“Unbelievable…” was the thought going through my head as I hopped on my first chair of the day. Why? Let’s see… The last time Mammoth had measureable precipitation was November 20th – nearly a month ago! And here’s the unbelievable part: when surveying some parts of the mountain you wouldn’t have the slightest clue. I knew that Mammoth had its certified snowmaking badge, but I didn’t know that they were this good. Little Eagle and Canyon opened for the first time today, perhaps nearly doubling an already impressive amount of skiable terrain. And we’re not talking some sketchy white ribbons of death: the latest trails to open are legit, blanketing runs wall to wall, top to bottom. Granted, it’s man-made snow (there’s really no way around that), but I’m not taking it for granted because it sure has been a whole lotta fun.
THE CONDITIONS
The PROS:
- Skiable terrain has nearly doubled w/ the opening of two more base areas.
- Two new access points to the Mountain (Canyon and Little Eagle); no need to drive all the way up to Chair 2 Lot or Main.
- With the opening of Canyon and Little Eagle that means 4 more lifts are now in operation (that does not include the Village Gondi, which now too is spinning).
- Swell off of Chair 8 and Downhill from Chair 16 are now open – both make for some great cruising.
- Temps are still cold which translates to better snow and more confident morning turns.
- Random whales (mounds of man-made snow) are scattered about the Mountain; they’re fun to get creative on.
The CONS:
- It’s man-made snow – not much can be done about that.
- It doesn’t take too long for the morning cords to get buffed out. Yet, even though my edges aren’t that sharp (I haven’t been big on tuning edges since my racing days) the loosened pockets of mid-late day soft snow are a good time.
- The parts of the mountain w/o snowmaking… they’re feeling neglected.
- Still not sure when Mother-Nature is gonna dish some “you-know-what” our way.
PARK REPORT:
- The Park is holding strong with enough features to keep the faithful well entertained.
- Don’t miss Sean Logan in the video posted above.
- Nothing new added to Main and Forest Trail Terrain Parks in the past 48 hours.
- I think Park Crew is currently focussing efforts on South Park and/or an Art park… we’ll see soon.
The STATS:
- New Snow: Nope, but we might get a dusting today (Thurs.).
- Base: 1′-2′
- Weather: Hoping for a couple inches this Thurs. Cold temps now, yet it looks as though they may trend up slightly.
- Conditions: Man-made, groomed daily.
- Lifts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, Panorama Gondi (top and bottom), Village Gondi.
- Runs: Sesame Street, East and West | St. Moritz | Broadway | Mambo | Silver Tip |Stump Alley | Powder Bowl | Ralphies | Saddle Bowl | Andy’s Double Gold | Cornice Bowl| Fascination | Wall | Easy Rider | Rollercoaster | Swell | Pumpkin | Bridges | Downhill/Cloverleaf | Chickadee | Holiday | School Yard
Bottom line: what we have is impressively good and it’s impressive how much of it there is.
NOTE: It’s looking good for having the new Chair 5 running and the Face of 3 open by the week-end.