The latest storm dumped 21 inches Saturday and another 8 on Sunday, with the usual violent weather closing all upper and mid-mountain lifts except 22 over the weekend. We drove up to chair 2 at 8:30 Monday and the lots at chairs 4, 10 and 2 were completely parked up so we wound up at shuttle stop C and took the bus to Main Lodge.
The line for chair 1 was a full maze but not beyond, so I considered that <10 minutes reasonable on a day like this and rode the lift twice, skiing chopped powder in and below Gravy Chute for my first run. Lonnie didn’t want to wait in that line and so went to chairs 6 and 11 and Liz went with him.
Monday morning was cold 10-15F but sunny with no wind. However there was no sign of activity on chair 3 or the upper mountain by 9:30.
So I decided to ski Rodger’s Ridge, planning to ride Gold Rush to the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately Gold Rush had a full maze and the lift was moving slowly with frequent stoppages. So I settled for the 20 minute line on chair 2 as the only alternative.
Exiting chair 2, chair 3 was still motionless but I was pleasantly surprised to see people skiing off the back past the also closed chair 23 and beyond into St. Anton. I skied through the trees in between, then across St. Anton to chair 12. There were maybe 30 people in line there, so I got a clean powder line down the upper pitch of the lift with some appreciative woohoos from the chair. Despite my less than great physical condition, the Utah quality powder required so little effort that I continued nonstop through the lower angle trees that were completely untracked.
The quality of that run was sufficient that I chose to get in the now peak 25 minute line on chair 12 (it’s an old slow double) for an encore into the trees far skier’s left that get skied out more gradually. I rode 12 a third time and exited via Bark Bowl's powder to return to Main Lodge and Chair 1. I had texted Liz and Lonnie so they got two runs on 12 between my three.
Chair 3 was now moving but unoccupied past 11:30 though chair 5 had opened at 11:00. As I exited 1, the cluster of people waiting for chair 3 was allowed to move up to the base of the lift, so I figured it would now be worth getting in that line. It was perhaps 15 minutes before 3 opened and another 10 minutes for me to load it. While waiting I got some pics of the first skiers in West Bowl.
And here on the face of 3:
By the time I got up there the relatively confined drop into face of 3 looked choppy, but since it was low density fluff it skied as all powder turns. I then spread out and skied untracked down the chair line nonstop and into McCoy for a lunch break. Chair 12 often shelters some of Mammoth’s best powder, but Chair 3 is more wind exposed, so the quality of that run was a special treat.
By 1PM the line for the soon to open upper gondola (it opened 1:20) filled the room and was backed out into the snow. I had a different plan, skiing down to Gold Rush, then riding chair 5 and traversing across the top of Gold Hill to ski under the still closed chair 9.
This upper pitch had excellent snow. Lower down it became wind affected. Independently Lonnie also figured out that this was a good area to find powder away from the crowds after the initial feeding frenzy.
Around 1:30 it became overcast with some wind. Liz joined me on Gold Rush, but unfortunately her hands got cold so she had to bail before another likely cold ride on 5.
I skied down to Eagle, then rode chairs 15 and 22. I quit at 2:45, exhausted and slightly chilled. I skied only 12,500 vertical but the 5K of powder was very high quality. After skiing we went to a hot tub and here’s a car that has still sports all of the snow from the weekend storm.
We didn’t get out Tuesday until 9AM but got better parking on the road at the north end of the Chair 2 lot. With age my acclimatization to altitude has become more gradual and Monday was not a surprise in that regard. Still unexplained is that my cardio/breathing got worse on the second and third days of this trip, first evident as I was booting up Tuesday.
Naturally the Chair 23 runs were mostly hammered by the time we got up there. After a warmup on Andy’s, I knew I would likely be skiing only a handful of runs off the top, so I chose Paranoid 2 for its expected snow quality and lower traffic. Second day after the storm the wind had packed it some, but it was still very soft skiing. Despite that quality I had to stop 4 times for a couple of minutes to catch my breath.
I skied down to the gondola and then over to Dave’s. The top of Dave’s almost never has rocks, so I wasn’t that concerned about the line of poles patrol had put up there. Oops! There was a fracture line so I had to sidestep back out and go around it. How big was the fracture? Here’s the view from below.
I’ve circled a skier next to it for perspective.
I skied Roma’s and then took a pic of some others on it.
I cruised down Solitude/Comeback Trail to chair 2, then up 23. Chair 14 is down for a mechanical issue, but you can ski down there and exit via 13. As with chair 9 Monday, the closed lift means low skier traffic since it’s only accessible from the top. I remembered a sheltered line back there which I scored with Garry 7 years ago and found it very lightly tracked.
I met Liz at the Outpost rest area at the bottom of 13 and 14. We ran a repeat lap over the top and through that powder stash. Next time from Main Lodge we rode the gondola and I skied Drop Out 3 (3 rest stops) while Liz skied Scotty’s. We cruised St. Anton, then Mambo and I finished about 3PM with a modest 14,700 vertical, about 3K of powder.
We were on powder skis Monday and Tuesday, but back on daily drivers (Blizzard Bonafide and Samba) Wednesday. I remained limited in how much I could exert myself without have to take a break, but I could pace myself more effectively than when I’m trying to chase leftover powder. Also, Tuesday’s chopped snow was more strenuous than either Monday’s freshies or Wednesday’s widespread packed powder. And of course in December with a 6+ foot snowpack there’s no melt/freeze whatsoever at Mammoth and it’s very shady by 2PM. Temps were 15-20F Tuesday and 20-25F Wednesday.
So Lonnie, Liz and I started Wednesday with cruisers on Stump, Broadway, face and back of 3. I stopped in at Mammoth Ski Patrol to find out why its extremely informative daily snow/density/SWE log was no longer online. MMSA management has revised its website this season and part of that was taking over what’s reported from patrol. Patrol has requested changes and been ignored so it’s not likely Mammoth/Alterra’s IT will listen to me. However, patrol is still collecting info and they can create that daily summary at the end of the season and send it to me.
On our first time up 23, Liz skied Scotty’s while I skied Wipe Out 2 on excellent snow on the steeps, but surprisingly some thin spots at the bottom of the rock spines. Lonnie skied Wipe Out 1 and moved on at his faster pace. Liz and I cruised to Main then back up 23, where I skied Drop Out 1 and she skied Cornice. Normally we’ll complete these runs in similar time, but with my rest stops Liz was waiting for me at 23.
Now we skied off the back as on Tuesday and 14’s terrain was really deserted this time, with some corduroy still evident on the groomed runout. There was some scattered windsift on some of the ungroomed. Next we crossed the mountain completely: up 1 and 3, skied Christmas Bowl/Coyote to 5, then Gold Hill down to Eagle. We took a lunch break at Canyon.
Lonnie texted giving a rave review to chair 22. We went up there and Liz wanted to ski Sunshine, which is direct south facing between chair 25 and the east faces of 22. Usually by the time this area has coverage, it’s subject to melt/freeze. This time Sunshine had skier packed powder moguls, so not surprisingly Liz described it as a ”good day at Killington” for her eastern nostalgia fix. Next time I skied Avalanche 1, which I considered the best snow of the day, smooth and soft windbuff. Liz and I then skied Face of 5 and I skied one more run on Triangle. I finished about 3:10 with 21,500 vertical.
December 14 was my last unskied date in December, so I have now skied all dates from November 21 to June 2. Patrick’s date streak is of similar length but starts and ends a few days earlier.
The most impressive stat right now is Mammoth’s 138 inches season to date snowfall, second only to 146 inches in 2004. The next best 3 seasons, 1982, 1985 and 1996, were in the 125 inch range mid-December. There is a 6 foot base at the Sesame patrol site and 8 feet at the sign on top.
The line for chair 1 was a full maze but not beyond, so I considered that <10 minutes reasonable on a day like this and rode the lift twice, skiing chopped powder in and below Gravy Chute for my first run. Lonnie didn’t want to wait in that line and so went to chairs 6 and 11 and Liz went with him.
Monday morning was cold 10-15F but sunny with no wind. However there was no sign of activity on chair 3 or the upper mountain by 9:30.
So I decided to ski Rodger’s Ridge, planning to ride Gold Rush to the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately Gold Rush had a full maze and the lift was moving slowly with frequent stoppages. So I settled for the 20 minute line on chair 2 as the only alternative.
Exiting chair 2, chair 3 was still motionless but I was pleasantly surprised to see people skiing off the back past the also closed chair 23 and beyond into St. Anton. I skied through the trees in between, then across St. Anton to chair 12. There were maybe 30 people in line there, so I got a clean powder line down the upper pitch of the lift with some appreciative woohoos from the chair. Despite my less than great physical condition, the Utah quality powder required so little effort that I continued nonstop through the lower angle trees that were completely untracked.
The quality of that run was sufficient that I chose to get in the now peak 25 minute line on chair 12 (it’s an old slow double) for an encore into the trees far skier’s left that get skied out more gradually. I rode 12 a third time and exited via Bark Bowl's powder to return to Main Lodge and Chair 1. I had texted Liz and Lonnie so they got two runs on 12 between my three.
Chair 3 was now moving but unoccupied past 11:30 though chair 5 had opened at 11:00. As I exited 1, the cluster of people waiting for chair 3 was allowed to move up to the base of the lift, so I figured it would now be worth getting in that line. It was perhaps 15 minutes before 3 opened and another 10 minutes for me to load it. While waiting I got some pics of the first skiers in West Bowl.
And here on the face of 3:
By the time I got up there the relatively confined drop into face of 3 looked choppy, but since it was low density fluff it skied as all powder turns. I then spread out and skied untracked down the chair line nonstop and into McCoy for a lunch break. Chair 12 often shelters some of Mammoth’s best powder, but Chair 3 is more wind exposed, so the quality of that run was a special treat.
By 1PM the line for the soon to open upper gondola (it opened 1:20) filled the room and was backed out into the snow. I had a different plan, skiing down to Gold Rush, then riding chair 5 and traversing across the top of Gold Hill to ski under the still closed chair 9.
This upper pitch had excellent snow. Lower down it became wind affected. Independently Lonnie also figured out that this was a good area to find powder away from the crowds after the initial feeding frenzy.
Around 1:30 it became overcast with some wind. Liz joined me on Gold Rush, but unfortunately her hands got cold so she had to bail before another likely cold ride on 5.
I skied down to Eagle, then rode chairs 15 and 22. I quit at 2:45, exhausted and slightly chilled. I skied only 12,500 vertical but the 5K of powder was very high quality. After skiing we went to a hot tub and here’s a car that has still sports all of the snow from the weekend storm.
We didn’t get out Tuesday until 9AM but got better parking on the road at the north end of the Chair 2 lot. With age my acclimatization to altitude has become more gradual and Monday was not a surprise in that regard. Still unexplained is that my cardio/breathing got worse on the second and third days of this trip, first evident as I was booting up Tuesday.
Naturally the Chair 23 runs were mostly hammered by the time we got up there. After a warmup on Andy’s, I knew I would likely be skiing only a handful of runs off the top, so I chose Paranoid 2 for its expected snow quality and lower traffic. Second day after the storm the wind had packed it some, but it was still very soft skiing. Despite that quality I had to stop 4 times for a couple of minutes to catch my breath.
I skied down to the gondola and then over to Dave’s. The top of Dave’s almost never has rocks, so I wasn’t that concerned about the line of poles patrol had put up there. Oops! There was a fracture line so I had to sidestep back out and go around it. How big was the fracture? Here’s the view from below.
I’ve circled a skier next to it for perspective.
I skied Roma’s and then took a pic of some others on it.
I cruised down Solitude/Comeback Trail to chair 2, then up 23. Chair 14 is down for a mechanical issue, but you can ski down there and exit via 13. As with chair 9 Monday, the closed lift means low skier traffic since it’s only accessible from the top. I remembered a sheltered line back there which I scored with Garry 7 years ago and found it very lightly tracked.
I met Liz at the Outpost rest area at the bottom of 13 and 14. We ran a repeat lap over the top and through that powder stash. Next time from Main Lodge we rode the gondola and I skied Drop Out 3 (3 rest stops) while Liz skied Scotty’s. We cruised St. Anton, then Mambo and I finished about 3PM with a modest 14,700 vertical, about 3K of powder.
We were on powder skis Monday and Tuesday, but back on daily drivers (Blizzard Bonafide and Samba) Wednesday. I remained limited in how much I could exert myself without have to take a break, but I could pace myself more effectively than when I’m trying to chase leftover powder. Also, Tuesday’s chopped snow was more strenuous than either Monday’s freshies or Wednesday’s widespread packed powder. And of course in December with a 6+ foot snowpack there’s no melt/freeze whatsoever at Mammoth and it’s very shady by 2PM. Temps were 15-20F Tuesday and 20-25F Wednesday.
So Lonnie, Liz and I started Wednesday with cruisers on Stump, Broadway, face and back of 3. I stopped in at Mammoth Ski Patrol to find out why its extremely informative daily snow/density/SWE log was no longer online. MMSA management has revised its website this season and part of that was taking over what’s reported from patrol. Patrol has requested changes and been ignored so it’s not likely Mammoth/Alterra’s IT will listen to me. However, patrol is still collecting info and they can create that daily summary at the end of the season and send it to me.
On our first time up 23, Liz skied Scotty’s while I skied Wipe Out 2 on excellent snow on the steeps, but surprisingly some thin spots at the bottom of the rock spines. Lonnie skied Wipe Out 1 and moved on at his faster pace. Liz and I cruised to Main then back up 23, where I skied Drop Out 1 and she skied Cornice. Normally we’ll complete these runs in similar time, but with my rest stops Liz was waiting for me at 23.
Now we skied off the back as on Tuesday and 14’s terrain was really deserted this time, with some corduroy still evident on the groomed runout. There was some scattered windsift on some of the ungroomed. Next we crossed the mountain completely: up 1 and 3, skied Christmas Bowl/Coyote to 5, then Gold Hill down to Eagle. We took a lunch break at Canyon.
Lonnie texted giving a rave review to chair 22. We went up there and Liz wanted to ski Sunshine, which is direct south facing between chair 25 and the east faces of 22. Usually by the time this area has coverage, it’s subject to melt/freeze. This time Sunshine had skier packed powder moguls, so not surprisingly Liz described it as a ”good day at Killington” for her eastern nostalgia fix. Next time I skied Avalanche 1, which I considered the best snow of the day, smooth and soft windbuff. Liz and I then skied Face of 5 and I skied one more run on Triangle. I finished about 3:10 with 21,500 vertical.
December 14 was my last unskied date in December, so I have now skied all dates from November 21 to June 2. Patrick’s date streak is of similar length but starts and ends a few days earlier.
The most impressive stat right now is Mammoth’s 138 inches season to date snowfall, second only to 146 inches in 2004. The next best 3 seasons, 1982, 1985 and 1996, were in the 125 inch range mid-December. There is a 6 foot base at the Sesame patrol site and 8 feet at the sign on top.
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