Mammoth Mountain
Local's Snow Report
Get the Current Mountain Snow Conditions
As reported by the Mammoth Snowman & Team.
Locals Snow Report from the Snowman
December 15th, 2025 @ 7 AM – Currently, the groomed snow surface is firm and fast to start the morning. As the sun rises, the snow loosens as the day warms up.
Lifts Open as of today: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, along with G1 and G2 + Village Gondola. Canyon lifts are for access only.
The best groomed snow is on Broadway, Stump Alley, Mambo, World Cup, and Forest Trail, all of which offer solid early-season warm-up laps at this time.
Be aware that with a low-tide base of 1 to 3 feet, we’re seeing a ton of small floaters in sections of the open trails. Expect to debur your edges most nights.
Snowmaking
Warm days and nights have shut down the snowmaking system, and the forecast is for more of the same this week. Snowmaking moving forward is looking questionable at best.
Unbound
The Main Park is open with several features and one jump set up.
Here is more detailed information.
Broadway remains in decent shape; however, in the upper sections, a couple of bare spots appear during the day. The lower half is in great shape. Hot Tip: Try the roped off race course on the skier’s right once they drop the closed sign around 11 am.
Saddle Bowl remains in great shape with machine-groomed corduroy turns to start the day. As the snow gets tuned up, the surface is a lovely, duffy snow that is a blast to ski and ride on. The Grooming crew is doing a great job and keeps the obstacles down in here.
Mambo is still in great shape and worthy of multiple laps. I linked this run with Saddle Bowl several times on Thursday for some nice early-season leg burners.
The Unbound Main Park is open with several features and one jump.
Up Top, while it’s low tide, you can still get some fun hardpack turns mixed with some duff in certain sections. Dave’s run is the best off the Top right now.
Over on the Drop Outs, if you enter from the Top of the Cornice Bowl, you can avoid all the rocks in the top part of the Drop Outs. In the lower apron, the snow is a very set-up hard pack when I checked it out yesterday. The snow loosens up a bit by late morning and into the early afternoon. Make sure you have a good edge in here.
Cornice Bowl is groomed on the skier’s right side of the bowl, about three or four snow cats wide. As is the case most often, the grooming firms that snow up good. When I went down today, you could get a nice edge on the groomed hardpack, which also had some soft duffy snow on Top.
Face of Three: The Center bowl is low tide with firm bumps at the top. I would avoid it. West Bowl has some good turns if you come in from Saddle Bowl. I have not ventured over to Christmas Bowl or Coyote yet, will check those out next time out.
Stump Alley has some really nice groomed out snow. You need to watch for a few sections that have some floaters and very thin base spots. Skiers left has been the call for me on Stump the last few days.
Pray for Snow and Ski Ya Later, Snowman out…
PS: Got a new camera on order, so that the photo quality will improve over the next few weeks. 🙂
🍂 Mammoth Mountain Snow Report — Fall FAQ
1. When does Mammoth Mountain usually open for skiing?
Mammoth typically opens the Friday before Veterans Day. The exact date depends on natural snowfall and snowmaking conditions. In some seasons, an early winter hits with major footage in October. The mountain has opened as early as October 7th. One year open day was 10/7
2. When does Mammoth Mountain usually start making snow?
Crews are typically on site by mid-October, setting up lines and towers. Once the third week of October passes, they’ll fire up the guns whenever a cold air window appears.
3. How cold does it need to be for snowmaking at Mammoth?
The Wet-Bulb Temperature determines ideal snowmaking conditions. When it’s in the low to mid-20s, it means the Mammoth Mountain Snowmaking Crew can make lots and lots of snow. Learn more at our Mammoth Mountain Snowmaking Page.
4. Which runs get snowmaking first?
There’s a set priority that’s followed almost every year:
- Broadway
- Lower Unbound section
- Saddle Bowl for Chair 3
- The wraparound to Rusty’s and Fascination (for race camps)
- Sesame Street for Chair 11
- Then Unbound Main and Forest Trail down to The Mill
- Stump Alley comes next
This sequence ensures an opening-day base out of Main Lodge, terrain for early camps, and connections to the Mill and Mill Parking area as quickly as possible.
5. Can you ski at Mammoth during Thanksgiving?
Yes. Mammoth almost always offers skiing and riding by Thanksgiving, thanks to consistent early snowmaking. Terrain may be limited in lean years, but the resort prioritizes having multiple lifts and lodge access open during the holiday. If possible, they plan to have Canyon Lodge open for Thanksgiving 2025.
6. How reliable is snowmaking at Mammoth?
Snowmaking is a significant operation at Mammoth, usually running from late October through February. Even in low-snow years, snowmaking ensures skiing for the holidays.
7. What is the average snowfall during November and December
In November, 29 inches. December typically receives 67 inches of snow, with the most significant amount recorded in 2021 at 161 inches.
8. When does the upper mountain open for the season?
The upper mountain needs a good 3-4 foot base storm to kick things off. When does that happen? Every single year is different; there is no average. What I can tell you is that most years (70%), by Thanksgiving, they have at least one Cornice Bowl open.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Stats
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 nine express quads, two express six-packs, two gondolas)
Snowmaking 46 trails
Parks 8 parks with 100+ jibs and 50+ jumps; 3 halfpipes
Average Snowfall per Year: 400 inches
Season Length Nov–June
Terrain
15% expert
20% advanced
40% intermediate
25% beginner
Here is the link to our Mammoth Mountain Stats & Information Page
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Trail Map
Disclaimer on Snow Conditions and our Snow Reports
This is a simple disclaimer to ensure we remain legally compliant. 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 or reports, please consider when they were made. Please verify the date on the report before emailing it to us.
There’s 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 the 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 has their own perspective, so one person’s epic day might not be your epic day. For example, I love the taste of spring corn snow, but many people dislike 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 them.
Many of our videos contain extreme footage of professional athletes who ski and ride full-time. We do not endorse these activities and encourage you not to attempt the tricks and extreme moves that professionals perform in our videos 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!
Last but not least, please note that, according to the State of California, you must be 18 years 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