Mammoth 11'053'. Get high not covid 20/21

[TahoeJ]

Snow softens up in the sun for the most part and is really fun, but there are still some patches that will keep you on your toes. I hit one early on today off 23 and barely recovered and it probably kept me timid / overly cautious the rest of the day. But overall it’s great.

[Long duc dong]

Things changed quick after lunch, and not for the better. Winds increased, chairs closed, top closed, lines got big down low.

Attachment 365014
Ch 23 just after it closed. The skiing, it was getting better every run.
Bummer.

This shot kills me. You can see the wind, and you can just see the zones where it is getting nice and buffed. That sucks to lose out on one of those days where it just keeps getting better and better. I love those Mammoth days where you can just hunt the buff and keep lapping it when you find those zones.

We will be up from Friday morning through (hopefully, it depends on how much work I get done) Monday afternoon March 12-15. I have a feeling that the couple that has this weekend taken (we have been unofficially limiting the condo occupancy to one group at a time, although nothing is really all that formal) might want to switch this weekend for next given the forecast. No dice, we are not going for that. They staked a claim on this coming weekend a few weeks ago, so we planned things for the 12th to 15th. Let's hope the forecast materializes, it is still a long way off.

We have a five day trip lined up for the end of March/early April. I'm hoping the pattern flips. I've got almost as many Baldy days as Mammoth days this year, and more combined Baldy and Summit days. That's partly due to a slow start and partly due to covid. We should get around 15-20 more Mammoth days, so hopefully it will be a good late season/spring. The good thing is that the base is now nice and solid. It would be nice to see things get better though.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

I want to book a month at an Air B&B next season. What is the month you guys think is the best to go? February or March?

My feeling is that the period from the last week in February thru late March is the best time to ski Mammoth for a couple of reasons.

1. It's that time of year when it's kind of spring time, but also can be full on winter.
2. Snowpack in March is usually peaking i.e. it's about as deep as it's going to get. Any later the sun & warmer days start to melt it.
3. The Top isn't dark and shaded out after 1:00 p.m. like it is thru Dec, Jan and much of Feb. With Mammoth's North facing aspect it is a bitch
to see with mid winters low sun angle, also it gets really cold when the shadows hit. Here's a couple of examples.....


Jan 5th 2020 at 2:05 p.m. Shades of gray and it looks cold. When the light dims my eyes can't make out any detail in the snow and I don't ski nearly as well. In the backseat, tentative=no good.


March 12th, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. The difference is "night & day." It's something that alot of people don't think about but I feel is a game changer.

hows it looking for the next couple days? Suddenly have a few days off.

Forecast for tomorrow (Wed) for the Eastern Sierra...
Scattered snow and pellet showers are forecast to develop over the Eastern Sierra Wednesday afternoon and early evening. Most
of the activity will be near the crest between Bridgeport,Mammoth Lakes, and Rock Creek. Thurs & Fri look to be sunny and
warmer.

Clouds and flat light could put a damper on skiing up high and snow fall amounts of 1-2" are more of a nuisance than help. Thursday and Friday look good.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

After a great day at Alpine Meadows on Monday, I got on the road early Tuesday morning and was in Mammoth & on the hill just after 10:00 a.m. I met up with TahoeJ and skied a little of everything. Awesome day with spring snow down low, winter snow up top. Here's a few pics from around the hill on Tuesday.


Due to a convergence of runs, Solitude is usually a good barometer of how crowded it will be that day. This sums up the theme for the day, not many people around.


Face of ch3. Snow conditions for the most part were smooth, fast, winter chalk. With no lift lines to speak of you could wrack up the vertical today. Jay had over 25,000 ft by lunch & a two day total of 70,000 ft+.


Climax/sign line was my run of choice today, and with the shortest gondi lines I've seen this year and wait times of 3-4 minutes I lapped this area for much of the afternoon.


Looking back down the chairline of 23.
After G2 closed at 3:00 pm I skied 23 for the rest of the day. Again, no one in sight. Snows good, but not all time hero wind buff. You'll have way more fun with tuned skis i.e. sharp edges. Throw down for a tune, it's money well spent.


The entrance to Wipeout 2 looks pretty beat, but if you move to the right, hug the rocks it gets good.


Continuation from the previous photo. Lower Wipeout 2 heading back to 23.


This is under Hangman's, looking down towards Hair jump & Saddle bowl. Snow is a little rippled, but very skiable. Again, no one else in the photo.


West Bowl. Stay skiers right for the smoother line, move left for some user friendly bumps.

While the Mtn could definitely use a re-set to soften things up, considering the lack of snow fall, it could be way worse. Talked with a buddy of mine today that is a patroller here, and was at KWood on Fri-Sat for his kids free ride comp. He said it was rock hard off piste, bordering on un skiable and how much better it was here.
Cheers!

[blackalps]

My feeling is that the period from the last week in February thru late March is the best time to ski Mammoth for a couple of reasons.

1. It's that time of year when it's kind of spring time, but also can be full on winter.
2. Snowpack in March is usually peaking i.e. it's about as deep as it's going to get. Any later the sun & warmer days start to melt it.
3. The Top isn't dark and shaded out after 1:00 p.m. like it is thru Dec, Jan and much of Feb. With Mammoth's North facing aspect it is a bitch
to see with mid winters low sun angle, also it gets really cold when the shadows hit. Here's a couple of examples.....


Jan 5th 2020 at 2:05 p.m. Shades of gray and it looks cold. When the light dims my eyes can't make out any detail in the snow and I don't ski nearly as well. In the backseat, tentative=no good.


March 12th, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. The difference is "night & day." It's something that alot of people don't think about but I feel is a game changer.




Forecast for tomorrow (Wed) for the Eastern Sierra...
Scattered snow and pellet showers are forecast to develop over the Eastern Sierra Wednesday afternoon and early evening. Most
of the activity will be near the crest between Bridgeport,Mammoth Lakes, and Rock Creek. Thurs & Fri look to be sunny and
warmer.

Clouds and flat light could put a damper on skiing up high and snow fall amounts of 1-2" are more of a nuisance than help. Thursday and Friday look good.

thanks. I ended up being too tired after work last night to make the drive, so I’m at Alta today. Will try for Mammoth and/or Tahoe next week.

[Long duc dong]

My feeling is that the period from the last week in February thru late March is the best time to ski Mammoth for a couple of reasons.

1. It's that time of year when it's kind of spring time, but also can be full on winter.
2. Snowpack in March is usually peaking i.e. it's about as deep as it's going to get. Any later the sun & warmer days start to melt it.
3. The Top isn't dark and shaded out after 1:00 p.m. like it is thru Dec, Jan and much of Feb. With Mammoth's North facing aspect it is a bitch
to see with mid winters low sun angle, also it gets really cold when the shadows hit. Here's a couple of examples.....


Jan 5th 2020 at 2:05 p.m. Shades of gray and it looks cold. When the light dims my eyes can't make out any detail in the snow and I don't ski nearly as well. In the backseat, tentative=no good.


March 12th, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. The difference is "night & day." It's something that alot of people don't think about but I feel is a game changer.




Forecast for tomorrow (Wed) for the Eastern Sierra...
Scattered snow and pellet showers are forecast to develop over the Eastern Sierra Wednesday afternoon and early evening. Most
of the activity will be near the crest between Bridgeport,Mammoth Lakes, and Rock Creek. Thurs & Fri look to be sunny and
warmer.

Clouds and flat light could put a damper on skiing up high and snow fall amounts of 1-2" are more of a nuisance than help. Thursday and Friday look good.

I would agree with all of this.

By mid-February you will usually have a solid base down, so if you do get pow days lots of the better lines will be in play. Early season pow is nice, but without a good base lots of the better stuff won't be in play. In the mid-February through mid-March period you should have a good base, so even if you don't get fresh snow you should be able to ski most of the mountain. If the winds cooperate the skiing can be great even when you don't get any powder. One of my favorite goto laps is to take the gondi up, hit either Hangman's or Climax to 23, then hit up a Paranoids lap to the bottom. That line is usually available by the February/March period, in December or early January that's not necessarily the case. Mid-Feb to mid-March offers the best combination of base and possible pow days.

When I lived in Tahoe and skied Squaw I always advised my buddies who wanted to visit me for a long trip to do it during the time period.

[liv2ski]

ESS, thanks for your thoughts, as I was going to book February, but your logic is infallible. With the late Presidents day week in 2022, I guess I will just shoot for March. I would like to bring the two wolves with me and maybe the misses, so an Air B&B in Mammoth is pricey with pets. I may stay in SLC and use some of the Icon days I have available to me. Last time I looked Solitude was anytime and I like that mountain, so that may be the call unless you guys have a better idea. Thanks for your thoughts.

[SkiHick]

Coming up the 12-15th for the first time this year. Thinking of doing June on Sat to avoid some crowds, then Sun/Mon at Mammoth. Hopefully the leg blasters have payed off...

First year in awhile without a pass, wow it sucks having to plan out lift tickets. Prices are no joke.

[Pinned]

ESS - thank you! Love the thorough report and pics.

Gonna head up this week / weekend.

[liv2ski]

Coming up the 12-15th for the first time this year. Thinking of doing June on Sat to avoid some crowds, then Sun/Mon at Mammoth. Hopefully the leg blasters have payed off...

First year in awhile without a pass, wow it sucks having to plan out lift tickets. Prices are no joke.

PM me if you need a friend pass hookup. I forget the drill, but I would be happy to help you out if needed.

[tony3]

How are the hulk and wonder woman doing?

[Long duc dong]

How are the hulk and wonder woman doing?

Hulk is still there last time I checked.

[Ottime]

PM me if you need a friend pass hookup. I forget the drill, but I would be happy to help you out if needed.

Ikon requires you to be there in person at time of purchase / pick up.

Hulk was there a few weeks ago. Solid epoxy on that one.

[TWINS]

Hulk is still there last time I checked.

Superman sighting on Chair 22

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[WhetherMan]

Ikon requires you to be there in person at time of purchase / pick up.

Hulk was there a few weeks ago. Solid epoxy on that one.

This is not true. This year anyway, you call and authorize the person to purchase a set number (maximum, they don't have to buy that many) of friends and family tickets. Then they can buy them at any ticket window. Or over the phone, I think.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

After Tuesday's awesome blue sky, no crowd conditions, woke Wed to Gray skies & flat light. Took a little longer to get motivated but once I got out the skiing was better than expected. Light came and went throughout the day, which depending where you were at the time could make it challenging.


Skied the South & East exposures early waiting for the snow to soften. Back for more area, ch 25.


Sun came out, skiing got better. Ch 5.


With gondola line waits of only 2-3 minutes only, I lapped the Upper Dry Creek area while the sun was out. Same as it's been all week, smooth winter chalk that's good in places, not so good in others.


When the light went flat I moved over to Cornice. It's consistent top to bottom, no surprises, and can be skied with variable light conditions comfortably.


Went over to ch 22 and picked my way into Avi 2 just as the light started to gray out. All I can say is don't fall. You'll have 2-3 to stop yourself before you slide a long ways. I witnessed a guy last week click out of a ski on his first turn, and he stopped when he hit the small tree's where the arrow is. Don't be that guy.


Looking back up after I got thru the throat. Couldn't see much on the way down. This may be the most high consequence place to fall that's open right now.


Last run off the top, looking East from Daves. Looked like snow showers out over the glass mtns.


Mt Tom from the Sherwin grade overlook. Headed down to Bishop in the evening to visit a friend. Cool clouds and light as the sun started to go down.


Took this from Ed Powers Rd. Almost looked like summer time T storms.


If you're like me and always wonder what that mtn is in the distance check out the app Peak Finder. Best $4.95 i've ever spent. Gives you a lat/long, elevation of the peak, name and it works everywhere. Coolest app ever.

Suns out today, and so am I. Use a sick day, GO SKIING.
Cheers.

[SkiHick]

This is not true. This year anyway, you call and authorize the person to purchase a set number (maximum, they don't have to buy that many) of friends and family tickets. Then they can buy them at any ticket window. Or over the phone, I think.

Yep that's right, COVID has made the process way easier.

PM me if you need a friend pass hookup. I forget the drill, but I would be happy to help you out if needed.

Thanks!! I just got the passes set up from another buddy, but I appreciate the offer. If any mags wanna run some laps next weekend lemme know.

[Ottime]

This is not true. This year anyway, you call and authorize the person to purchase a set number (maximum, they don't have to buy that many) of friends and family tickets. Then they can buy them at any ticket window. Or over the phone, I think.

Wow. Thanks for the clarification. I tried to do that in December and was told I had to be present at the ticket office. And for sure that is how Alterra North is running it.

EDIT: I wonder if the issue was I had not yet used my pass this year when I tried to set up a friend.

[liv2ski]

Fuck me. Woke up at 4am, hit the coffee button. Loaded the car and no start? Call AAA and wait an hour for a jump. Hit the road and an hour North my front tire blows out at 80 mph. Luckily I got over and had a little room to change the tire to the doughnut and drive home. Called my mechanic and he verified I had to buy all new tires not to fuck up the Volvo AWD even though the other 3 tires look to have 20k miles left on them and I am out the lodging too. $1k down the toilet.

[Ottime]

Dude. That sucks.

Can you rent a car for a few days and still get up there? More money, but at least you get to ski.

[liv2ski]

Aaaaa, something didn't want me to go, so I am going to wait. Next trip is in two weeks for 8 days, so I have that to look forward to. Maybe get a surf in tomorrow if the water isn't to icky.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

Yeah, she rips. Blew by me end of the day on P1 like I was standing still!

Hey dude,
I saw her out free skiing the top today. Without any exaggeration, she might have been the best skier out there today. She was killing it. Maybe the fastest I’ve seen anyone ski P3 this year. Got her on video charging Dropout late in the day. I’ll try to post it later.


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[nickbokhoven]

Hey dude,
I saw her out free skiing the top today. Without any exaggeration, she might have been the best skier out there today. She was killing it. Maybe the fastest I’ve seen anyone ski P3 this year. Got her on video charging Dropout late in the day. I’ll try to post it later.


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https://www.instagram.com/skiergirljones/ ?


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[Eastern Sierra Skier]

[QUOTE=nickbokhoven;6254907]https://www.instagram.com/skiergirljones/ ?

Nope, I guessed wrong. Not Meagan.

[Eastern Sierra Skier]

Here's a few pics from Thursday. Mammoth continues to ski well and with the lack of any lift lines yesterday it made for another in a series of good days.


Looking into P2. The entrances to all of the Paranoids are getting rocky. If you ski into them from the top, you should just expect to hit something. A couple guys that were up there as well were debating taking off their skis and climbing in. Not a good idea andI advised against it.


I picked my way in and found the snow in P3 was really good.


Looking back up, all three skied well but getting into them is an issue. There is a traverse into P1 from Monument that also a bit boney but is another option.


This line down thru Dropout has been imo the most consistently good skiing off the top this season. I've lapped this area more times than anywhere. It's always smooth, there's a couple different options, and 23 for the most part has had way less lift lines than the Gondi making it my go to choice. With Thurs good snow, perfect light and not many people around you could put the pedal to the floor and push your speed limits.

Who is the chick ripping around on Enforcers, long brunette ponytail, was out on Thurs end of the day flashing 23 and ch1 face? Local ski racer?

Hey,
I saw this young lady yesterday. I was going up chair 1 late in the day & saw her arcing turns down gravey chute (chair line ). She’s on Enforcers and skis very well. Don’t recognize her, maybe a juniors coach?l]

Yeah, she rips. Blew by me end of the day on P1 like I was standing still!

Riding up 23 yesterday I watched someone rip down P3. Super clean style and going really fast, top to bottom non stop.
I thought it might be Benchetler or Bernie the cat driver. Nope, it was the young lady the Nevada29er enquired about. I saw her lapping 23 until the end of the day, charging down the Dropout line. Don't know who she is, but she's a very talented skier.
Can't get my video to embed, but below are the links of some video I shot.


I started recording just after she aired over some rocks in Dropout. You can hear the guys behind me hooting off the chair as she went by.


Video doesn't accurately show how fast she was going. Nice skiing.