Spring skiing, record Sierra snow

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

And the snow just keeps coming....

Forget the Memorial Day backyard BBQ ... how does a weekend of skiing sound? As we’ve already reported on Outposts, for the fifth time in seven years Mammoth Mountain will be open through July 4, and for the first time that I can remember, some Lake Tahoe resorts will be open for Memorial Day weekend.

Mammoth picked up about 33 inches of snow this past week, for a record 660 inches — so far. That’s nearly double the resort’s average of 342.5. That photo above is from Memorial Day 2010, when the season total was nearly 558 inches.

Up at Tahoe, the snowpack has also been fantastically deep, so much so that the first stage of the Amgen Tour of California, which was to circle the lake, was canceled. But there’s still skiing. Here’s a rundown of resorts extending their seasons:

— Squaw Valley will be open for skiing and boarding through May 30 on Fridays through Sundays until 2 p.m. The High Camp pool and bar area will be open until 4 p.m.

— Alpine Meadows is closed but will reopen for July 4 weekend, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

— Kirkwood is closed but will reopen for Memorial Day weekend

— Boreal is closed but will reopen for its June Ski/Snowboard Camp on June 20-24. Wait, is this Mt. Hood or California?

All of the resorts listed will offer discounted tickets, so check their websites for details.

And if you’re a backpacker or fisher-person, don’t even think about accessing the backcountry for a while. Lake Mary Road to the Mammoth Lakes Basin is still closed. And the Inyo National Forest says Reds Meadow Road is projected to open June 24, later than normal due to the huge snowpack.

— Julie Sheer