Mammoth Mountain Now Open for Skiing and Riding

Mammoth Mountain, CA – Thousands of skiers and snowboarders took their first runs of the season this morning at Mammoth. A powerful storm recently hit the Eastern Sierra early this week dropping over two feet of snow on Mammoth Mountain allowing the California resort to open today, four weeks ahead of schedule.

* Mammoth Mountain opened for skiing and snowboarding today, Friday, October 16, 2009.
* To celebrate opening day, skiing and riding was FREE for everyone.
* Today marked one of the earliest openings on record for the California resort.
* Mammoth has a base of 12-24” of natural, machine groomed packed snow and is open top-to-bottom.
* Three chairlifts ran today – Broadway Express (Chair 1), Face Lift Express (Chair 3) and Chair 23.

Photo: Mammoth C.E.O. Rusty Gregory loads chairs on opening day at Mammoth Mountain (Credit: Peatross/MMSA)

Broadway Express (Chair 1) fired up at 8:30 a.m. and within an hour Facelift Express (Chair 3) was also open providing access to more than 10 runs from mid-mountain to Main Lodge. Chair 23 began running at 12:45 providing access to the top of Mammoth Mountain. The Unbound Terrain Park crew was also hard at work to provide an array of rails and jibs for anxious skiers and snowboarders.

“I’m amazed not only by the number of people we had here today, but also by the level of riding I’ve see in the park today,” said Oren Tanzer, Director of Youth Action Sports at Mammoth Mountain. “People are picking up right where they left off last season like they never missed a beat.”

For the weekend, Mammoth expects to operate Broadway Express, Face Lift Express and Chair 23 from 8:30-4:00pm. Other services available at Main Lodge include Broadway Marketplace, Tusks Bar, Rental and Retail.

To help skiers enjoy the great early season conditions, Mammoth is offering First Tracks lift and lodging packages for as low as $99 per person per night based on double occupancy. Please call 800.MAMMOTH or visit MammothMountain.com to book.

Early season obstacles exist. Visit MammothMountain.com or call the Snow Report at 888.SNOWRPT for all the latest weather and snow conditions.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is the leading four-season mountain resort in California. With 1.2 million annual skier visits, Mammoth Mountain is currently the third most frequented ski resort in the United States. The company owns and operates a variety of resort businesses including recreation, hospitality, real estate development, food and beverage and retail. Specific businesses owned and operated by Mammoth Mountain include Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, June Mountain, Tamarack Lodge and Resort, Mammoth Snowmobile Adventures, Mammoth Mountain Bike Park and the Mammoth Mountain Inn. Mammoth Mountain also operates Juniper Springs Resort, the Village Lodge and Sierra Star Golf Course in Mammoth Lakes, California. For more information on Mammoth Mountain, visit MammothMountain.com or call 800.MAMMOTH.