The one thing that is consistent throughout the forecast region is a thin snowpack. What varies is just how thin. The Mammoth area has the deepest snowpack with the best chances of linking a few turns together without hitting a rock or a log, with those chances decreasing north toward VA Lakes, and tennis shoes being better travel tools than skis in the southern mountains above Bishop. The catch here is that the places with the most snow are also the places with a better chance of triggering an avalanche. Early season snow in November sat around for nearly a month turning into weaker and weaker faceted snow until it became buried by December’s snowfall. The shallow snowpack with the plentitude of obstacles will make it hard to get into dangerous terrain, but not impossible. Best to keep it mellow by keeping your speed down and sticking to lower angle terrain, and keep monitoring the snow pack for when more snow comes.