Photo: Samantha Lindberg for Visit Mammoth
Mammoth Mountain announced on Tuesday that it will delay opening day “to take full advantage of” an incoming storm. The announcement comes as resorts across the Sierra range and California brace for an atmospheric river set to push through the region Wednesday night and into the weekend. The actual delay will only push Mammoth’s opening back by 24 hours.
“We’re looking at a storm heading our way later this week, and we want to make our season kick-off the best it can be,” wrote mountain heads in the Tuesday announcement. “To take full advantage of this new snow, we’ve made the call to move our official Opening Day to Saturday, November 15. This gives Mother Nature and our ops team the time they need to get the mountain dialed in for some amazing first turns.”
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Forecasts for this storm call for Mammoth to see the greatest snowfall total for Sierra Nevada resorts, from a foot, to over two feet, predicted by Saturday. Thursday night should feature the majority of Mammoth’s fresh snowfall total, but as mentioned, the resort opted to take advantage of the new powder throughout its original opening day and likely open a broader range of terrain by opening Saturday. The resort will reportedly release details of its opening closer to the weekend, including which lifts will run.
PowderChasers originally called the storm an “Opening Day Jackpot” for Mammoth, with 8-13 inches arriving in time for Friday morning.
“Colder air arrives Thursday night, pushing snow levels to around 6,000 feet and lifting snow-to-liquid ratios into the 11–13 range,” wrote PowderChasers. “That produces a right-side-up finish with improving quality for Friday turns, especially at Mammoth where winds ease and temps sit in the 20s.”
