SAN FRANCISCO (AP) β An epic California ski and snowboarding season fueled by heavy back-to-back storms is finally coming to a close.
Mammoth Mountain in the Sierra Nevada announced it will close Aug. 6, marking its second-longest season, the San Francisco Chronicle reported (http://bit.ly/2v4CZ6L ).
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows closed July 15, its latest ever, after operating for 200 days.
A series of weather systems known as atmospheric rivers drenched California this year, bringing hefty snowpack to the Sierra Nevada and ending five years of drought.
Snow lovers have flocked to the mountains this summer, dressed in T-shirts and bikini tops while skiing or snowboarding.
"It is soft, spring snow and super carvable," Mammoth spokesperson Lauren Burke told the newspaper.
There was talk of Mammoth staying open all year, but Burke says that was a rumor.
"Staying open year-round would take a huge amount of snow, and we have to have summer at some point," she said.
___
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
