Photo: Robson Hatsukami Morgan//Unsplash
Much of the early winter spoils this year went to the state of Colorado, which saw almost two dozen of its ski resorts open by Thanksgiving weekend. Out in the Eastern Sierra, however, Mammoth Mountain finished November strong (real strong), with a couple of late-month flurries that pushed snow totals to the highest seen there since 2010.
Mammoth Mountain’s snow total was nothing to write home about through the first three weeks of November. Then nearly 50 inches of snow fell between November 23 and November 26 alone, bringing the month’s snow total to 62 inches – inching out (literally) the 2010 total of 61.
The solid base is a good omen but obviously no guarantee of the season ahead. The 2023-2024 record winter was off to a similar start but things really got moving in December and January. That winter finished out with Mammoth welcoming four consecutive 100-inch months. By the end of it all, Mammoth had 715 inches at Main Lodge for the season — well above its 400-inch season average.
In January 2017, Mammoth saw its snowiest month on record with 245.5 inches of snow en route to 617.5 inches for the 2016-2017 season, according to Snowbrains. Over the past decade, however, only three winters (2016-2017, 2018-2019, and 2023-2024) have seen snow totals eclipse 400 inches. The other six seasons, meanwhile, have averaged just 296 inches. While 300 inches is no dry winter, it’s still a significant drop from eclipsing 500, 600, and 700-inch seasons produced by consistent storms spread throughout the winter months.
The atmospheric river that just pushed November into record territory might have to hold over Eastern Sierra skiers and snowboarders for a couple more weeks now. The forecast for Mammoth doesn’t currently hint at any significant chances for more snow until mid-December. Still, a solid base is something to celebrate with cooler conditions and plenty of trails and lifts open this early in the season.
