A helping hand from Mother Nature enabled Mammoth Mountain, one of the most popular ski destinations in the United States, to open the 2026-27 ski season over a week early.

An early snowstorm dumped between 9 and 15 inches of snow on the popular ski destination over the weekend. That, combined with cooler weather and additional snowmaking, enabled the resort to open Thursday.

Mammoth Mountain, located southwest of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada, is now the fourth U.S. ski resort to open for the season, according to On The Snow, and the first outside of Colorado.

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The mountain summit surpasses 11,000 feet, making it the highest lift-serviced ski peak in the state. It offers 180 named ski trails and attracts around 1.3 million visitors during the winter season.

El Niño has the Sierra Nevada primed for big snow

Driven by a strong El Niño pattern, winter forecasters expect the southern storm track to deliver an active and moisture-rich season to California and the Sierra Nevada. This amplified southern jet stream positions the Sierra and the Southern Rockies to benefit the most from winter storms, offering a stark and welcome contrast to drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest and northern tier.

(MORE: A month-by-month regional guide to the best regional ski conditions in the US)

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While the early-season storm that allowed Mammoth to open ahead of schedule is a promising start, experts note that skiers and snowboarders should still keep an eye on snow levels. Because El Niño storms often bring milder temperatures alongside heavy moisture, lower-elevation slopes can occasionally see heavier, wet snow, which is famously known as "Sierra cement." However, as the season progresses into January and February, the persistent active storm track is projected to build impressive snow depth, setting up the region for top-notch powder days and a robust winter season.