I returned to Mammoth after 5 weeks as Liz is getting around quite well, walking a mile per day for exercise since 4 days after the knee replacement. She still has a way to go in terms of range of motion and pain though.
As Tseeb had warned me, I arrived just as the first summer heat wave was getting started. June however was not great for Mammoth’s snowpack. The same low pressure that produced coastal California’s persistent overcast generated frequent afternoon thundershowers in the Sierra. The rain from those aggravated the suncupping on natural snowpack as much as the heat waves do.
One quirk this season is that while chair 5 is open, Easy Rider and Comeback trail from the base of 5 to the base of 2 are closed. This is due to a dirt road being plowed to bring materials to rebuild the top of chair 16.
Above is the view of the dirt road while riding chair 2
It is relatively rare for chair 2 to last until July 4. It happened in 2011 and 2017 but it was via WROD’s that had to be rebuilt each night. Stump Alley is currently covered wall to wall and they have built up a 3+ foot base in the chair 2 loading area. I believe chair 2 can run at least one more week, maybe two, past July4.
I got on the hill 7:45 Friday, skied 3 runs chair 2, which had entirely softened by the third one. I skied around to Rusty’s which had excellent corn facing the morning sun. Riding chair 1 here’s the view of the Unbound Park near chair 6.
I have not seen big park features survive this late in the season near Main Lodge. In some other big seasons they have built new features in June higher up where there is more snow.
Farther up chair 1 Gravy Chute is riddled with suncups.
This is very strange because I’ve skied Gravy Chute in July in other seasons, even having to walk across dirt from the top of 1 to get to it.
Now I rode the gondola to the top. Cornice had perfect corn at 8:45 so I took an encore. The entrance to McCoy Station is impressive.
I have never seen those stairs buried this late.
Looking the other way to chair 3:
Coverage on the face is deep but there are suncups where not as much traffic. The cement hut that was completely buried a month ago is a couple of feet above the snow surface now.
I next skied Climax, which was good but slightly past its prime, then Coyote (very mushy already) to chair 5. The closure of the runout to 2 must be deterring skiers because the entire ungroomed face of 5 is severely suncupped aside from one narrow bump line down Sliver.
The upside was that on Friday groomed Solitude didn’t much traffic so it was excellent corn and worth a second lap.
Then I skied that Sliver bump line.
In 2017 with the exit trail open there were skier packed lines through Upper Dry Creek and face of 5 as well as Sliver. July 1, 2011 was a on a different level. There was minimal suncupping and you could ski fluidly nearly anywhere on 5.
I crossed back to McCoy and skied a still decent Cornice to chair 23. After a lap on Drop Out 3 I wanted to check out the skier packed line on Monument. Getting there is tricky after Skyline burns off.
This entry into Wipe Out 2 will only last a couple more days. Then you’ll have to start from Wipe Out 1, which might last for perhaps 2 more weeks. In 2017 the Wipe Out side had less snow; you had to start from Drop Out and could not get any farther than Scotty’s and the entire Wipe Out side was gone shortly after July 4. Again, 2011 was better, with fewer suncups and several good lines as far as Paranoid 1.
By the time I got down to chair 1, the racers were done so I took a lap on Fascination before going back up 23. I skied Drop Out 1, which was excellent but my legs were burning. So I skied two more race course runs, Terry’s and Andy’s, before skiing back to the car at noon with 23,400 vertical for the day.
Mid afternoon I drove past Mammoth airport and out to Wild Willy’s natural hot spring. From parking there’s a wooden walkway past a meadow and lake.
Here’s a shallow warm creek.
This pool is hotter, maybe around 104F.
Mammoth Mountain is in background upper left.
As Tseeb had warned me, I arrived just as the first summer heat wave was getting started. June however was not great for Mammoth’s snowpack. The same low pressure that produced coastal California’s persistent overcast generated frequent afternoon thundershowers in the Sierra. The rain from those aggravated the suncupping on natural snowpack as much as the heat waves do.
One quirk this season is that while chair 5 is open, Easy Rider and Comeback trail from the base of 5 to the base of 2 are closed. This is due to a dirt road being plowed to bring materials to rebuild the top of chair 16.
Above is the view of the dirt road while riding chair 2
It is relatively rare for chair 2 to last until July 4. It happened in 2011 and 2017 but it was via WROD’s that had to be rebuilt each night. Stump Alley is currently covered wall to wall and they have built up a 3+ foot base in the chair 2 loading area. I believe chair 2 can run at least one more week, maybe two, past July4.
I got on the hill 7:45 Friday, skied 3 runs chair 2, which had entirely softened by the third one. I skied around to Rusty’s which had excellent corn facing the morning sun. Riding chair 1 here’s the view of the Unbound Park near chair 6.
I have not seen big park features survive this late in the season near Main Lodge. In some other big seasons they have built new features in June higher up where there is more snow.
Farther up chair 1 Gravy Chute is riddled with suncups.
This is very strange because I’ve skied Gravy Chute in July in other seasons, even having to walk across dirt from the top of 1 to get to it.
Now I rode the gondola to the top. Cornice had perfect corn at 8:45 so I took an encore. The entrance to McCoy Station is impressive.
I have never seen those stairs buried this late.
Looking the other way to chair 3:
Coverage on the face is deep but there are suncups where not as much traffic. The cement hut that was completely buried a month ago is a couple of feet above the snow surface now.
I next skied Climax, which was good but slightly past its prime, then Coyote (very mushy already) to chair 5. The closure of the runout to 2 must be deterring skiers because the entire ungroomed face of 5 is severely suncupped aside from one narrow bump line down Sliver.
The upside was that on Friday groomed Solitude didn’t much traffic so it was excellent corn and worth a second lap.
Then I skied that Sliver bump line.
In 2017 with the exit trail open there were skier packed lines through Upper Dry Creek and face of 5 as well as Sliver. July 1, 2011 was a on a different level. There was minimal suncupping and you could ski fluidly nearly anywhere on 5.
I crossed back to McCoy and skied a still decent Cornice to chair 23. After a lap on Drop Out 3 I wanted to check out the skier packed line on Monument. Getting there is tricky after Skyline burns off.
This entry into Wipe Out 2 will only last a couple more days. Then you’ll have to start from Wipe Out 1, which might last for perhaps 2 more weeks. In 2017 the Wipe Out side had less snow; you had to start from Drop Out and could not get any farther than Scotty’s and the entire Wipe Out side was gone shortly after July 4. Again, 2011 was better, with fewer suncups and several good lines as far as Paranoid 1.
By the time I got down to chair 1, the racers were done so I took a lap on Fascination before going back up 23. I skied Drop Out 1, which was excellent but my legs were burning. So I skied two more race course runs, Terry’s and Andy’s, before skiing back to the car at noon with 23,400 vertical for the day.
Mid afternoon I drove past Mammoth airport and out to Wild Willy’s natural hot spring. From parking there’s a wooden walkway past a meadow and lake.
Here’s a shallow warm creek.
This pool is hotter, maybe around 104F.
Mammoth Mountain is in background upper left.
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