Local mountains got their first taste of winter Tuesday, Oct. 29, with a light dusting of snow that fell overnight as a cold system passed through the region.

Ski resorts posted photos of the welcome sight – and there could be even more blanketing the slopes by the weekend.

“It was just a dusting… it was an inch deep in some places,” said Mountain High CMO Chief Marketing Officer John McColly. “Not bad for October. We’ll take it.”

Big Bear Mountain Resort also posted images showing the white fluff falling from the sky and sprinkling the slopes. Snow also fell at Mammoth Mountain resort, where snow guns were blowing to prepare for its Nov. 15 opening day.

National Weather Service meteorologist Casey Oswant said a weather system from the Gulf of Alaska brought rainfall to lower elevations and snow to the mountain regions.

“It was quite cold and it was able to drop to freezing and below for some of the higher elevations in the mountains,” she said, adding it’s not unheard of for October to have a cold system or two pass through.

Heading into the weekend, there looks to be another low-pressure system coming through from Alaska that may bring more precipitation, Oswant said.

It’s too early to tell how strong the system will be, but there is a chance for rain and snow, she said.

That storm will likely be widespread across Southern California, and even the desert regions could get a measurable amount of snowfall, Oswant said.

Mountain High hopes to open by Nov. 15, McColly said, “if Mother Nature cooperates.”

“Fingers crossed.”

The resort this week will be testing its snow-making systems, not with the intent to open, but to run the systems, train employees and make sure the resort will be ready when it is time to open.

The resort still has some repairs to do following the Bridge Fire that scorched the area, with damage at the patrol shop and a maintenance shed, but mostly burn areas won’t be visible to the public, McColly said.

“When you’re skiing around, you may see some fire damage,” he said. “But when you’re at the base, we got really lucky with what burned and what didn’t.”

One small beginner chair, Discovery, was damaged and will not be open until next year, he said.

“It’s a loss, but not a huge loss,” McColly said. “But it will be back next year, it could have been so much worse.”

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