Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Snowfall History

The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Snowfall History Data is laid out in the image below. My viewpoint on snowfall comes as a 37-year season pass holder who lived in Mammoth Lakes full-time for most of those seasons. 

I started measuring Mammoth Mountain Snowfall during the March Miracle Storm Cycle of 1991. I installed duct tape on my poles and marked the first 18 inches and then up to the 3-foot mark.

Off the hill, we lived right below Canyon Lodge at the 8200-foot level. I started off measuring snow at that location with a 6-foot snow pole that I quickly extended up to 18.5 feet for the 92-93 Winter. Our deck would also serve as the 24 total stations back in those days.

As I recorded the snowfall I would post my findings in a notebook and yes also online on the original Mammoth BBS board.

Measuring snow during that first storm cycle in 91 was so much fun that I have continued over the last 30+ years. Been blessed to be on the hill for over 95% of the snowfall events shown below from 1985 on.

On average I find that the Powder Fields of Mammoth Mountain get around 30% more snow than is measured down at the Sesame Street snow study site.

Many of our storms especially the early ones offer heavy wet base snow. This type of snow allows the ski area to quickly open up a lot of terrain in the later parts of the Fall.

A couple of years ago I was skiing on the third Tuesday of November and was walking over dirt to get to the 3 trails open. 2 days later we had a 5-foot solid base of wind buff and you could ski off the top. 

All that heavy base snow when it falls early in the season is set up as a firm base that ends up taking months to melt off. That base also turns into some perfect corn snow later in the Spring and during the early Summer months.

Back in 2017, there was enough base to ski until August 6th, and back in 95, they kept access to the snow up top until August 16th.

Of all the big snow years, 2017 was the deepest base of snow that I have seen on the hill.

Pretty amazing if you look at that chart below, the Mountain had a 60-inch September back in the early 70s with an 85-inch October in 2004. That October was the best early-season skiing most of us old-timers in Mammoth have ever had.

Enjoy the data below, Steve Taylor – The Mammoth Snowman