Mammoth Mountain has moved up its opening date for the winter sports season to later this month — just in time for Halloween — amid forecasts of the region’s first major storm of the season, the resort announced Thursday.
The popular skiing and snowboarding destination was originally slated to open on Nov. 13, but the season will instead begin on Oct. 29. It will be just the 10th time in Mammoth’s history that the mountain has opened in October for skiing and snowboarding.
Resort officials said they moved up the opening date due in part to an atmospheric river that is expected to take aim at the Eastern Sierra beginning this weekend, potentially dumping multiple feet of snow in the region. The National Weather Service’s forecast called for periods of heavy mountain snow from Sunday through Tuesday.
The storm system will help bolster the snow totals from early season snowfall along with the efforts of snowmaking machines, officials added.
To date, the mountain has received 17 inches of snow at Main Lodge and 20 inches at the summit, including 5 inches in the past 72 hours.
Mammoth is currently on target for its snowiest October in the past 10 years, the resort said Thursday.
It’s unclear how many lifts and trails will be open to start, but officials are expected to release more details about the opening early next week.
