Southern California’s mountains sported a substantial coat of snow Tuesday after the region’s first significant storm of the winter.

Ski and snowboarding areas in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains reported as much as 24 inches (0.61 meter) of new snow from the vigorous storm that rolled through the region from late Sunday through Monday.

Getting to the snow was another matter, with chains required on winding, steep mountain roads.

Heavy snow stranded bumper to bumper traffic late into Monday night on the road up to Mount Baldy, the massive peak that rises to 10,066 feet (3,068 meters) in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.

Mount Baldy Resort said on its website that while all the snow was good news, about 90% of its employees got stuck in that jam.

The resort cautioned snow enthusiasts that a significant amount of avalanche control work would need to be done before any skiing, and even then, predicted winds could interfere with operations.

The road remained closed after dawn Tuesday and would-be skiers and boarders waited in a long line of cars hoping to get up to the slopes.