Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort Guide

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.