Mammoth Mountain opened for the season today (November 5th) almost a week ahead of schedule. The original scheduled opening was November 11th, but thanks to a storm that dropped 30 inches on Mammoth earlier in the week, the lovely people at Mammoth Mountain made our powder dreams come true.

They had 3 lifts spinning (Chair 1 – Broadway Express, Chair 3 – Facelift, Chair 11 – Discovery) with some great terrain available for an early season opening. Lots of people traversed out under chair 23 for some fresh pow turns, but there were also quite a few land mines lurking beneath the surface. The best and most consistent snow was in West Bowl as the snow got packed down and remained chalky all day. The groomers were a bit firm and had that artificial man made snow feel.

If you are going out for early season turns in or out of bounds, please make sure to ski with caution. Even though that snow looks powdery and smooth on the surface, it was just rocks and dirt a few days ago.

Word on the mountain is that the Gondola will open tomorrow (Friday), which will allow for skiing and riding from top to bottom. Kudos to all the Mammoth Mountain staff for the amazing opening day and their commitment to getting more terrain open as soon as possible!