One of the most unique abandoned ski areas in the United States is Krakta Ridge. Located in the San Gabriel Mountains about an hour outside of Los Angeles, it helped shape California’s ski culture. While it’s been closed since 2001, it is still easily accessible for those who wants to visit its remains.
It was most known for its rare single chairlift. Two incidents to this chairlift: an avalanche that took out multiple chairs, and a fire that burned down the base terminal, led to the ski area’s ultimate closure.
The video down below covers the history of the lost ski area including the ownership era of the Hensley family, it’s renaming to Snowcrest, a car crash that changed the direction of the ski area, its relationship with the nearby Mt. Waterman, the closure of the ski area, and the topography of Krakta Ridge.
Image/Video Credits: Skier72, Skimap.org
