MAMMOTH CONDITIONS REPORT | You have to give the people what they want… And, the people want the truth. Well, Mother Nature giveth and Mother Nature taketh. Last weekend she gave us winter (in a big way) and in the blink of an eye she hit us hard with spring.
One day (Monday) we’re skiing thigh deep blower pow, the next (Tuesday) we’re shedding layers and slarving up the glue. And Wednesday (today) we’re left scratching our heads.
Tuesday temps reached well into the 50s (perhaps the most dramatic one day temp shift all season) turning our fresh, new winter snow to mush, faster than the turning of a page on a calendar. Over night temps dropped and the snow froze, leaving us with some all around very firm conditions for Wednesday morning.
Yet, don’t be dismayed, there is still much great snow-riding to be had and there are some intriguing days ahead. So shed those layers and enjoy the sunny blue skies while we have it because something tells me there are a few puffs of winter left to go.
THE CONDITIONS
The PROS:
- Most of the groomed runs are fantastic. There are a few out there that are rock-solid though, i.e. Center Bowl and Andy’s Double Gold.
- Most of the lower mountain runs have just the right amount of spring softness to them.
- Some of the runs around Canyon, i.e. Roller Coaster, have great spring corn.
- Beautiful weather.
- It’s mid-week = chill vibe rules the hill.
- After last weekend’s storm coverage is at its peak. All upper ridges finally have a solid coat of snow; nearly all runs are accessible.
The CONS:
- I hate to say it… but, off-piste runs are less than desireable right now. Yesterday’s thaw took the “winter” right out of our new snow.
- The snow on South facing off-piste runs has some give yet I’d say it’s a bit too heavy and deep to make it worth the effort.
- I anticipate early to mid-morning conditions to be excessively firm. Give it an hour or two to soften and you should be pleased with what you find.
- It’s been warm enough that by late day the snow down by Juniper can get rather sticky. Mid-day (10-2) it is actually rather nice.
PARK REPORT:
- The parks are dialed and they are fun.
- Winds were light today which presents a great opportunity for stepping up to the big jumps in Main.
- Main Park has a slew of jibs in the upper-section and a new 45-50 footer smack dab in the mid-section.
- The Superpipe is about as good as it gets right now.
- South Park was closed to the public today for an Oakley Week event. There are a couple interesting new features in lower South that are worth a look.
- Forest Trail is looking good: usual 3 pack jump line and a nice variety of intermediate jibs in the lower section.
The STATS:
- New Snow: Not since Sunday night.
- Base: approx. 5-6’?
- Weather: Temps have been well into the 50s the past two days. Fortunately it would appear that temps have crested for now and will be gradually trending back down. And, yes, we are once again speculating as to what precip. we may see come Saturday.
- Conditions: FIRM, creamy, corny, mushy and a touch of glue. Yes, all this, all at the same time, all on the same mountain.
- Lifts: All lifts except for Chairs 20, 21 and 25.
- Runs: Almost all of the mountain is open. Monday Hangman’s was open for approx. 3 hours (they really didn’t need to close it again). Glad I skied it at least once this season.
Bottom line: Yes, the off-piste riding got funked… Yet, with sunny blue skies, great parks and 100s of acres of groomers, there’s plenty to be grateful for.