Nearly All of Mammoth Mountain Closed as Biggest Storm of the Season Dumps 10 Feet of Snow

Blizzard conditions in the Eastern Sierra on Tuesday again have forced two popular ski resorts to cease part or all operations as the area looks to dig out of what has been the biggest storm of the season thus far. June Mountain is closed for a second straight day, as forecasts call for anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of snow, according to a post on the resort’s Facebook post. The resort has received more than 10 feet of snow since Saturday. To the south, most of Mammoth Mountain — including all of Main Lodge — will also remain closed on Tuesday. The Village Gondola that takes people up to Canyon Lodge was open Tuesday morning, and three lifts on that part of the mountain were open as of 10:20 a.m., according to Mammoth Mountain’s website. And only one of three lifts that services Eagle Lodge was expected to open Tuesday. Eagle and Canyon lodges are at lower elevations than Main Lodge. In total, only 26 out of the mountain’s 157 trails will be open, according to the website. Since Monday night, Mammoth was inundated with another 21 inches of snow at Main Lodge and 36 inches at the summit, bringing the totals from the latest storm up to about 7 to 10 feet. “Snow is extremely deep, be safe and do not ride alone,” officials warned in the resort’s daily snow and weather report. June Mountain, meanwhile, had received more than 130 inches of snow in the storm cycle, or nearly 11 feet. The two resorts are owned by the same Colorado-based company. Crews were working to remove massive piles of snow in preparation for Wednesday, which is expected to be sunny with a high near 25 degrees, National Weather Service forecasters said. As for what skiers and snowboards can expect once operations fully resume: “Colder temperatures … have resulted in excellent snow quality,” according to a news release sent on behalf of the resorts. Areas like Wrightwood and Running Springs have received 2 to 3 feet of fresh powder in the past week, and by Tuesday afternoon snow had blanketed some lower-elevation communities that don’t often see it, such as Yucaipa and Oak Glen in San Bernardino County. On the 5 Freeway, California Highway Patrol was escorting drivers through the Grapevine because of icy conditions. Drivers were warned to have plenty of fuel in case closures or heavy traffic cause major delays.