Mammoth for National Tax Week (14-23 April)??

[lookn4powder]

Most years my wife and I ski out west during National Tax Week (14-23 April). This year our top candidate destination is Mammoth. As we may need to defer the trip to the next week, we would like to know if the Canyon Lodge and the town gondola will still be open. Does anyone know when these facilities close this year?

BTW, our alternates are Whistler & Bachelor, as we've had good April trips to these areas.

Thanks!!
Jeff

 

[ChrisC]

Well your big issue is whether the Canyon Lodge (side of the mountaint) will be closed or not.

I think it closes in late April - closer to the 23rd. Every year its been 20s of April.

Expect most of the mountain open.

 

[Patrick]

BTW, our alternates are Whistler & Bachelor, as we've had good April trips to these areas.

Another alternate for late April could be Banff (Sunshine/Louise). Price are cheap that time of the year and skiing is generally great.

High season in Banff is the summer, so late April is fairly cheap as it falls between the peak ski season and the summer.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I have just called both Mammoth and Bachelor on this very topic, as I was not taking for granted full operation past April 15 due to low snowpack at Mammoth and bean counting at Bachelor.

Mammoth intends to run Canyon Lodge and full hours of operation to April 22. I would note that March is not starting out favorably, and if it turns out to be as dry as January the whole Canyon side of the mountain could be very sketchy on snow by then. The Main Lodge area will run into May this year (closing time typically around 2PM) even with no more new snow.

Bachelor is loaded with snow, but will not commit to full operation past April 15. They will look at their business in early April, and if it seems strong they might go another week of full op. When Bachelor cuts back for spring, only Pine Marten and Summit operate (still serving about half the terrain on the full vertical), and the lifts close at 1PM.

Given the above, I would go to Whistler if you are committed to that week. It's also the week of the World Ski and Snowboard Festival. Hopefully that does not make lodging limited or expensive. Banff will have some good skiing, but with its lesser snowpack Goat's Eye at Sunshine and the off-piste on the front side of Louise could be rocky. The Whistler/Blackcomb alpine snowpack is going to last a long time this season.

 

[ChrisC]

So where are you going to go for some late ski fix?

I have some Seattle weddings this year - so I might try to sneak Whistler into the trip.

 

[Patrick]

Banff will have some good skiing, but with its lesser snowpack Goat's Eye at Sunshine and the off-piste on the front side of Louise could be rocky. The Whistler/Blackcomb alpine snowpack is going to last a long time this season.

Although there is less snow on Goat's Eye in April, the snowpack wasn't bad and everything was still skiable (based on mid-April 1999 and late April 2000). Front side of Lake Louise was less consistent, especially Frontside near Headwall and the Top of the World where on one of those trip (1 trip out of 3 in April), conditions and coverage was a bit sketchy. The rest of Louise was perfect (except the closed areas in the Ptarmigan chutes).

I had winter snow conditions on most of my days in Banff, that wasn't the case with Whistler in early April. However Whistler conditions and weather is more of a roll of the dice, as I had winter conditions once in early June 88. I'm not taking the glacier, but the entire side of 7th Heaven at Blackcomb. :shock:

 

[Tony Crocker]

But nearly all the high alpine stuff on Whistler Mountain faces north and should be very reliable in spring, visibility permitting: West Bowl, Whistler Bowl, Glacier Bowl, Harmony, Flute Bowl. Those could keep me busy for a week easily.

 

[snowave]

I hit W/B few years ago during the same time. In general, I would expect the bottom half of both mtns to be mostly springlike (but good coverage this year). Top half was always PP, (and Powder when it did indeed storm a couple times while I was there).

The Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival was alot of fun, depending on if thats your kinda thing.

Lodging was not bad at all pricewise... granted the exchange rate was a little better a few years ago. Availability was also plentiful, especially if you book a month or so in advance.

 

[ChrisC]

Whistler is great in the spring.

I used to rent/stay in this place at the Alpenglow - for about $150/night - with 5 beds in May. Circa 2000.

You are having 9pm sunsets, hot tub, fun. Generally, I would front the cash myself and just collect $20 from whoever showed up.

The big issue is whether the Red Lift is open or not at Whistler. If it is closed, you lose a lot of the bowls.

 

[lookn4powder]

Thank you all for your thoughtful contributions to this topic.

Patrick, thanks for suggesting Banff. We haven't skied there yet and it remains on our list of "want to's", but not this trip. We found direct air connections and an OK deal on the Weston Hotel near the gondola that cinched our decision to go to Whistler/Blackcomb. My regret is that this trip will cost much more than our last, due to currency exchange rates.

Of course, we expect to ski spring conditions most of the week. But last time I was at Blackcomb in late April (2003 or 2004) Horstman Glacier surface was still powder.

Thank you again all.

Cheers,
Jeff