Mammoth Mountain’s exposed location on the east side of the Sierra Nevada makes the ski area particularly susceptible to so-called Pacific storms which regularly make landfall. Mammoth Mountain ski area is just 200 km from the Pacific coast as the crow flies. It is not uncommon for a metre or more of new snow to fall overnight. In total, Mammoth Mountain averages over ten meters of snow every season, making it no.1 in this respect in North America. (In comparison: Beaver Creek in Colorado only averages around eight meters of snow per season). As the lowest point in the ski area is still higher than the 2,400m mark, Mammoth Mountain can usually already open its doors for winter sports at the start of November. The season often extends far into May or even into June.
Snow cannons guarantee snow around the base lodges
Despite Mammoth Mountain being naturally blessed with meters of the white stuff, numerous snow cannons are also installed on the low-lying trails and along all runs into the valley. In total, 193 hectares or 46 trails can be artificially prepared. This represents roughly 33% of the entire ski area (as of March 2016).