October Snowstorm Hits Mammoth Mountain, California (Photos)

The low temperatures are expected to hover around the mid 20s until the weekend, with highs dipping back into the 60s later this week. There’s no telling if the snow will stick around, but it will certainly provide a nice base for snowmakers to layer on top of while temperatures cooperate.

The folks over at Powderchasers have predicted that up to 24” of snow could be on the ground by the time the clock hits midnight on October 17, 2025.

Right now, we’re still over a month out from Mammoth’s projected opening day of November 14, 2025. That opening day could be pushed up, if weather cooperates, but a Mammoth Mountain grooming manager squashed any hopes that the mountain could spin lifts this weekend.

“A foot of snow is not gonna open the mountain,” Bernie Rosow wrote on Instagram. “Lotta people asking right now. Don’t hold your breath, but they will open the mountain early if they can. Gonna take a lot more than this though.”

It’s officially that time of year when the big dogs are ramping up toward opening day. Arapahoe Basin and Keystone Resort in Colorado both have begun snowmaking. Vail Resorts has previously said that it hopes to open Keystone up in October. A-Basin was the first resort open in Summit County, Colorado when it opened on November 2, 2024 last season.

Meanwhile, over in Montana, Bridger Bowl, Red Lodge Mountain, and Whitefish have all seen some snowflakes already this winter.  Several inches of snow covered the Beartooth Highway, which was closed to traffic on October 6, 2025.