Mammoth Mountain will open for skiing on Saturday, six days sooner than it had planned to begin its winter season.

The move was prompted by six inches of new snow between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Chairlifts will begin operating at 8:30 a.m. Saturday — probably two or three lifts, Mammoth management said Wednesday afternoon.

That will give skiers and snowboarders access to two or three runs (no beginner terrain) and one of the resort’s small Unbound Terrain Parks.

Mammoth’s main lodge is 8,909 feet above sea level, a five-hour, 300-mile drive north from Los Angeles up U.S. 395.

The resort, which usually opens in early to mid-November, had an unusually long season last year, opening Oct. 29, 2021, and closing June 5.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.