Mammoth Mountain gets taste of winter

Are you ready for the ski and snowboard season?

Sure, it's blazing today in the flatlands, where wintry weather always seems late to arrive. But how about tomorrow in the Eastern Sierra?

The above photo was taken Sunday at Mammoth Mountain ski area, after the season's first storm deposited three inches of snow high-elevation peaks.

A substantial cool-down is expected by week's end and the Eastern Sierra forecast calls for more snow flurries this weekend, probably late Friday through much of Saturday.

Mammoth has scheduled a mid-November opening so it's not too early for Southland sliders and riders to get their gear in order.

On a side note, Horizon Air will begin providing service between Los Angeles and Mammoth Lakes on Dec. 18. This morning I performed a random price check: A roundtrip ticket for a Dec. 22 departure and Dec. 26 return is $218.

Not bad considering it'd cost nearly that much to make the 700-mile round-trip in an automobile.

And yes, I suppose I am dreaming of a white Christmas.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo courtesy of Mammoth Mountain