MAMMOTH CONDITIONS REPORT | Right now, at Mammoth, you can have it all… Considering temps were well into the 50s the past two days I held expectations in check as I headed to the hill this morning. One question looming in mind: was the top going to be soft or had the sun and high temps taken their toll on the snow?
To say the least I was surprised to find soft snow up high and better yet a West wind was starting to work its wind-buff magic. As well, even having missed out on today’s fresh cords, I can say that the on-piste conditions were most agreeable.
Higher temps have certainly impacted the lower mountain… 1) Tree runs below 9,000’ would not be my first choice. 2) Runs around Canyon Lodge have awesome spring corn from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. All this left me thinking, “wow, why was I skeptical?” Right now we have beautiful weather, mid-winter wind buff and perfect spring corn… we’ve got it all.
THE CONDITIONS
The PROS:
- Blue skies and very comfortable temps.
- Snow up top is wintery and dry. And, with a West wind growing stronger and stronger through the day, the wind-buff just kept getting better.
- Even lower elevation, North facing runs, such as the Avi Chutes, presented a mid-winter quality snow.
- Lower mountain runs receiving a healthy dose of sunlight had awesome mid-day spring corn – Downhill run was sooo nice around 12:30pm today.
- Week-end crowds have retreated (not that they were that bad), meaning you have plenty of breathing room and zero lift-line wait.
The CONS:
- Hard to think of Cons right now…
- Tree runs are less than desirable.
- I didn’t test the runs on the backside; they had a bit of a “sheen” to them (had a look as we took Roadrunner to Scotty’s). If anyone has beta on the backside, please share.
- Ridges are still scoured. Even to get to the lower Avi Chutes from the top of Chair 10 we decided it best to take off our skis for a few feet of the traverse.
PARK REPORT:
- Grand Prix is over (which was an awesome spectacle, by-the-way) and the same Slopestyle Course and Superpipe that the Pros competed on are now open to the public – both are amazing!
- Wonderland Park and Pipe is great for beginners.
- South Park has been getting rave reviews.
The STATS:
- New Snow: Not since last Friday.
- Base: approx. 5’.
- Weather: Temps reached into the 50s today yet a light West breeze kept it cool. Stay tuned for reports on potential snow for tomorrow.
- Conditions: Packed powder, machine groomed, spring corn, little bit of glacier….
- Lifts: All lifts except for Chair 20.
- Runs: Once again, the entire mountain is open, with the exception of some of the gnarliest terrain, i.e. Hangman’s Hollow, Top of the World, Huevos Grande and MJB’s. I still say Hangman’s is ready.
Bottom line: Flat out awesome!