May 15th Ski Trip- Advice on where to go and best snow this year??? Mammoth, Whistler or somewhere else

Please be a troll. Please be a troll. Please be a troll.

Not a troll? OK then. Here's my advice. Wait a few months and fly to Chile. Or surprise him with a planned trip for next season.

Unless your son specifically said "I really want to go on a ski trip late spring", then don't do this. I love the enthusiasm but man I would be so pissed and say to wait. Anything could happen in the next two weeks from resorts closing to conditions being vastly different. It's like when your mom buys you the exact thing you said not to get for Christmas.

Abasin is still firing but definitely not worth a Ski trip. There ain’t jack shit open anywhere. Wait until next year and follow the snow.

I’m at mammoth right now funnily enough and 80% of the mountain is open and skiable, but after this week of nonstop 60 degrees I doubt it’ll be any good on the 15th. Wait until next year

Banff? Don't even know if SkiBig3 is open then...

ColingarnesBanff? Don't even know if SkiBig3 is open then...

Lake Louise is probably open.

OP, what's your son's ability level? I think spring is great for skiing with kids, granted May 15 is really late spring but why not right? There are a few places looking to stay open until the end of May.

ColingarnesBanff? Don't even know if SkiBig3 is open then...

lake louise closes this weekend i think and sunshine is open till the 21st. sunshine still has a pretty great snowpack despite the warm weather.

Go skiing in May! Don't listen to any of the jealous haters in this thread. May skiing is super awesome and quite possibly the best month for a ski trip.

OregonDeadGo skiing in May! Don't listen to any of the jealous haters in this thread. May skiing is super awesome and quite possibly the best month for a ski trip.

Listen to this guy. Skiing in may is an incredible experience.

Including some more information would really help... I feel like this might be for his birthday so the day you plan the trip might not be flexible... With this deadline approaching quickly I would just pick an all inclusive package that has flight/hotel/lift tickets

Thank you all for your help! I think we are looking at May 15-21 and are totally flexible on where to go!!

jadelspergerThank you all for your help! I think we are looking at May 15-21 and are totally flexible on where to go!!

I can only speak on behalf of whistler because I haven't been to the other resorts. Like I said before may skiing is incredible. The temperature is well above freezing so everything is fast in the morning and get super soft and slow later in the day. This also means that you don't have to wear a full snow suit because its so warm.

So Whistler is an incredible destination. The mountains are super big and it takes about 3 lifts to make it to the top. Once skiing is over for most of the mountain ( they have ski camps at the top for most of the summer ) they open up the mountain for bikes. So I bet you could probably ride some bikes one of the days as well. At the bottom of the lifts they have everything you need and you stay within a 10 minute walk of the lifts. They have a grocery store, tons of restaurants, and a bunch of shops. Hope this helps

If you go to whistler, the spring pass is 10 days of skiing for only $229 CAD (only $178 US) so that's a hell of a deal

IsitWinterYet17Please be a troll. Please be a troll. Please be a troll.

Not a troll? OK then. Here's my advice. Wait a few months and fly to Chile. Or surprise him with a planned trip for next season.

Unless your son specifically said "I really want to go on a ski trip late spring", then don't do this. I love the enthusiasm but man I would be so pissed and say to wait. Anything could happen in the next two weeks from resorts closing to conditions being vastly different. It's like when your mom buys you the exact thing you said not to get for Christmas.

Actually, Mammoth is really fun this time of year. They have great coverage, most of the top is open and I love slushy steeps. It is pretty sticky down below, but I love May in Mammoth. The mountain is saying they will stay open until Memorial Day, possibly longer. I'm not a local, I go up 2-3 times a month, so locals would no better, but if you get out early the upper mountain steeps are great right now. I'm going up for one more 3 day weekend either this weekend or next, I need to shut down our ski condo as I'm the one on the lease, but I would do two weekends if I was not so sick of the drive. I usually finish my Mammoth trips in mid-May, not because the skiing is no longer fun, but because it is a 6 hour drive each way and after 2-3 of those trips a month for 6 months I get sick of the drive. Also, south swells are starting to hit in Orange County. If Mammoth was an hour away I would keep doing day trips in these conditions, like I said before, I love slush.

Even with the hot weather Mammoth keeps it's snow very well. The upper mountain will be rockier in a week, but there should still be lots of good turns to be had.

For the record, I sometimes like May skiing better than Xmas skiing in the Sierra.

Where is the OP coming from? As much as I love Mammoth in May it is a difficult mountain to get to, I would not want to fly into that airport. If you are driving from somewhere in California I say go for it. If not, it might not be worth it.

DrFrosticalsI’m at mammoth right now funnily enough and 80% of the mountain is open and skiable, but after this week of nonstop 60 degrees I doubt it’ll be any good on the 15th. Wait until next year

Do you live there? Just wondering. I don't, but I go up all the time and I love May skiing. Mammoth keeps it's snow really well so it should still be fun on May 15. The top still has great coverage from what I have seen, although I was not there this weekend.

OP, might want to check out mammothsnowman.com. Snowman has some photos taken May 2 up. Obviously some stuff will have melted off by then but the top should still have some very good turns. Like I said before, Mammoth is one of the best places for spring skiing, even in a bad year they are usually open until Memorial Day.

dan4060Actually, Mammoth is really fun this time of year.

+1 on this. Even if half the lifts are closed it's still bigger than most ski areas. Top is so high there is a very high likelihood it will get cold enough for great sliding. Long drive but Mammoth is super fun.

A-bay is definitely still pumping right now, but I wouldn't say that it's worth trip. Weather isn't supposed to be super good for the next week or so, and you guys sound like casual skiers, and it's not a very casual place to ski haha.

dan4060I would not want to fly into that airport. If you are driving from somewhere in California I say go for it. If not, it might not be worth it.

Why wouldn't you fly in? From the bay area it takes like ten hours to drive there.

squaw and mammoth are super fun right now and open a few more weeks

Haters are crazy. I fucking love spring skiing. I think spring haters are less about the snow quality, and more about being over the ski season. People are ready to gtfo of school and go swimming, hit the skatepark, and get on that summer life.

I love crushing the groomers in the morning when they first start to peel. Even a few earlier laps when it's a little firm and drifty. Then you just keep crushing laps till you're tired or over the snow conditions. Cruising back down into the base are, backseat, blasting through chop after a great day riding is awesome. No crowds, almost quite but still firing. Anybody out riding is probably having the best time even if the conditions are trashed.

My last day in CO last year was Abay on May 12th, and had a great time.

Spring shredding is life

mystery3Why wouldn't you fly in? From the bay area it takes like ten hours to drive there.

Sketchy airport. My dad flew in and said it was the worst flight of his life, insanely windy. Flights get canceled all the time there. When I lived in Tahoe it took about 3.5 hours to get there, so in May you should get there in 7.5 hours from the bay.