Mammoth Mountain Snow Report

Snow Conditions: The groomers out of the Main Lodge and the Mill are in great shape, with excellent coverage and full-on spring snow surface conditions. With the weather doing a significant warm-up this week, expect the snow out on the hill to corn up fast each morning. 

Overnight lows are expected in the upper 30s to low 40s, so no freeze/thaw cycle this week. 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.

Up Top, both Cornice Bowl and Scotties are groomed wide to spring perfection. These runs should start to soften by around 9 AM this week. You want to hit the groomers up Top quickly, as they tend to get a bit rough with the spring slush later in the day.

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 were all a blast on Sunday. These runs will only improve as it warms up this week; break out the fat skies and enjoy the steep corn.  🙂

Local Choice for this week is laps on Stump from 7:30 to 8:30, then laps on Saddle Bowl and Center Bowl off of 3. Once the race teams are done and they pull the gates, a run down St Anton is just about perfect in the corn snow. Next up, a ride to the Top via G2 is in order and then laps on 23 until the legs burn out.

Here is what’s running this into the weekend: 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.

Photos this week are from Snow Reporter Ryan Hurley.

Take Note: If you cannot wax your own gear, remember you can get a free hot wax at Fast Ski Sports in the Von’s Mall. To get the Free How Wax, just tell them, “The Mammoth Snowman sent me”.

Also, 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 7800 – 8000 feet. Below that elevation, all forest roads and trails are melted out and ready for hiking, mountain biking, and 4 x 4 adventures.

Of course, the Mammoth Lakes Basin is still under snow, but it’s melting fast and should be melted out by the end of May, at least up to the 9000-foot mark around Lake Mary. Plowing of the Lake Basin has also begun now with the goal of having the road open by Memorial Day Weekend.

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 Mountain plans to move all the Ropes and Climbing features at Main Lodge down to Wooly’s Adventure Park this Summer, so make a note of that so your kids can get in on the relocated fun.

Mountain Biking has now opened on all trails and forest service OHV roads below the 8000-foot level. Now is a great time to hit Lower Rock Creek Canyon, as all three sections are in great shape.

Mammoth Rock Trail’s lower sections and the area’s trail extensions are mostly melted out now. There is also some great riding down in the Buttermilk area, Poleta, and West Bishop Foothill areas. Check out our detailed Eastern Sierra Mountain Biking website at this link.

Hiking Trails are slow to open as the best routes are located in the high country. At this time, the Lower Rock Creek Canyon trail is perfect for a hike. The lower and middle sections of the Sherwin Lakes trail are also ready for hiking if you want something close to town.

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…