Mammoth Mountain Snow Report

Snow Conditions: Here is what to expect for this last week of skiing and riding on Mammoth Mountain. The snow starts out firm on the groomers at 7:30 AM, and crews are grooming and salting, so the snow sets up each night.

As I mentioned, Stump Alley gets soft quickly, with Solitude off of chair five quickly following. By 9 AM on Sunday, all the groomers were soft, some of them too soft. Your best bet in the thicker corn is to go wider on your ski selection and leave the thin groomer skies in the car after 8:30 AM.

You also need to ensure you’re waxing nightly and have had your bases textured at a local ski shop. Those steps will help you glide better without the spring bog you get when it gets this warm. If you can’t wax yourself take your gear to Fast Ski Sports and tell them The Snowman sent you in for a Free Hot Wax. 

Up Top, both Cornice Bowl and Scotties are groomed to spring perfection. Off the groomers up Top, you will find some fun spring corn adventure skiing and riding at this time. Climax, the Drops Out & Wipe Outs, and the Noids have all been great rides the last week, getting soft around 11 AM.

Local Choice for this week is laps on Stump from 7:30 to 8:00, then laps on Solitude, and then move onto the Cornice Bowl and Laps off the top. Once the race teams are done and they pull the gates, a run down St Anton is just about perfect in the corn snow.

Here is what’s running: lifts 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 23, and Gondolas 1 and 2. Chair 4 will run from Friday through Sunday. Lift Hours this week are from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Photo Snow Stoke: More fresh photos will be posted midweek. Photos from last week are from Snow Reporter Ryan Hurley.

I am getting many people asking, “Why is Mammoth Mountain Closing on Memorial Day? It seems a bit early with the base on the hill.”

It’s simple: The Ski Area has a Summer Task list of construction work that will prevent winter operations from continuing into June.

On the list for this Summer:

#1 The Chair 1 Replacement Project – While significant progress is being made at the bottom of Chair 1, construction crews need to clear the road from Main Lodge up to MC Coy Station ASAP for the project to be done in time for the start of the 2024-25 Winter Season. Clearing the Mc Coy Station road will shut off access for skiers and riders from Chair 2.

#2 Gondola Mid Chalet Bull Wheel Replacement – This project must start the day after Memorial Day so the Gondola can reopen for Summer Operations in Late June. During this time, the Lift Maintenance crew will remove the old stage 1 bull wheel at Mc Coy Station and replace it with a new one. Staff will also complete the Gondola’s yearly maintenance, which takes two weeks for each of the two stages.

#3 Chairs 3 and 6 are getting new drives and control systems. This project will reduce the frequent stops that have occurred over the last two seasons. Completing just these two projects will take 5-6 months.

#4 The Ski Area also has a backlog of maintenance that needs to be completed, which did not get done in 2023 due to the Mountain not having a summer season. Yes, there was no out there until mid-August last Summer.

With all that must be done, you can see why they will close on Memorial Day this year. No worries; it’s only six months out until the next scheduled opening day, Friday, November 9th, 2024.

What’s up, Off the Mountain?

The current snowline in the Eastern Sierra is about 8000-9000 feet. Below that elevation, all forest roads and trails are melted out and ready for hiking, mountain biking, and 4 x 4 adventures.

For the upcoming weekend, the Mammoth Lakes Basin will be open to vehicle traffic once again, and the marinas are all planning to open. There will be no camping yet, as there is still 2-3 feet of snow on the ground above the 8500-9000 foot level in spots.

Woolly’s Adventure Park is currently closed but expected to reopen over Memorial Day Weekend. The Roller Coaster will open for a Summer preview at that time. The Adventure Center at Main Lodge will also be open with the Rock Climb and the Ropes and Swings you’re all used to seeing.

Mountain Biking has now opened on all trails and forest service OHV roads below the 8000-foot level. Check out our detailed Eastern Sierra Mountain Biking website at this link.

Hiking Trails: A lot more hiking trails are opening up, with the snow quickly melting off. This week, I would try out the Sherwin Lakes Trail. It’s perfect weather, and this one melts out much quicker than trails in other locations.

If you want to get into the full Spring zone, there is much to do in the Bishop area. Fishing Season, The Disc Golf Course at Mill Pond, and the Bishop Golf Course are open. As the area warms up by mid-month, floating the Owens River will also be an option for some fun.

Fishing season is wide open, and some great catches are being had in local lakes. I saw an 8-lb fish come out of Convict last week. Crowley is overflowing, so beware. Shore camping and fishing are out in some areas once again this spring. From what I have heard, it’s been a great bite so far.

Camping Season has begun, and a limited number of campgrounds are now open for early-season campers. Beware, it’s still cold at night, with lows near freezing. Here is a link to the USFS Camping page.

The Mammoth Mountain Bike Park has no set opening date yet, but lower mountain trails should be accessible some time in late May / Early June. I would expect most of the Bike Park to open by the July 4th Holiday Week, when they reopen the Gondola for the Summer Season.

Click here for a complete list of activities in the area other than skiing and snowboarding on Mammoth Mountain.

Have a great day, Snowman Out….