The Best Way to Ride Spring Snow at Mammoth Mountain
Any day at Mammoth Mountain is a good day, but even a place like Mammoth won’t be covered in incredible snow for the entire ski season. In fact, although low coverage conditions are most often associated with the end of the season they can happen any time there are long periods with no snowfall and warm weather.
Just because there isn’t any powder at Mammoth Mountain doesn’t mean you won’t have a blast skiing or snowboarding here though. In fact, thanks to the large amount of terrain and terrain parks you can have fun no matter the conditions. If you’re riding at Mammoth Mountain and the conditions are thin, fast, or slushy, check out our guide below to see the best things to do at Mammoth Mountain during spring conditions!
Embrace the Atmosphere
From early morning traffic to long lift lines once you get to the mountain, powder days are full of competition to get to the best snow.
When there’s been a snow drought and warm weather though, all the stress involved with making first tracks on powder flies out the window and you can truly embrace the joy of simply riding. Whether that means spending more time chatting in between runs at the lodge, swapping stories on the lift about where you heard the snow is good, or completely focusing on having fun instead of making the best turns, embrace the laidback atmosphere and your day will be much better.
Have Fun on the Groomers
Even if you love trees, cliffs, or steep chutes, skiing or snowboarding groomed runs is still skiing and snowboarding, so if they’re the only place you can ride then have a blast doing it.
You should always stay in control and be aware of the people sharing the slope with you, but spring conditions are the perfect time to push your skills in ways you usually don’t. That may mean riding switch for an entire run, pushing your carving to its limits, or working on your butters near the base, but no matter what you do have fun.
It may not feel like it but pushing your skills on groomers is a great way to keep them sharp for when other parts of the mountain have more snow.
Enjoy the Terrain Park: Mammoth Unbound
For some people the terrain park is the reason you go snowboarding or skiing. For others, it’s a distraction from riding the actual mountain terrain that makes skiing and snowboarding thrilling. No matter your opinion on the park though, it’s the perfect place to have fun when the snow is thin or slushy.
Thanks to Mammoth Mountain’s incredible Unbound Terrain park crew, you’ll find perfectly designed jumps and rails that you’d never get to hit anywhere else on the mountain. If the snow isn’t great, then take advantage of the park and all its features so that you’re better prepared to hit whatever you like on Mammoth Mountain’s slopes when you can.
Ride Centered on your Board or Skis
On a more technical note, slushy snow can catch your edges much more easily than regular snow. For that reason, focus on keeping your weight centered on your board or skis so that if your edge catches on slush you don’t get thrown by it.
If you’re riding on hard and fast conditions, then it’s also important that your goggles have the right lenses to see through flat light. Dark lenses will block out the sun, but if it’s not sunny then they may make it hard to see fast or icy patches of snow.