Mammoth Mountain just extended its ski season through early August

THE SUN SHINES ON MAMMOTH — does it ever — which makes the ethereal alpine setting especially golden when the height of summer arrives. Sunlight gives all of those fir trees a green depth while local streams sparkle and gush. And the Minarets? Those not-so-distant mountains take on an especially warm light throughout July and August. But sometimes a snowy scene lingers at the ski/ride destination, especially when the previous winter delivered one flake-filled wallop after another. Such is the cold/warm case of Mammoth Mountain in late July 2023: The sun is doing its golden-up-everything thing even while skiing continues, and shall continue, into early August. The destination just announced a new end date, meaning if you'd like to ski through Aug. 6, all while soaking up that golden and gorgeous summer light, you're in luck.

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN... has kept the winter-style fun running into the earliest days of the eighth month before, so this is not a first. But it is a rare thing, and you can bet fans will be there over the last days of the season to joyfully close it all out. It won't stay closed for long, however, for the Eastern Sierra destination traditionally reopens in early November, meaning you'll only have a three-month wait. But wait: How is the peak-pretty place keeping the skiing so hot for so long? In a word, accumulation. Some 715 inches were recorded at the Main Lodge over the 2022-2023 season, with "much more up top" per the Mammoth team. And big yep: Those 715 inches made for a new snowfall record. Do keep in mind that the high-summer skiing is early-morning skiing, or at least before-noon skiing, so you'll want to be up and at 'em early. The hours through Aug. 6 are 7:30 a.m. to 12 o'clock.