Mammoth Mountain Snow Report from the Snowman
Friday, December 29th @ Noon – Surface conditions are machine groomed with a firm and fast base. With the windy conditions at times, you will find some off-the-groomed wind buff and softer sugar snow blowing around once the crowd turns up the snow in the morning.
The grooming crew is doing a great job getting you a nice flat surface to carve on. When the Mountain opens in the morning, you will find some softer carve-able corduroy mixed in with the firmer snow on the hill.
The base is low tide with 17.6 inches at the 9000-foot level with an estimated 20-30 inches up top and on the faces of 3 and 5. The opened groomers have decent coverage, with a few floaters you’ll encounter.
Off the groomed, you will find large rocks, stumps, and blow down you’re not used to seeing mid-winter. Take it easy, be careful, and stick the groomed if you’re not into Adventure skiing.
>> The Video Below is a couple of weeks old, but conditions are still about the same. We plan to do an updated video after the current Holiday Period.
If you plan on heading out on the hill over the Holiday period, I would advise you to ski and ride the groomers out of the Main Lodge area early when the Mountain opens before most people arrive. Take a break at ten and then head to the top for laps off of 23; if you’re not into the top, give the runs off of Chair 12 a try during the mid-day.
Mammoth is right in the middle of the 16-Day Post-Christmas Period, so expect the Mountain to be a bit busy mid-day right into Saturday, January 6th.
Taking a more detailed look at conditions out on the hill. Cornice is getting groomed out nightly and offers a fun, smooth surface early on. Watch for the soft snow piles that build up during the day, and yes, the run starts very firm and slick, so be ready for it. I prefer the skier’s left side on Cornice Bowl for the best snow.
The mid to lower Dropouts have some decent lines you can traverse from the top of Cornice Bowl. We need more skier and rider traffic here, but the snow is slowly getting packed and buffed out with some stop-and-go lines.
The mid to lower Drop Outs have some decent lines you can traverse to get access from the top of Cornice Bowl. There is some good packed out wind buff lines here now.
You can get into the Wipe Outs from the top of WP 2; there are some decent turns in both 1 and 2. Watch out for the lurker rocks out there, especially at the top of the Wipe Outs and the Drops Outs. Once you’re out of the chutes, I would traverse over to the Drop Out side if you want more packed-out snow.
I have not ventured out to the Noids or Monument yet; they looked a bit chunky for this old fart when I had my chance a couple of days ago. From the photo of that area below, you can see those runs could use more snow. If they get packed out, I might venture there after the New Year hits.
Off of G2, Climax and Dave’s Run are both too low tide to open to the public. Some kook poached Daves the other day, and that’s the line in the image below.
The Face of 3 is now all small to medium bumps in both the Center Bowl and West Bowl. Crews cannot groom Center Bowl as there is not enough snow at this time. I would wait til mid-day to ski both Center Bowl and West Bowl, as the snow will be a bit softer.
While chair five is closed, you can still access the Face of 5 and pick your way through to the good lines. I have not skied it this week, but I saw a lot of people on the Face and in Upper Dry Creek the other day.
St Anton – The snow was decent here last time I skied down, but it was not groomed. I would avoid this run until there is more base on the ground and the grooming crew can get the run cleaned up. Right now, there are still some large rocks sticking out and some small tree tops.
Broadway – So far this season, the best groomer run has been Broadway, top to bottom. Firm, fast, carvable fun that puts a smile on my Face just typing this report up. I have not seen any floaters or bare spots here for several weeks. The snowmaking crew has run the fixed fan guns a bunch to get great coverage on Broadway.
Chair 14 Area – The snowpack here is too low tide right now. You can get some turns in, but a significant number of tiny treetops are sticking up on all the runs. I would avoid the back side until at least a foot of additional base is out on the hill.
During the later part of the day, the race runs, Andy’s Double Gold and Fascination sometimes open up, and the snow there is always good for some laps.
Saddle Bowl – This run is an old standard that keeps giving up the goods for a groomer day after day this season. Laps early in the morning are all nice carvable corduroy.
Lower Solitude – The snow here has improved with nightly grooming and additional snowmaking. You still need to watch for floaters, especially on the skier’s right side of the run.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Stats: Everyone wants the basic stats about Mammoth Mountain
Base Elevation 7,953 ft Summit Elevation 11,053 ft Vertical Rise 3,100 ft Skiable Acres 3,500+ Number of Named Trails 150 Number of Lifts 25 (includes 9 express quads, 2 express six-packs, 2 gondolas) Snowmaking over 50 trails Parks 8 parks with 100+ jibs and 50+ jumps; 3 halfpipes The average Snowfall per Year is 400 inches Average Season Length Nov into June
Terrain 15% expert 20% advanced 40% intermediate 25% beginner
Check out the full overview write-up on the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area at this link.
Live Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Webcams and Still Captures: If you’re looking for current conditions via a webcam view here is the link to take it all in without having to mess with the live webcam control page. I stop by this page at this 2-3 times a day when I need a Mammoth Mountain fix.
Winter Season Operations & Hours: Lifts run from early November until at least Memorial Day each season. This is one of the longest and most consistent seasonal operations in the country. Lifts run from 8:30 AM until 4 PM wind and weather permitting.
Base Lodges: You will find three Base Lodges and 2 Outpost locations at Mammoth Mountain. The Main Lodge is 8900 feet, Canyon Lodge is 8300 Feet, and Little Eagle Lodge at 7900 feet.
Outposts: The Mill is located at the base of Chairs 2 and 10 and the Outpost is located out at the base of chairs 13 and 14. Both offer up food, beverages, water, and restrooms.
Snowmaking: Mammoth’s snowmaking system runs from Main Lodge to the top of the Mountain and over to both Canyon and Eagle Lodge. The system works best when supplemented with some natural snow.
Massive upgrades are taking place with the snowmaking system for the 2022/2023 season. Here is the link to learn more about the snowmaking system at Mammoth Mountain.
Mammoth Mountain Snowfall History: Looking for past snowfall trends and when to plan the best time to come up? Take a look at our snowfall history data page. You will find month-to-month snowfall from 1969 on. Here is the link to access the page.
Parking & Shuttles Service: There is some bogus info on the internet about parking and such at the hill. The bottom line is there is tons of parking if you show up early. Remember you don’t have to access Mammoth Mountain from a lodge you can walk in from several spots on the roads to chairs 4, 20, 21, 10, and of course Chair 2 which has its own parking lot.
For those who are late birds plan on parking down the hill and riding up from one of the MANY shuttle pick-up spots that are well-marked along the road and down in town. During big weekends, holidays and bluebird powder days expect to wait as the crowds will be out. Here is the link to learn more about the shuttle service from town and the parking shuttles.
Lodging Options: We have a few private lodging rentals listed here on the website. Here is the link to access that information.
Get Lift Tickets: The best deal is to get an Ikon Season Pass, 7 days or less and the pass pays for itself. Enjoy the freedom of having a season pass. Just pull up boot up and go, no lines or sell-out days. If you’re looking for a deal on daily lift tickets I would bookmark the lift ticket page at the Ski Area website. There are often non-holiday deals posted.
Black Tie Ski & Snowboard Rentals is offering Mammoth Snowman Website Visitors a 20% off discount. They will deliver gear right to your door or you can walk in for service. Here is the link to set up your reservation and get your Mammoth Snowman discount.
Got Ski Boot Pain? When the Snowman was a young buck in 81 he was ready to quit skiing from foot pain. Then he was fitted with Super Feet Orthotics and got the needed ski boot work down at Footloose Sports. The results were no real foot pain for 4 decades! Learn more about their ski boot fitting service here or call them at 760-934-2400 today.
Need a Ski Tune-Up Matt over at Fast Ski Sports will be in and out of the shop again in Mid October. Give him a call to inquire when you can drop your gear off. Snowman usually drops his gear off in later October so it’s in the early season lineup before any early dumpers hit the hill. Here is the link to see the current tune-up prices.
Other things to do in Mammoth Lakes and the Eastern Sierra: If members of your family are not into skiing and snowboarding there is a ton to do in the wintertime. Here is the link to learn more.
Mammoth Mountain Photos Late December 2023 – Low Tide
Photos of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Live MC Coy Station Webcam Feed
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Trail Map
Opening Day Video Snow Report from 10-29-21 in 4k
Where is Mammoth Mountain & Mammoth Lakes, California?
Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol Snowfall Data from 2021-22
Past Mammoth Mountain Snow Report Posts
Mammoth Mountain Resort Snow Conditions:
The Mammoth Snowman and Crew bring you the snow conditions at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, from a local’s point of view. Log on daily to get our fresh morning updates on the current snow conditions. We let you know if the snow is packed powder, powder, firm, or soft. There are on-hill reports from the Top, the Groomers, the East Bowl, Lincoln Mountain, and the Paranoids.
You will also find the current snow depths at the Main Lodge, The Summit at 11,053 feet, Canyon Lodge, and the Little Eagle lodge area. Last but not least you will find what lifts are scheduled to run and what lifts could be on Weather Hold and what the hours of operations our.
Make sure to read our on-mountain trip reports that get posted a couple of days a week with current on-mountain photos and our own Mammoth Snowman Video Snow Report from the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. When you read our content is the real deal from real people that have been on the hill that day.
Disclaimer on Snow Conditions and our Snow Reports
This is a simple disclaimer to keep us legal. First, this website is run by Mammoth Locals, we are not employees of Mammoth Mountain, but yes they do support our efforts.
Second, Snow Conditions change by the hour, so when you read our posts please consider when the post or report was made.
Check the date on the report before you email us! Nothing worse than some crybaby complaining that our conditions are not right. Yep, I get emails like that, again read the date, and don’t be a jerk.
Please Remember that the longer time has passed, the more the conditions have changed.
Third, what Snowman or any other member of the www.mammothsnowman.com community posts is purely based on how that person views snow conditions.
Everyone looks at things in their own view, so one person’s epic might not be your epic day. For example, I love spring corn snow but many people hate it.
Fourth you can die skiing or snowboarding, if you’re not skilled don’t take the runs Snowman or somebody else in the community might suggest.
Many of our videos contain extreme footage by professional athletes that ski and ride full time. We do not endorse these activities and encourage you not to try the tricks and extreme moves the professionals make in our videos and or images.
If you do, you do so of your own accord and risk and you further understand you risk almost certain death at times!
And last but not least thanks to the State of California you must be 18 or older to use this website.
If you’re not 18 log off now or we will have to call your parents to shut you down. 
Snowman
