May 15--Thanks to a new snow dump, Mammoth Mountain slopes will stay open until Memorial Day. Oh, and you can also bike and play golf.
The Sierra resort in Mammoth Lakes had originally decided to close on May 10 after a subpar snowfall for the 2014-15 season. But Mother Nature suddenly sprang into action and coated the mountain with snow on May 7 and 8.
With that reprieve, the resort was to have remained open until about May 17.
But ...
Mother Nature was at it again Thursday.
"Snow is currently coming down hard at Main Lodge," the resort's website said Thursday, "which means we'll be spinning the lifts through Memorial Day."
That's the traditional closing date. But before this week's snow, the resort had received just 166 inches of snow this season. But amounts are all over the map, as the chart above shows. Last season, which was also weak, it got 238 inches.
Still skimpy compared with the 2010-11 season that had 668.5 inches. That's 55.7 feet, or about the height of a three-story building, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat calculator.
The next season, snowfall totals dropped 61%.
With 5 inches of new snow, two lifts were open on Friday, its website said.
The weekend forecast calls for snow showers Friday and a chance of snow showers Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The resort is offering a lift ticket to ski, bike and play nine holes of golf on Memorial Day weekend for $99.
Info: Mammoth Mountain
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