Report from May 5, 2024

Last night, a storm hit Mammoth Lakes, CA, which was ridiculous for May…

The mountain harvested 12″ of fresh snow overnight, and it was windy as hell (up to 85mph on the summit).

Today was freezing cold (5ºF at the summit in the morning) with superb snow plastered on everything.

We started the day waiting for Chair 3 to open, and it was a score.

We were first chair.

That first run down Chair 3 was truly dreamlike and smooth.

Bottomless and fast.

Clouds swirled & danced overhead.

From the bottom of 3, we scooted over to Chair 5 and waited for that to open.

This wait was considerably longer.

About an hour?

We were 2nd chair.

Chair 23 looking good. image: snowbrains

It was another win.

The upper section was untouched and had a fun little air.

Again, the snow was exquisite.

We then set our sights on the upper mountain as the clouds dissipated.

We rolled up to Chair 23, and the lifty said 30 minutes.

Perfect.

We were first chair again.

Just before the chair opened, folks started traversing in from Chair 3 and devouring the lower half of the run.

Darn…

But it was a good thing in the end as it pushed us into the Paranoids and ultimately into Philippe’s Chute.

I scratched along the knife-edge ridge to the start of Phillippe’s (or is the starting part one of the Paranoids?), only crashed into two trees along the way, and dropped in.

One small mandatory air, a hard left turn in gorgeous snow, then into Philippe’s Chute proper.

Ski patrol had put one track and a bomb in Philippes, and the snow looked perfect.

Mostly.

My first turn was all ice, and then I ollied over the bomb hole into deep kush.

From there down the chute skied like a fantasy, with the deepest turns on the skier’s right.

I blasted out of the chute at full speed and drifted long arching turns down the apron with the required “yeeewwww” hoot and embarrassing hollers.

I high-fived the sh*t outta the three guys who were behind us on the chair, and they were as hyped as I was.