MAMMOTH POW DAY #347: Last Blast for a Record Winter?

By late May, after an all-time record winter for snowfall, most of the snow banks in town were melting, the aspen trees were getting green and leafy, and shell-shocked locals were enjoying the sun, grateful to not be shoveling snow or going to a funeral.

But on May 23rd, Mammoth residents were once again jolted awake by the sound of avalanche blasting (a little surreal given the t-shirt-and-shorts temps in town).

It turned out to be the surprise powder day of the season. The ski area was reporting four inches, but thanks to wind deposition, large sectors of the upper mountain had well over a foot of creamy, cold powder that was blown in and buffed smooth by the wind. For a few short hours the dirty slushbumps of spring were nowhere to be found.

The morning was spent by a lucky few slashing turns for cold crisp faceshots and taking one last crack at charging the steeper lines off the top with soft landings and smooth runouts.

More than half of the ski area is now officially closed (meaning not lift-served), but thanks to massive coverage and Mammoth’s liberal approach to closures and boundaries, this meant there was far more untracked for the taking than normal.

Mammoth’s snowfall total for the season now stands at 668 inches. Is this the last gasp? We’ve got until the Fourth of July to find out…