Welcome to MammothSnowman.com – Summer 2023
Friday, June 9th, 2023 @ 6:30 AM – Hello, and thanks for stopping by MammothSnowman.com. Up here in Mammoth and across the Eastern Sierra, we have had a lovely week skiing and snowboarding on some excellent corn snow during the morning hours. Thunder Storms have been moving through during the late mornings and into the later afternoon hours, bringing some rain at times.
The snow has melted out in the lower elevations, so there has been access to some decent but limited Mountain Biking, Fishing, and Hiking during the afternoon and evening hours.
The current snow line is around the 8500-foot mark, with many large patches of snow in shaded areas down to about the 8000-foot mark. With the warm temperatures over the last three days, snowmelt has been strong. Area creeks, streams, and rivers are all running high, so you need to beware of the fast-running water. The fast-running water is a death trap, so watch out.
For those coming up for your early Summer vacation, the Mammoth Lakes Basin still has a ton of snow, with 6-8 feet around Lake Mary and Horseshoe Lake. Lower down the Twin Lakes area still several feet of snow. Yes, you can walk up into the basin at this time. However, I would stay off the frozen lakes as the ice is becoming compromised.
As of this morning, the Town of Mammoth Lakes has not started clearing the roads in the Lakes Basin. It’s looking like the road might not be plowed and opened until around July 1st.
There is plenty to do up here right now, so come on up to Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra and hit the snow during the morning, grab some lunch, and then use the afternoon and evening to explore the area below the snow line.
Mammoth Mountain Weather: There is a chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms at times right into early next week. As the next cut-off low moves in, the storms could get quite wet by late morning or early afternoon right into Monday. Be ready for possibly heavy rain after the noon hours right into Monday.
Chances range from 30% to 50% each afternoon. Snow levels during heavy storms could briefly drop down to around 10,000 feet.
Temperatures will be in the low to mid-50s around Main Lodge. Overnight lows are expected down into the low to mid-30s. Winds will be in the light range except in areas where thunderstorms develop and go off. Overall the next month looks to be below average temperature-wise.
Get our complete Mammoth Weather Forecast & Long Range Discussion at this link.
Road Conditions: Highways 395, 203, and the Scenic Loop are open and clear. Tioga and Sonora Pass are closed and not expected to open until around July 4th. Many Forest Service roads are closed from erosion and the current high runoff that is taking place from Mammoth Lakes down to Bishop.
Mammoth Mountain Snow Report & Operations
Summer Skiing and Snowboarding time. Expect conditions to be firm at 7:30 AM when the lifts open, as overnight lows are down in the 30s. The bottom line is that the Snow sets up well each night, making for some good fast fun early, leading to some soft corn by mid-morning.
This week the Snow over the Top is expected to change to soft corn around 10 AM on most days. On chair 23, the Drop Outs thaw first, with the Wipe Outs following shortly with some nice thawing corn snow turns. The Sign Line and Climax are also good by 10 AM with the early morning sun they get.
For those that like the steep groomed runs, Cornice Bowl and Scotties are getting groomed several times a week and get soft around 10 AM. The Snow does get all bunched up in about an hour on Cornice once it gets soft.
Scotties run has been staying flatter longer and offering better turns. Just wait until 10 AM to ski Scotties so you don’t encounter the race detour and miss the St Anton corn snow.
The Face of 3 is also offering up some fun turns. Crews continue to groom the center bowl nice and wide every night. Over on West Bowl, there are minor bumps with one extensive bump line right down the skier’s right. Over on the skier’s left is a long banked slalom course carved out by some local shredders.
With the conditions now wet and warm by mid-morning, waxing your gear at least every other day is mandatory. I wax nighty to help prevent that slow and sticky snow feeling. Fast Ski Sports is doing a FREE hot wax, so check them out if you cannot wax your gear.
Coverage on the hill is excellent, with a 10-25 Foot base from The Mill up to the Top.
Lift hours are now from 7:30 AM to 1 PM, with these lifts expected: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 12 & 23. This weekend chairs 13 and 14 are also likely to run.
Lift Tickets for Spring are in the $99 to $139 range and can be purchased online at this link. The best deal on lift tickets is to purchase an IKON Pass at this link. You can buy one today and start using it right now, and it’s good through next season.
Ski and Snowboard Rentals: Black Tie Ski Rent is open right until Mammoth Mountain closes this summer. Use this link to get the 20% off Snowman discount.
Eastern Sierra Travel Information
Beware of High Run Off: Creeks and Streams are death traps. One life was already taken from the high water.
Hikers, beware that all trails above the 8500-foot level still have as much as 10-20 feet of Snow on the ground. It will be August or longer before most of the snowpack melts off above the 9000-foot level.
Area Roads: 395 is open north and southbound with no restrictions. Highway 203 is open to the Main Lodge. No date is set for the road to open to the Minaret Vista. The Snow at the entrance station to Reds Meadow is about 12-14 feet high at this time. It might be a month or longer. Tioga and Sonora Passes are closed with no opening dates set but with plowing and blowing underway.
Mammoth Lakes Shuttle Busses: The Mammoth Lakes Trolley is Open with the Ski Area Shuttle bus running from the Village to the Main Lodge.
Mountain Biking: If you’re into Mountain Biking, the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park opening will be delayed this season. The good news is that for those who love to pedal and are fit, there will still be many places for you to ride in the Eastern Sierra. Check out our new Mountain Biking Website here.
Camping Season: All campgrounds below the 8000-foot level are expected to open on June 9th.
The Mammoth Lakes Basin: The basin is still buried in deep Snow, 6-12+ feet deep. Plowing of the roads in the basin is set to start on June 19th and could take a week to complete.
After that, the area will be closed to traffic while repairs from the winter take place. The best guess for an opening would be around July 4th. Don’t expect the Snow to have all melted off by then, but the road could be a go.
Rock Creek Canyon: The road is open to Rock Creek Lodge. Nothing else is plowed out yet. Rock Creek Lakes is about half melted out, with some broken sections with Snow on most shoreline areas.
Bishop Creek Canyon: The Road is open to Lake Sabrina and South Lake, with Snow on the ground above 8500 feet.
Buttermilk Area: Cooler-than-average weather is making for some great June Climbing and Mountain Biking in this area.
Other Things to Do in the Eastern Sierra: There are many things to do besides Snow Sports and Mountain Biking. We have compiled a list of other things to do from Mammoth Lakes down to Bishop at this link.
July 4th Holiday: The big holiday weekend will feature winter sports at Mammoth Mountains Main Lodge. These lifts are expected to be open: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 23, along with the Panorama Gondola to the Top. The Mountain Bike Park is not expected to be open for the Holiday due to Snow.
On July 4th, down in town at 11 AM, they have a big parade with a 5 K run that goes off at 8 AM. There will also be July 4th Fireworks at Crowley Lake and a small July 2nd Fireworks show at the Village at Mammoth.
Up on Mammoth Mountain, there is a summit party on July 1st. There is no mention of a firework show like in 2017, so we will see.
Camping by this Holiday will still be limited to elevations below about 8500 feet, with the Lake Basin above Twin Lakes still expected to have several feet of Snow on the ground.
Please have a great Summer, and I will continue to update MammothSnowman.com a couple of times a week this Summer.
Snowman out…
Mammoth Mountain Photos – Spring 2023
Website Author – Steve Taylor – Mammoth Snowman – Over the last 35+ years, Snowman has spent countless hours studying and learning about Mammoth Mountain Weather and Snow Conditions first hand. He has been skiing around the hill with marked ski poles since March of 1991 so he can measure the fresh snowfall amounts out on the hill.
Snowman started blogging this information back in 1990 on the old Mammoth BBS system, then the RSN Forums and then on to MammothSnowman.com in 2004 with the Video & Photo Blog report. (No YouTube back then). Facebook got added to the fold back in 2008 and then the Facebook Group in 2016.
Reports, videos, and photos from the website have been featured on both local TV Stations here in Mammoth, along with AP, Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC News. You can learn more about the MammothSnowman.com team here.
