We all have the one incredibly prompt, ultra-punctual friend.
They're waiting for you at the restaurant when you arrive, they mail your birthday card a month in advance, and counting on them to show at a party before you do? They'll have the crowd nicely warmed up by the time you saunter through the door.
Mammoth Mountain and winter have that exact sort of friendship, if past years are any indication. Serious snowfall has a rather predictable knack for blanketing the famous Sierra Nevada-based ski resort in the autumn, sometimes right after summer takes its leave.
There wasn't a hefty September snow in 2021, but around eight to nine inches added a cold carpet to the resort, and nearby Mammoth Lakes, on Dec. 8 and 9.
Parka-up and peruse the pictures now, photos that will put frosty fans in an instantly festive mood.
9 photos
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courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism
Mammoth Lakes is wreath'd-up and ready for winter in this snapshot taken on the morning of Dec. 9. (courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism)
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Chairs outside a Mammoth Lake shop perform a disappearing act. (courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism)
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A menorah and Christmas tree add holiday glow to the snowy scene. (courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism)
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The snow maintenance begins early at Mammoth Mountain. (courtesy of MMSA/Peter Morning)
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A snow-laden street in Mammoth Lakes. (courtesy of Mammoth Lakes Tourism)
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This is a good amount of snow, but skiers should prepare to get even more stoked: "FEET of snow are forecast over the next week," says a Mammoth representative.
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The resort's much-photographed mammoth statue can be spied, through the falling snow, in the distance.
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A dog walk becomes a speedy affair in the falling snow.
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Watch the forecast: More of the cold white stuff is ahead for Mammoth Mountain starting on Sunday, Dec. 12.
