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Latest in Mammoth Mountain
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
Michael Fulton
September Dusting Hits Mammoth Mountain Six Weeks Before Opening Day
Mammoth got its first snow of 2026-27 on Monday 28 September - and promptly lost it by Tuesday morning. Barely an inch fell at McCoy Station, but with opening day pencilled in for Friday 13 November, it's the first sign the Sierra is waking up. Last year's date slipped from 14 November to 20 November, so nobody's booking flights on a dusting just yet. Here's where California's early openers stand.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Records 40cm of Snow as California Season Winds Down
Late-season snowfall has delivered 30-40cm of fresh powder to Mammoth Mountain, one of only two California resorts still operating. The storm triggered delayed openings and widespread lift holds as crews tackled avalanche mitigation work.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Cancels Pond Skim But Keeps Pushing Its Second Season
Mammoth Mountain has scrapped its annual Pond Skim event at Canyon Lodge, but the resort isn't winding down just yet. With more than 100 trails still open and a spring events calendar running through late April, Mammoth is leaning into its "Second Season" campaign and plans to stay open through at least Memorial Day. Canyon Lodge wraps up on April 19, shifting operations to Main Lodge for the final stretch.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Confirms Skiing Through Memorial Day Despite Below-Average Snow Season
Mammoth Mountain has confirmed it will keep lifts running through at least Memorial Day 2026, despite a below-average snow season by its own standards. With 243 inches recorded so far this season and a summit sitting above 11,000 feet, California's high-altitude workhorse is doing what it does best — outlasting everyone else on the calendar.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Ski Patroller Dies During Inbounds Avalanche Mitigation Work
A 30-year-old ski patroller has died from injuries sustained during avalanche control operations at Mammoth Mountain on 26 December. The incident raises questions about patroller safety protocols during extreme storm cycles and marks the second fatal inbounds avalanche at the California resort in less than a year.
Michael Fulton
California Ski Resorts Set for Major Christmas Storm Cycle
After the driest start to a California ski season in years, resorts are set to receive 40-100 inches of snow just in time for Christmas. The two-phase storm system arrives this weekend, with the best conditions developing Wednesday through Friday as snow levels drop and quality improves across the Sierra Nevada.
Michael Fulton
Ikon Pass App Consolidation Forces Resort-Specific App Users to Switch
Alterra Mountain Company has consolidated 14 resort-specific apps into its upgraded Ikon Pass platform, requiring users at resorts like Winter Park and Palisades Tahoe to migrate ahead of the 2025-26 season. The move prioritises pass-holder convenience over individual resort identity.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Extends Ski Season to June 15
Mammoth Mountain announces a June 15 closing date, offering skiers and riders an extended season of spring skiing opportunities in California's Sierra Nevada.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Extends Ski Season into June
Mammoth Mountain in California has announced it will continue its ski and snowboard operations into June, offering visitors an extended opportunity to enjoy spring conditions on the slopes.
Michael Fulton
Mammoth Mountain Avalanche Injures Ski Patroller Amid Heavy Sierra Snowfall
Two separate avalanche incidents at major California ski resorts marked a challenging day in the Sierra Nevada. At Mammoth Mountain, a ski patroller was seriously injured during avalanche control work, while Palisades Tahoe experienced two slides with no injuries reported. Both incidents followed intense snowfall of up to six feet in 36 hours.
Michael Fulton
Latest News
More from the SnowStash desk
Vermont Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Few Dates Set, Killington Waits on the Cold
Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.
9 Oct 2026
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026