Snow alert! Mammoth gets pounded, offers a guarantee

Snow was falling earlier today at the base of Mammoth Mountain's Broadway Express. Forecasts call for as much as 3 feet of fresh powder by Thursday morning. (Photo by Kevin Westenbarger/MMSA)

Snow was falling earlier today at the base of Mammoth Mountain’s Broadway Express. Forecasts call for as much as 3 feet of fresh powder by Thursday morning. (Photo by Kevin Westenbarger/MMSA)

By Jerry Rice

Mammoth Mountain is at the center of a storm system that’s likely to leave between 2 to 3 feet of fresh powder on the 11,060-foot summit by Thursday morning. As of 4 p.m. today, 7-10 inches of new snow was being reported at the base.

The Eastern Sierra resort also is offering a “snow guarantee,” which is good for bookings made by Dec. 15. It goes like this: if the base depth isn’t at a certain minimum level, guests get the option of a $100 gift card or the ability to change the reservation dates without being charged fees or penalties.

In other words, if the reservations are for Jan. 1, for example, the base depth needs to be 40 inches or more. If not, guests can take advantage of the guarantee. By Jan. 15, the level rises to 50 inches. The chart has dates through Feb. 15, and is available here.

Earlier, we reported that this could be California’s best ski and snowboard season in years. Don’t believe it? We have three reasons for the well-placed optimism.