Report from May 11, 2025

Our plan was backcountry yesterday, but the wind said otherwise.

It was blowing about 60mph at the top of Chair 1 at Mammoth around 8 am.

The wind direction was magically just right and Mammoth was able to get all the chairs open.

Weirdly, the lower mountain was windier than the upper mountain.

I rode up Chair 2 at about 11 am, the wind was howling, the chair stopped a lot, but it was a warm wind.

I skated straight over to Chair 23 and started ripping Wipe Out & Drop Out laps in crispy, slushy snow.

I preferred Drop Out because you can ski the exciting, steeper upper section, then cut over the race course that had just opened to the public.

After looking around a little, I realized I was at a private ski resort.

Only Chair 23 and Chair 5 were open.

The entire lower mountain was closed, meaning we were the only ones skiing, and we were very few.

I stayed cranked laps on 23 until about 1 pm.

I headed home with a smile.

Thanks, Mammoth!

Photos