I found boot-top powder off chairs 1, 2 and 3 today. The Wall to the Glades was great, and so was Gravy and Baby Gravy Chute. The trees had a nice accumulation. I think the best snow I skied was in West Bowl off chair 3. Some of it was scoured by the winds, but most of it was smooth and pillowy soft when chair 3 opened about 10:30 or so.

It was snowing when I arrived at 8:30, and it kept snowing consistently for the whole time I was there, intensifying in the afternoon. I left about 1:30 after skiing until my legs weren’t co-operating as they should;)

More snow is expected through Friday and Saturday morning. This should be an excellent weekend to come up to Mammoth Mountain, and enjoy some late season powder skiing. I’ll be skiing with Mammoth Ski Club members on Saturday and Sunday at our monthly meeting, and will report on ski conditions then. See You On the Slopes!

When I arrived at 8:30, chair 3 was open and the gondola was loading to the top. I chose to ski West Bowl for first tracks for about 4 laps because no one was skiing it. Then I hit the gondola for the ride to the top.

The winds were moderate, and I skied down the ridge to Corndrop (between Cornice and Dropout). I got first tracks there too, and cut over to Dropout 1 down to chair 23. I skied chair 23 doing Dropout 1 for 3-4 more laps, then headed over to the Wall and The Glades.

The Wall and the Glades were fun, but I started dreaming of Avalanche Chute 2. So I went down to chair 10 and headed over to Lincoln Mt. Lincoln was uncrowded, and I opted to ski Avalanche Chute 1 first. That was nice in the chute, and even better where it opens up below.

Then I tried Avalanche Chute 2, and it was the best I had skied it all year. After skiing Avalanche Chute 2 for 3 laps, I tried Viva which also looked good. Viva was fun all the way to the bottom, and I did that twice.

Then I headed over to the Face of Five which had nice soft bumps. The trees around chair 5 were really nice, and most people were staying out of them leaving me many first tracks opportunities. I ended my day around 2 pm after 5 hours of non-stop powder runs.

Mammoth Mountain is the best it has been all year, and more snow is expected today and tonight. I will report on snow conditions after skiing tomorrow at Mammoth Mountain. Until then, I’ll see you on the slopes!

Mammoth Mountain creates its' own microclimate after storms, especially late in the ski season.

I skied Mammoth Mountain yesterday, and it was excellent. It was clear when I left Bishop, but by the time I got to the Mammoth airport, you could see that Mammoth Mountain was socked in with residual storm clouds. The photo above is what Mammoth Mountain looked like as I approached on Hwy. 395.

Mammoth Mountain frequently creates its own microclimate after a storm where the moisture pre-impregnated in the atmosphere makes the storm and precipitation linger. The wind was strong, so I drove to Canyon Lodge to park because that is the sheltered side of the mountain from most wind directions.

I skied chair 16, and runs like the Acts were good, but I could see that chair 22 was closed, but the powder at the bottom of the Avalanche Chutes looked awesome. So I decided to go to chair 10 to come back to the cut-in to Avalanche Chute 3. As I headed to chair 10, I was surprised to see that chair 2 was open.

I took chair 2 up, and then skied down to chair 1 via The Wall. My favorite line in The Wall hadn’t been hit yet, so I skied that line 4-5 times. Then I had enough body heat generated to ski chair 3, which was surprisingly open. West Bowl was fun on both skier’s left and right. I skied West Bowl 3 times until I decided to get on chair 10 as was my original plan.

Once on chair 10, I could see that they had opened chair 5, so I hit Face of Five in 4 different lines until all the fresh powder was gone. Just then, I noticed that chair 22 had opened. I skied Solitude down to the base and rounded Lincoln Mt, until I was at chair 22. Skied Avalanche Chutes 1 and 2, with 2 being better.

Then I skied Viva 3 times. Viva was my favorite run of the day, and it was a blast finding the untracked there, and in the trees. I finished with a run down Grizzly. It was mostly tracked out crud by now. I bet it was better earlier (like most the runs).

I skied from 9-2, and had a blast the whole time. The skiing at Mammoth Mountain is the best it has been all year, and more snowfall is expected throughout the week and weekend. If you are thinking of making a trip up to Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort to ski, I recommend you do it real soon while the snow is excellent.

If you order your tickets today, you can still get them for only $69! See You On the Slopes!

The skiing has been much improved since the storm last week. The tops of all the chutes are open at the top of Mammoth and Lincoln Mts. Here’s what it looked like at Mammoth’s Main Lodge after the last storm:

Can you belive all the snow at Mammoth's Main Lodge?

OK, I’m only kidding. This is a photo from March 25, 2011. But the snowpack is as deep as it has been all year, so the coverage is excellent. I skied everywhere from Avy Chute 2, to Monuments, to the Back Bowls, Face of Five, Agee’s Run, The Wall, and the Glades.

Here’s a recent shot of Climax which has better coverage than it has had all season:

Here's a shot of Climax from the top of Lincoln Mt. You can also see Solitude and Face of Five in the foreground.

There’s a storm bearing down on Mammoth Mountain right now, so if you are coming up in the next 4 days, bring your 3^rd layer because it is supposed to be somewhat windy. Here’s the immediate forecast:

It looks like Sunday, Monday, Tuesday is the sweet spot for the soft stuff. So I recommend you take this chance to get some skiing in before the Spring and beach weather comes. The winner of the sweepstakes for the Free Mammoth Mountain Season Pass is Richelle Plant. Congratulations Richelle! Richelle Plant needs to claim her prize and fill out the 1099 form required before April 5th, 2012.

The sunny days following this should also be excellent for the “fair weather skiers”. I’ll See You On the Slopes!

The top J2 (Junior National Team) racers had a downhill, a GS, and a Slolam race last week at Mammoth Mountain..

The snow on chairs 1, 2 , 3, 5 and 12 is holding steady, and there is really nice coverage. But on the Eagle/Canyon side of Mammoth Mountain the winds blew away some of the coverage. Sadly, more bushes, trees and rocks are showing now than last week on that side of the mountain, so you need to look for obsticles.

With the recent layoffs at Mammoth Mountain, I expect the Eagle/Canyon side of the mountain to shut down for skiing sooner than later. Here’s what Dave’s Run and Solitude looked like this last weekend:

Dave's Run and Solitude from the ridge off the top of chair 22 at Mammoth Mountain.

Finally, a true winter storm is headed for Mammoth Mountain this week, and snow is forecast to fall from Tuesday through Friday with the biggest part of the storm hitting on Friday. That should make it excellent for those of you wanting fresh snow to ski on the weekend of March 17-18.

Mammoth Ski Club has not done a “guess the snowfall contest” lately, but I am starting one today. The person who is closest in their guess of how much snow will fall officially on Mammoth Mountain by this weekend gets a FREE Mammoth Ski Club Sweatshirt ($55.00 Value). You have to have your best guess in by the end of Thursday March 15, 2012. Good Luck!

To place your best guess before the deadline of midnight March 15, simply leave a comment on this blog post for all to see. The winner will be announced this weekend after Mammoth Mountain has posted their official snowfall totals. Good luck on guessing the official snowfall, and I’ll see you on the slopes this week!

Mammoth Mountain as you enter Mammoth Lakes. Mammoth Mountain has the best coverage it has had all year!

I was going to ski Thursday, but when I checked the wind gauges Thursday morning on Mammoth Mountain the top of chair 1 had gusts to 70 mph. I thought it would be better to work Thursday, and ski on Friday.

So I skied today, and  the winds were down to almost nothing. It was probably the best day so far this year because the coverage is the best it has been in most places. I skied chairs 1 and 2 early, and the snow was super fun. Some places had been scoured by the winds, so you had to look out for that.

Then chair 3 opened up, and we went and skied West Bowl. West Bowl was much more consistent snow than when we had skied it on Tuesday. Nice soft bumps the whole way down.

Then I saw that they had opened and were loading chair 23. We hauled butt over there and got to see some of the first skiers come down the fresh, light powder.

I always go the opposite way the crowd goes, so I was able to find first tracks all the way to the bottom. We did that lap about 5 times. Then skied Monuments all the way to the bottom. Then we loaded the gondola, and skied Climax 4 times.

Climax was really good, but you had to deal with about a 10’ strip of boilerplate ice at the very top. Once you got below that it was excellent any line you chose. If you are planning to ski this year, I recommend you get up here before the deepest snow and coverage of the season so far is gone.

Skied chairs 5, 15, 16, and 22 later, and they were all really fun. The trees are good, but you still need to watch for obstacles especially on the Eagle side of Mammoth Mountain.

More snow is forecast for next week, so hopefully we will have some snowfall each week in March. Come to Mammoth Mountain now, and you can get $69 lift tickets. Just pay at least 1 day in advance right now, and get your pass for only $69. This deal is available online. So go get a reduced ski pass, and ski to your heart’s content. Until Then, I’ll See you On the Slopes!

I skied chairs 1, 2 and 3 early. West Bowl had knee deep drifts, but I found the snow challenging. The top of the snow was light powder, but when you hit a drift, it was stickier below which really slowed you down fast when you hit one of these drifts.

I think I found the best snow on the lower slopes. Skied Face of Five, and that was a lot like West Bowl was. I saw one guy ski Daves Run, and he described it as “dust over crust”. Then we skied The Acts where there was some good snow in the trees. Skied chair 22, and Grizzley was probably the best run there.

We also skied the trees and runs on the sunny side of Linclon Mountain trying to seek shelter from the strong, cold winds. I wore 3 layers on top, a fleece balaclava, and my down mittens, so I was insulated and warm.

Today is forecast to snow 6-12 inches at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. So it looks like Thursday will be a great day to ski. I’ll be skiing on Thursday, so I’ll post a report with photos then, Until Then, See You On the Slopes!

The views from Mammoth Mountain are impressive in every direction. I love the clouds around the Minarets with reds Meadows in the foreground.

Chairs 1, 2, 3 and 5 were the best places to start today. The upper gondola was also good. They had groomed Scotty’s, and that was fun to ski from chair 23. Here’s the coverage on the top from the bottom of chair 23:

The top of chair 23 at Mammoth Mountain has ample coverage, but watch out for obsticles at the entry points.

I skied over on chair 15 on the sunny side of the mountain, and the coverage and skiing were still excellent. Skiing is not epic at Mammoth Mountain, but it is really good especially on the groomed runs. Mammoth Mountain is doing an excellent job of making the skiing fun on a snow drought year.

I did ski West Bowl’s bumps 2 times, and they were fun as well. I saw some guys skiing Climax, but it looked too firm with too many rocks to be able to really fly. You kinda had to pick your way down. All the intermediate and beginner slopes have excellent coverage, and the crowds are light. So if you are wondering if you should visit Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort this weekend, I’d say go for it! You’ll be glad you did.