MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, Mammoth Lakes, CA

Mammoth Mountain is fantastic! If you love to ski or ride, then this is the mountain you need to tackle. They gave the mountain the name for a reason. It is huge! The beauty of the Sierra Nevadas when covered in fluffy white snow lifts your spirits so high, its like a song from John Denver. And Mammoth Lakes is known for the most important aspect of skiing and boarding... it snows! And a lot. Don't be surprised to wake up to two feet of powder dusting the bowls and ridges.

There is so many trails, that from any one point, you can't even see them all. With three base lodges, there are plenty of places to start your adventures. Main Lodge is the highest and always has the most snow. Little Eagle is the lowest but offers ski/ski out lodging as does Canyon Lodge which is in the middle. The mountain extends above the treeline in many places, but some of the lower "hills" are even better. Try the back bowls of Chair 14, or over to Lincoln Mountain, Gold Hill and Hemlock Ridge, all on the backside, the sunny side, perfect on a cold morning. Mammoth is one of the nation's largest winter resorts in size, and at times it's the nation's busiest, with more than 14,000 skiers and riders swooping over its slopes on an average weekend, but nary a lift line.

70% sunny days means more time skiing and less time sitting in the lodge. Mammoth offers something for everyone and has a whole set of programs including lessons for beginners, private, group and family lessons including special programs, Children's Ski School, Senior Ski Camps, and snowboard lessons. With the addition of the Discovery Chair, Mammoth now has eight high-speed detachable quads. Once you get out of the main lodge, there are no lift lines, even on the most crowded days. There is also a new 6-pack chair replacing the old doubles at chair 15.
The mountain offers variable lift ticket pricing to make skiing more economical and typically the Ski Area will stay open until mid-June - sometimes until July 4th. After Spring Break, the skiing is cheaper and less crowded, making for perfect conditions. The snow is generally firm in the morning, then it softens up by midday, making for powder-type skiing. You can book reservation online automatically all season long or just use the system to see pictures of all the units and get some price ideas.

Mammoth Mountain is unquestionably one of the finest Alpine Skiing Mountains in the world. An average of over 353 inches of snow falls onto the 11,053 foot summit, making the entire 3,500 acres of skiable terrain enjoyable for all. Choose from heart-pumping steep chutes, wide open bowls, tree skiing, bumps, gullies, or wide open, well groomed, intermediate and beginner trails. Here are the facts, and enjoy your visit.