It is still snowing fairly heavily at the moment.  The snow has been falling since Monday and the storm is supposed to be pretty intense tonight through tomorrow.  I was pleasantly surprised to find Chair 22 running at 8:30 this morning and hardly a soul around.  The skiing was unbelievably good, deep snow and very quiet.  I will try to update with some pictures later in the week.  Things are definitely looking pretty good around here.

It started snowing in town early this morning.  Throughout the day it has picked up and we have about six inches in the Footloose parking lot.  It is absolutely beautiful when the snow is falling straight down.  Things should be pretty wet all week and we will keep you posted with the storm accumulations throughout the week.

MLK storm

Another beautiful day in Mammoth Lakes, and the mountain is now open for sliding the planks.  9 AM start out of the locker room, straight to the slopes.  The snow that we received, almost a month ago now, its still holding well mid-mountain and above.  With the hard working snow-farmers creating access to the lower hill.  The mountain is in very good shape on the main runs, and the top is open!  The mountain is running chair 1,3 and gondola’s 1and 2.  The snow is hard-pack but very fun and fast.  If you are an enthusiast and love the snow, in need of a sliding fix.  The skiing is really good and fun for early November.

Well, it has been snowing all day and has gotten colder as the day has progressed.  Rumor is the mountain will open this week, but we will keep you posted.  There is about 6 inches of wet snow in our parking lot.  Hopefully it will continue through tomorrow.  Here are a couple of photos from 4:30 p.m. today.  Scrape off the storage wax it’s time to make some turns.

The storm has subsided up here in Mammoth leaving some of the deepest snow I have skied in the last couple of years.  Tuesday and Wednesday were knee to hip deep in places allowing for lots of choking face shots.  There wasn’t a lot of steep terrain open other than Lincoln Mountain on Tuesday morning forcing  a lot of skiers and snowboarders to make fewer turns in order to keep enough speed to keep moving.  Chair 22 opened around 9:30 a.m. though and that was the place to be.  It was definitely one of the best mornings of the year.  I’m glad my boss allows me to have a flexible schedule so I can enjoy the fresh snow.  The top of the mountain opened Wednesday around noon.  Wednesday was a bluebird day which allowed the snow to settle and stabilize on the mountain.  Wasn’t able to enjoy the frenzy as the top opened, but I did go out this morning to get some of the leftovers.  Fresh tracks or not, I love skiing cut up crud as well.  Myself and Van, one of our long time bootfitters, were able to find some fresh tracks this morning and had a great time before work.  I have attached a few pictures of Van skiing off of the Hemlocks this morning.  The snow has settled a little and isn’t as deep as earlier in the week, but the quality is excellent.  Enjoy the pictures and we hope to see you in Mammoth soon.

Greg

P.S. We are expecting another storm Saturday night into Tuesday.  Bring it on.  I’m not quite sick of skiing powder yet.

Well we finally just had the first real storm of ‘09.  It started raining in town on Thursday and continued to rain/snow throughout the weekend and into Monday.  Temperatures were pretty warm to start but continued to get colder day by day.  Classic sierra cement.  This was the type of storm we are more likely to get in November instead of January.  The good thing is it got cold Saturday night and the wind started to work its magic.  Sunday it snowed and blowed all day and the snow started to dry out and become lighter.  Monday was partially cloudy with a few snow flurries, but conditions were clear enough to get the whole mountain open by the early afternoon.  If you weren’t here, you really missed a couple of epic powder days.  Good news is this type of storm really sets us up for the next couple of months.  Coverage is excellent and the heavy snow has covered up the majority of remaining early season obstacles.  I believe the snow totals over the weekend are around 4+ feet.  Come on up if you have the chance.  Conditions don’t get much better than right now.  I will try to post some pics later in the week.

Good news.  After 2 feet of wind over the weekend this storm is finally settling in and giving us some measurable amount of snow.  We got about 18 inches of snow on the mountain over the weekend but with the high winds the conditions were variable with scoured spots and some good stashes.  The winds calmed down Sunday night and the snow started falling more heavily around midnight.  This morning at 8 a.m. there was a foot of incredibly light snow in my driveway in the ghetto.  In the last 3 hours we have gotten at least another 6-10 inches in the Footloose parking lot.  Perfect timing for getting the rest of the mountain open.  The holidays are around the corner and it’s looking like it’s going to be a great time to spend with family and friends in Mammoth.  Overall, the weather forecasters are expecting around 40+ inches from this storm with continued instability throughout the week.  We will try to keep you updated on weather and snow conditions further on in the week.

If you haven’t read any of the recent blogs, winter is here.  We got more snow Saturday night throughout Sunday.  For those of you who were here over the weekend and weren’t able to ski the top on Sunday I have a few pictures from Monday morning.  For those of you who called in sick on Monday and you know who you are, you picked a great day to play hookey. 

I heard a few people talking on the gondola and there coughs or sickness sure didn’t seem to bad to me.  Either way, good call.  The skiing has been incredible for November.  No lift lines and unlimited good lines to ski off the top if that’s what you are into.  By the way, chair 2 opened today.  I don’t like getting my hopes up for good snow this early in the year, but I haven’t been able to wipe that stupid grin off of my face for a week now. You gotta love skiing.

I skied the last four days on the mountain and have to say the conditions are unreal.  The wind has been blowing and the snow is as good as Mammoth has to offer.  Utah might be known for its light powder, but no place can beat Mammoth when it comes to windblown.  I woke up Thursday morning to a bluebird day with no wind and morning temperatures in the 20’s.  The snow had held up great from the little bit of snow we got the weekend before.  No wind but great variable snow conditions up top and no one on the mountain.  Friday through Sunday the wind kept picking up and the snow just kept getting softer and smoother.  If you like skiing fast, smooth steeps now is the time to be in Mammoth.  On Lincoln mountain the Avy Chutes have been holding up great and with only a few weeks left until Little Eagle and Canyon Lodge close, get it while you can.  The lower mountain still had decent coverage but with warmer temperatures the snow at the base areas has been getting pretty slushy.  We are expecting cooler temperatures and the potential for snow flurries during this week and then an above average temps for this coming weekend.  Enjoy the great snow while it’s here.  Before you know it, it will be bike season.   See you on the hill.     

Lots of cold temperatures coming our way for the holiday weekend! Dress warmly on the hill and around town – although we are not expecting any precipice, we will still feel the cold air. Snow conditions are great right now – both on Mammoth and June ( if it feels too crowded this weekend June is always a great option) Also tune into Channel 72 and catch some of the great skiing and snowboarding footage from this weeks Freeride World Tour on the mountain. and mark your calendar for the finals next week on McGee mountain. The plan is to run helicopters to the top and drop off the remaining qualifiers – We plan to be there with our lawn chairs and binoculars.