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Mammoth Mountain Resort Reviews


Mammoth Mountain Forecasts
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Visitor reviews for Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort

Mammoth Mountain Ratings

Overall: 3.9. Based on 31 votes and 13 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.5

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Mammoth Mountain is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.7

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Mammoth Mountain has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.9

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.4

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.8

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Mammoth Mountain

Public Transport: 3.4

  • There are no buses or taxis to Mammoth Mountain
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.0

  • No places to stay in/near Mammoth Mountain
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.7

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Mammoth Mountain

Ski in/Ski out: 4.3

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.9

  • There are no child care facilities at Mammoth Mountain
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.1

  • Mammoth Mountain relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.4

  • There are no snow groomers at Mammoth Mountain
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Mammoth Mountain are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.7

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Mammoth Mountain is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.7

  • If snow conditions are poor at Mammoth Mountain, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.3

  • Mammoth Mountain usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.3

  • The staff at Mammoth Mountain are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Mammoth Mountain are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.4

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.1

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.5

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.3

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.5

  • No intermediate terrain at Mammoth Mountain
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 4.7

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.6

  • Not even a kicker at Mammoth Mountain
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.8

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Mammoth Mountain
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.8

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Mammoth Mountain has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.6

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.9

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.5

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.5

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.8

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 3.6

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.0

  • Overall, Mammoth Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 3.8

  • Overall, Mammoth Mountain is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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September 26, 2023
joe from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mammoth is a good time, spring skiing was amazingly good when we went in May. The snow was corn goodness, they stayed open 'til August in 2023! The staff made that happen, and that's the intangible which make the place special, the spirit of Dave Macoy? The Eastern Sierra? For the love, something though, its a happy mountain with really helpful and cheerful staff, people are generally stoked (and in this day and age (its gold). Demo ski set up best I've ever seen, all top bands all new, can swap out with ease at 4 locations.
February 15, 2023
ryan miller from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mammoth is the best of the big American ski resorts. It almost always has the most snow and it doesn't rain there like Tahoe and has the most lifts and skiable acres and some of the hairiest runs. I've been to Steamboat, Jackson Hole, Kikwood, Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Mt Bachelor, Alta, Snowbird, Brian Head, Snow Basin, Mt Ashland, Mt Baldy, Snow Summit, Snow Valley, Mt High, Snowbowl, Purgatory, Arapahoe Basin. June Mtn is my second favorite and Brian Head and Snow Bowl and Steamboat then Alta and Bachelor.
October 28, 2021
James Paris from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mammoth is a mountain of extremes, both good and bad. It covers a huge area with multiple exposures, but the terrain basically breaks down into mostly super-steep snowfields above mid station and easy, rolling tree lined trails below midstation. Consequently, most runs fall in the 1200-1300 vertical foot range. It gets lots of snow in big dumps, but the fresh stuff gets skied out quickly because there are so many people on the hill and so many high capacity lifts. Another negative is the powerful SoCal sun and proximity to the desert, which softens the snow surface quicker than the resorts in Colorado, Utah and even Tahoe. As a result, a groomed piste gets skied up quickly and the snow surface can get choppy by early afternoon. However, the snow on the upper mountain is protected from the sun and it usually is colder and drier up there…so the steep runs off the gondola almost always have great snow. The mountain hasn’t expanded since the 1980’s but nearly all the double chairs have been replaced with fast quads. Lines are not a problem but crowded slopes are very much a problem on weekends. On-mountain dining is sub-par for a destination resort. Best option is to ski over to the Mammoth Mountain Inn. Lodging in town is mostly mediocre motels. There is a high-end Westin that’s nice, but has commensurately high prices. I am a fan of the 1950’s era Mammoth Mountain Inn, which is slopeside and offers decent prices. Bottom line: Mammoth has some of the best steep snowfields in the country. But it’s still an LA weekend escape resort. There are better choices if you are l traveling cross country looking for a destination resort.
January 08, 2020
bill from Ski Mexico - Puebla Mexico - Puebla
Normally I take my ski vacations in Colorado, i decided to try Mammoth this time. All I can say is that the quality of the snow is superb and the mountain is great. i will definitively go back to Mammoth
January 17, 2017
Paul Lanyi from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mammoth is my "home" mountain. Ride there about 20+ days a year. Well, it is Mammoth as in huge. Not like Whistler or the Trois Valle in France, but it's a pretty massive ski resort. Something truly for everyone. Lots of beginner trails, tons of intermediate cruisers and enough challenging expert terrain to keep anyone busy for a week. Just a huge variety. The resort has multiple base lodges. Almost all the lodging is in and around the town. Only a small amount of lodging and dining by the Main lodge way up the hilll. Gorgeous scenery, terrific ski school (for all levels) and skiing often into May or June. It's hard to get to: 5 hours at least from LA. The flights in are fickle due to crosswinds, but the drive through the desert is gorgeous. There are a number of small towns speckled throughout the desert which are fun to stop in and see. Old time West. Also, there is a sister resort 30 minutes (door to door) north of Mammoth called June which is not big but very fun. Never crowded except for at the weekend/holidays on the single lift from the bottom up to the lodge (Yes, up to the lodge). Food of every kind. Nice people. 90% of the people are from LA and San Diego on the weekends and holidays. I've lapped powder runs all day on a lonely Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. Go enjoy. Tons to do especially in the spring when the mountain is rocking and you can go hiking all over the Eastern Sierra (or golfing if you're into it). Plus Yosemite is an hour or so away.
November 15, 2011
Nathan Roberts from Ski USA - California USA - California
Mammoth is amazing. I've been to other resorts around the country and world: Vail, Beaver, Steamboat, Kirkwood, Heavenly, Zermatt, and Mammoth is by far my favorite mountain. Has a small town feel, but the amenities of some of the best resorts. Love Mammoth and excited that flights are now available out of Orange County, because the drive through LA sucks.
February 28, 2011
Dillan Josland from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Mammoth = Massive, huge variety of terrain and a very well organized resort and great bars in town. High speed lifts meaning no ques, and although I arrived on opening day (November 11th) with a thin base, a week later a major storm rolled in with 5+ feet of unlimited powder. Best run: Upper Road Runner.
February 25, 2010
Gordon from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have been skiing in Val D'Isere, Tignes, St Anton, Chatel, Vebier, Sella Ronda, etc. The place I keep going back to is Mammoth Mountain. It is the best all round skiing and holiday experience. Stay at Timber Ridge for solitude and ski in - ski out. Stay at Eagle or Juniper for total convenience - better than ski in - ski out anywhere in Europe. No lift queues - try June Mountain on Easter Day, but don't tell anyone else!
February 04, 2010
klebicki from Ski USA - California USA - California
(Guy from Los Angeles; 300miles away from Mammoth Mountain) Been skiing Mammoth for 5 years; anywhere from 20 to 40 days per season. Done Tahoe and/or Parki city area (+ many smaller resorts) but I really, really have no desire to go anywhere but Mammoth. You get the sun, steeps + easies, trails or trees, tons of snow, yet somehow a small family-resort feeling.
March 29, 2005
Dan from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Just got back from 10 days in Mammoth. The only way I can describe the skiing is completely awesome. We were spoilt by in excess of 5 ft of fresh snow, but let's not take away the simple fact that U can ski anywhere knowing that U will eventually come back to a lift. The uplift system is swift and slick, even being there for Easter w/e the longest wait was only 5 mins. Mountain staff are friendly and helpful, the only downside are a lack of European type mountain watering holes and eateries. I would definitely consider returning, even with a near 24 hour door to door transfer!