It had snowed about 30 inches Monday to Wednesday with the upper mountain closed the entire time. Starting noon Thursday it snowed an additional 20 inches of Utah-quality light and dry. Friday morning dawned with blue skies and no wind. I made 5 powder runs on Wall and Gravy Chute as the lines formed in anticipation for the opening of 3, 23 and the new gondola. I joined the gondola line about 10 minutes before it opened at 9AM.

While riding the gondola, I observed 4 snowboarders straight-lining Hangman's (one took a spectacular headplant about halfway down). Then a skier launched 40 feet of air off Diving Board into the deep snow of Climax. I made knee-deep runs on Climax and Hangman's and then moved to Chair 23, where I put the second track down Drop Out 2 with face shots on every turn. Then came Wipe Out and 2 runs on Paranoid with more face shots. With the runs on top fairly tracked by 11AM, I moved on to Chairs 12 and 14, where freshies were still available. Does 20,700 vertical, with 2/3 of it knee-deep or better sound like a good day? That was the tally when I stopped for lunch at 12:30.

After lunch I skied Balls-to-the-Wall for the first time ever (sorry, NOT launching the cliff halfway down) and then Dave's over to the Chair 9 area to scrounge a few remaining fresh tracks. Final verdict: 35,100 vertical, 18K of powder, best day ever at Mammoth in 170 days over the past 22 seasons.

Mammoth Times Press Release about April 9, 1999:
Most snowsports journalists become snowsports journalists because they are so passionate about skiing and snowboarding they have to write about it, take pictures of it, talk about it, and just plain live it. It truly is a lifestyle, and to get paid along the way is an added perk. That day, April 9, Mammoth and Mother Nature gave the NASJA members (and everyone else lucky enough to be in Mammoth) a gift most will never forget. Picture perfect, unbelievable powder, unlimited views, so many smiling faces -- the best of Mammoth came right on time.

The Skiing after Thursday's blizzard, Friday was a top-10 day on everybody's list. Light, deep powder in April? It didn't hurt that the Mountain had many executives out leading tours, including Rusty Gregory, Clifford Mann, and Benno Nager. You expected to see these guys out on Friday's all-world day, but many were showing journalists around in the miserable weather a day earlier, too, when executives rarely leave their cozy offices.

Comment from Doug Nidever, Sierra ski, mountaineering and ice climbing guide since 1978:
I hired Doug in late May 2003 for a Tioga Pass backcountry ski tour. When I mentioned April 9, 1999 to him, he remembered that he was backcountry skiing off the back of June Mt. that day: "lightest powder I've ever skied in the Sierra."