The Best Photos From Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort’s October Snowstorm

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In California, winter is making its presence known.

At one of the region’s best-known haunts, Mammoth Mountain, three to five inches of snow fell this week, providing a very welcome tease ahead of the 2026-27 ski season.

Per the ski resort’s webcams, snow was continuing to fall Friday morning but, according to the National Weather Service, clear weather is expected in the coming days.

Mammoth Mountain’s planned opening date, November 13, is still a few weeks away. Last winter, like other ski resorts out West, Mammoth Mountain had a slightly bumpy start to the 2025-26 season, with the party delayed until November 20.

This season, hopes are riding on El Niño. While the increasingly strong climate pattern doesn’t guarantee how any given winter will look, it does boost the odds of above-normal precipitation in California, perhaps setting the stage for lots of moisture at Mammoth Mountain and, hopefully, lots of snow. If everything lines up, there’s a chance this winter will be one that we’re talking about for a long, long time.

But that’s enough looking ahead. It’s snowing at Mammoth right now, and the following photos are pure stoke.

Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes Snow, October 22, 2026

Related: The Story Behind POWDER Magazine’s 2026/27 Cover

This story was originally published by POWDER on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add POWDER as a Preferred Source by clicking here.