After two days of Squaw, it was time to choose a new venue, one where it has not rained (as much). So today, we made a one day rally to Mammoth Mountain. There we found where winter has been hiding.
Coverage at Mammoth is phenomenal for Thanksgiving weekend. The ski report says 26-36 inches. Those numbers are conservative, in each direction. Lower runs near Chair 4 had much less snow while wind loaded areas on the upper mountain are deeper. More importantly, Mammoth was able to run 12 chairs today, plus the lower and upper Gondola. So even though crowds were huge and parking was challenging – it was easy to find uncrowded slopes, simply by avoiding runs near chairs 1, 2 and 3.
Conditions at Mammoth were reported as spectacular, up until Wednesday, where it rained up to the McCoy Station (the gondola mid-station). That left a thin crust layer over the snow, which has been broken up quickly by this weeks crowds. So while there were a few areas showing a glazed crust, most of the mountain offered up nice winter-like snow. Over the last few weeks, this snow has now settle and consolidated into a nice base that allows off piste travel without fear of hitting submerged obstacles. Sure there were still a few rocks poking up here and there, but they were easy to avoid.
Today’s picks at Mammoth were Dave’s Run, Chair 5 Chairline, and Monument. Each of these areas offered smooth chalky snow and continuous refills of wind blown snow to keep things soft. If you have never been to Mammoth – it’s a good time to check it out.
