Having received nearly three feet of snow this October at Main Lodge, including 15” from last weekend’s storm, Mammoth Mountain will open for business this Friday. 

This is the first October opening since 2009. 

Chairs 1, 3 and the upper and lower Gondola will be in operation. 

Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Sales Joani Lynch said that by the way the wind loaded in the last storm, “Dave’s [Run] is actually pretty caked,” and may be accessible to skiers and riders.

While Stump Alley will not be open to skiing, Lynch said the mountain plans to run Chair 2 for both parking and access. 

Return skiing via Stump Alley is not encouraged, nor will the mountain download skiers at the end of the day via Chair 2. 

Look for a well-marked return route to the parking lot. 

The Mill at the bottom of 2 will not be open for food service – just for restrooms. Main Lodge will be open for all services. McCoy Station will provide outdoor food options – the indoor marketplace will not be open. 

The only difference in operations come Monday, November 1 is that Chair 2 is not anticipated to run midweek. 

Other California resorts expected to open this weekend include Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) and Boreal. 

Based on the number of Ikon pass sales, it’s a bit of a challenge for Mammoth Resorts to guess who’ll show up this weekend, but Lynch said she expects it will be busy.