SeniorsSkiing Guide: Mammoth Update
Spring Skiing Paradise
Editor Note: As of April 12, even more snow has fallen on the Sierra Nevada since this report was written.
Mammoth is known for its late closings, generally after Memorial Day, but this year, closing is scheduled for July 4th! On April 1st, the snow depth at the top of the 11,059 ft. mountain was a 230 inches, about 20 feet. At the McCoy Station, it drops to 195 ft. and at the base, it’s 160 ft. Temperature at the top is in the high teens and at the base, in the low 20s. It will feel warmer due to the bright sun, but the high may not reach 30 so bring your suntan lotion because you’ll need it.
Conditions vary from packed powder to packed powder. There’s a few slightly slushy (on April 2nd) spots near the base, places where there is lots of sun, the conditions make it soft, but for 95% of the trails, the conditions are near perfect. And, by the way, it still snows a lot in April.
Every night, trails are groomed and black diamond runs have a smooth path through the moguls. Frozen granular exists in a few places, bare spots are non-existent, and it will be weeks before they appear.
So here’s what lots of snow does for you. Off Lifts 9 and 25, there are glades. In February, there’s 15 to 20 feet between the trees. Now, with 200+ inches on the ground, there’s 50 feet between the trees because you’re skiing among the treetops. It makes glade skiing a joy.
Mammoth is a mecca for snowboarders. It has eight, count’em eight, terrain parks for boarders.
For seniors, 40% of the runs are listed as intermediate (all of which are groomed daily) and 35% expert. Better yet, on every level of the Canyon, Main, Eagle Lodges, and the McCoy Station, there are bathrooms on every level so there’s no stairs to climb. At the Canyon, Main and Eagle, there are also many banks of lockers. When you enter Canyon Lodge, you are greeted by an escalator that takes you up a floor, walk another 20 feet to a second escalator and then its about 100 feet to where you put your skis on to pick up Canyon Express (Lift 17).
Parking is limited at all of the base areas that offer vehicle access. My recommendation is take a hotel shuttle or local bus that drops you off at the lodge of your choice so you don’t have to walk to/from your parked car.
Mammoth was purchased by Alterra Corporation (Aspen Ski Corporation and a private equity firm called KSL Partners) in 2017 and is in the midst of a $100 million upgrade. Buy your tickets in advance because they are really pricey if you walk up to the window. Grandkids under 12 ski free.
Lifts open at the base at 8:30 a.m. Two are six-seaters, 11 are high-speed quads, five are triples and three are old-fashioned doubles. The Village Gondola takes skiers from Mammoth Village opens first and takes skiers to the Canyon Lodge complex. Stay off Lift 25 that is high on the upgrade list. It is a slow triple with no safety bar or footrest.
Ski during the week because on weekends, Southern Californians flock to Mammoth. Lift lines ebb and flow and most, except for the mid-station, were less than five minutes when I was there in late March, early April. You’ll have to ski the area to figure out what lifts you like based on the terrain you like skiing. I gravitated to Lift 5 (High Five Express), Lift 10 (Gold Rush Express), where there’s a healthy mix of thigh burners and cruising runs and Lift 9 (Cloud Nine) for access to the glades.
Click here for Mammoth Mountain Trail Map
Click here for Mammoth Mountain Webcam
Spring Skiing And Gaping At Jackson Hole
The First Week Of April Brings “Gapers” To JH And A Different Skiing Experience
Editor Note: We are quite pleased when readers submit articles for publication in SeniorsSkiing.com. David Barnes is a long-time reader who sent us this account of a yearly ritual at the venerable Jackson Hole. Thanks David.
Jackson Hole. Two words that strike double-black-diamond terror in the hearts of many skiers, young and old alike. But, it shouldn’t. Sure, half of the runs are black diamonds, including one called Corbet’s Couloir that’s more akin to a cliff than a ski run. But the other 50% of the mountain’s runs are blue and green, making for a welcome ski experience for any senior skier.
I first skied Jackson Hole in the late 80’s, with my new wife whose great aunt and uncle lived at the base of Rendezvous Mountain in Teton Village. At 72 years old, Uncle Warren took me on the old aerial tram, up 4,139 vertical feet to the 10,450’ summit. The wind was howling, the air was thin, and the run was steep. “Ready?” grinned Uncle Warren? I swallowed hard, clicked into my bindings, squeezed the poles hard, and nodded like a rodeo cowboy on a wild bull, waiting for the gate to open and release the snorting, bucking beast. I was 30 years old and quickly realized I was being out-skied by a 72 year old. When we’d reached the bottom, I declared I wanted to be like Warren when I grew up.
Since then, we’ve had the privilege of visiting Jackson Hole a dozen times or so, including the last week of skiing (first week of April) for the last three years. This is thanks to my mother-in-law, who owns a fraction of the Teton Club, a beautiful and massive log structure near the base of the Tram. Does this make me an expert on spring skiing at the Hole? Not exactly. But I’ve learned enough to understand that skiing the Hole in early April makes for a different experience. Generally, the weather is warm, sometimes too warm at the lower elevations; later in the week, the snow conditions at or near the bottom can be mashed potatoes. But the upper elevations typically provide good snow conditions.
In addition, there’s a fun day. April 1st is Gaper Day at the Hole. What’s Gaper Day? If you have to ask, you are one. I had to ask. Gaper Day is a chance for locals to poke fun at tourists by dressing up in kooky outfits on April Fools’ Day. You’ll see everyone from Uncle Sam, girls in bikinis and dudes in shorts and Hawaiian shirts with old film cameras hanging around their necks. And for some reason on this particular day, and, only this day, every chairlift spouts a prominent sign reading, “Absolutely no Alcohol on Lifts.” The signs didn’t seem to be 100% effective…
Loose Moose. Credit: David Barnes
Finally, the moose. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is just south of the Grand Teton National Park, which in turn is just south of Yellowstone. Hence, wildlife is abundant in the area, including moose. We saw a number of them this year, some on the mountain and some right in Teton Village at the base of the mountain. Most people are wise enough to keep their distance from the moose. Some don’t, either deliberately or by accident. My wife, for example, took a walk around the village one morning. As she turned a corner, she saw the back-end of a large brown animal close by. As she approached what she assumed was a cute stuffed moose, it slowly turned its big head and looked at her. Wide-eyed, my wife slowly backed away and then hot-footed it back around the corner, where she nearly ran into a Jackson Hole Mountain Resort employee. “It’s REAL!” stammered my wife. The employee gave her a dispassionate look. “Oh no,” thought my wife as she watched the employee amble away. “I’m a Gaper…”
Editor Note: The video below is from 2013, but it shows the “spirits” of Gaper Day, honoring April 1, a day for foolishness.
Mystery Glimpse: Cablin’
Where? When? What’s Special?
Thanks to the New England Ski Museum for this picture of a unique moment in skiing history. The NESM has recently opened a new branch on North Conway, NH.
Last Week
This is a “10th Mountain Whisk”, designated by government purveyors as “Brush, Mountain”. It is a stiff brush particularly useful to 10th Mountain Division troops camped on snow. It is used to brush snow and frost from clothing and equipment and to keep the tent floor clean. This brush is not a readily available 10th artifact. Since these were used not only to clean off snow, but as fire starters, they are rare.
An extra special thanks to the Colorado Snowsports Museum for offering this curiosity. We had only one guess from a reader which was actually pretty close.
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