spring skiing snowboarding sunny blue sky
Patches of brown are starting to appear left and right yet there's still a whole lotta white.
spring skiing snowboarding sunny blue sky
Patches of brown are starting to appear left and right yet there's still a whole lotta white.

MAMMOTH CONDITIONS REPORT | There’s no denying that the snowpack is receding yet with temps in check (we’re talking highs in the 50s) most seem optimistic that there’ll be plenty of riding to be had come Memorial Day Weekend, Mammoth’s projected “last hurrah.”

True, the weather has been moderately cooler this week than the prior two, with temps dipping well into the 30s at night. Surprisingly conditions are staying firmer later into the morning than expected. Not to worry though, by mid-day there is plenty of spring corn to be had.

What does this all mean for spring riding at Mammoth? It basically means there’s no rush to get to the hill first thing in the morning and the snow is not as sticky by late afternoon as was the case a week ago. The bare spots are growing up there yet there’s still a ton of easily accessible terrain to be had.

Chair 23 dropout wipeout chutes snowboarding skiing california
Firm in the morning, a good time in the afternoon... Chair 23 is all yours.

The PROS:

  • Beautiful Mammoth springtime weather.
  • Access to Climax, the Dropouts and the Wipeouts is still good.
  • Love the sound of boards “schussing”  through spring corn? Then now is your time.
  • West Coast Invitational 2012 Big Air Comp at Canyon Lodge was a site to be seen.
  • Groomers have been corning up nicely by mid-late morning.
  • Chair 2 is running strong which means Chair 2 parking lot is still an option. How long will it last? Depending on how warm this coming week is, I suspect next weekend may be the last for Stump Alley.
  • The Bump lines are ready for you… Are you ready for them?
expert skiing snowboarding terrain paranoids chutes snow
Variable temps have made the Paranoids hit or miss. Once again access from the ridge top is anything but clean.
west bowl spring corn snow moguls skiing snowboarding
Like a good challenge? This marathon line of bumps starts high above, well out of sight.

The CONS:

  • Higher elevation on and off-piste terrain has taken a bit longer to soften up, sometimes not softening til mid-afternoon. Temps look to be trending up in the coming days so I suspect this will be changing soon.
  • Stump Alley flat, between the top of Chair 2 and McCoy Station, is thinning out fast. MMSA is working hard to keep zones like this alive as long as they can.
  • Clean access to the Paranoids is pretty much gone.
spring snowboarding skiing conditions snow sun in california.
You may want to think twice before cutting left off the top of Chair 1. The formation of "snail" trails through Stump Alley Flats is well underway.
melting snow snowpack end ofseason skiing snowboarding
View from Chair 3. From here you can see where the "recession" begins.

PARK REPORT:

  • Bottom 2 jumps at Main are in great shape.
  • The Superpipe is on its last legs.
  • Lots on jibs throughout Main to play on.
  • Middle jump in Main may need a re-build soon.
  • Forest Trail jumps can get a bit thrashed at times (in part due to popularity) but they’re still fun.
  • The set of jibs at the very bottom of Forest Trail is gone.
unbound terrain park main park jump snowboard
The Good - Bottom two jumps in Main Park are Big and Prime.
unbound main park terrain park skiing snowboard jump spring snow
The Bad - Middle jump in Main Park is starting to look a bit deformed; rebuilds are needed on a regular basis in the springtime.
Main park superpipe halfpipe spring time snowboard conditions
The Ugly - When the Half Pipe starts to look like this you know it's on its last legs. Gotta admit though, the rest of the pipe is looking pretty good.

The STATS:

  • New Snow: No.
  • Base: Shrinking fast.
  • Weather: Temps remained moderately cool this past week yet it would appear that more spring like temps are on their way.
  • Conditions: Mostly spring corn… a little firm at first in the morning but this will be changing.
  • Lifts: Lift line-up for the weekend – 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 23 and G2.
  • Runs: LOTS of great runs with lots of great coverage yet we’re seeing new rocks/dirt show through daily.

Bottom line: Coverage from McCoy Station down is thinning out fast. With sunny blue skies, warm temps, spring corn, fun public park features and more, there are still many great reasons to strap or click in.

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