, take an early lunch and go back out around noon. It’s almost empty at that time.”

--Buy multiple-day lift tickets. Until three years ago, this option was not available at Mammoth. Now, it beats wasting time in a ticket line each day.

--Use satellite chairlifts away from the resort center. “Once you get on the hill, the crowds disperse comfortably,” Murphy says. “We’ve had few complaints about the lines.”

Murphy says that 90% of the terrain will be open next week, with 29 of 30 lifts operating.

Remember, too, no matter how crowded it gets: A ski pole is not a weapon.

Local resorts are also bracing for the annual holiday crush.

Anne Horton of Bear Mountain at Big Bear Lake says that, inevitably, holiday skiers forget to dress for the occasion. “Come prepared, dressed for the weather, even if it’s nice down there,” she says. “Bring goggles and hats. Get here early to avoid the crowds.”

Horton says getting a parking spot at Bear Mountain is imperative in that it guarantees you a lift ticket--another reason to get there early.

To accommodate the crowds, Bear Mountain will open at 7:30 a.m. all week.

A snapshot of the California ski scene:

SNOW SUMMIT--The Big Bear area has all 11 lifts operating on machine-groomed packed powder and will be open for night skiing throughout the holidays. Reserved tickets are recommended and can be obtained by calling (909) 866-5841.

SNOW VALLEY--It’s operating eight chairs for 18 trails on an 18- to 36-inch base of machine-groomed hardpack.

MOUNTAIN HIGH--The Wrightwood area reports a two-foot man-made base and up to six chairs in operation daily.

MT. BALDY--The Nos. 1 and 2 chairs are open, but the area is serving mainly beginners. It reports an 18-inch base, is making snow nightly, as weather permits, and hopes to open an intermediate run soon.

BIG AIR GREEN VALLEY--The snowboard-only park in the San Bernardino Mountains opened Monday with a 12-inch base. It has a double chairlift operating, and the ticket price is $20.

MT. WATERMAN/KRATKA RIDGE--Both areas in the San Gabriel Mountains have snow, but not enough to open. The snow report at Kratka called predictions of a big storm last weekend “another big fake-out.”

Lynn Newcomb, owner of Mt. Waterman, says there’s still time to catch some of the post-Christmas rush. “This week is not the big one, what with people out shopping and everything,” he says. “But next week is.”

As for forecasts of snow, Newcomb noted: “We don’t see a damn thing.”

In Central California, Badger Pass at Yosemite reports 30 inches of packed powder with all lifts operating.

At Lake Tahoe, as of midweek, Heavenly had 13 lifts open on the California side, six in Nevada, with a base of 20 to 55 inches of machine-groomed snow and some hard spots. Heavenly hopes to open more trails for the holidays.

Skiing Notes

The first U.S. national snowboarding team will compete in the World Junior Snowboarding Championships at Rogia, Slovenia, Jan. 2-6. The team is composed of 16 members from 11 states, with Jonathan Siple of Newport Beach the only Southland member. It is coached by Lee Rogers, director of snowboading at Snow Summit.

World Cup circuit: It has been a tough start for five-time overall champion Marc Giradelli of Luxembourg, who can’t seem to catch a break. He was celebrating what seemed to be a sure downhill victory at Val Gardena, Italy, on Dec. 17 when the wind suddenly calmed and made the course faster, allowing Markus Foser of Lichtenstein to win the race from the 66th start position. The runner-up was Austrian Werner Franz, who started 52nd. . . . American Monique Pelletier, her confidence boasted by two top-20 finishes, placed a career-best fifth in a Dec. 19 slalom at St. Anton, Austria. Another encouraging sign was the 13th place by Julie Parisien, her best result of the season. “Julie’s back on track and moving closer to being a contender,” U.S. Alpine Coach Paul Major said after the race.