Mammoth

Located in a seriously snowy corner of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Mammoth is one of California’s top resorts and is known for its terrain parks and epic powder days.

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Current conditions:

Max temp:
Min temp:
Last snowed:

Last Updated:

Favourite

15%Easy

20%Beginner

40%Intermediate

25%Advanced

Vertical drop

Pistes

Runs

Lifts

Terrain by difficulty

Mammoth lies just to the east of Yosemite National Park, around three hours south of the resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe.

Its location is usually incredibly snowy, indeed base depths here regularly top 5m at the top of the mountain and skiing in recent years has continued on spring snow right through to the July 4th holidays, despite the resort averaging 300 sunny days a year. 150 trails await, including some seriously steep routes at the top, the world-famous Mammoth Unbound terrain park and numerous family-friendly groomed routes.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

California’s highest and most reliably snowy resort
Incredible array of terrain park features
Good variety of accommodation

Resort a long drive from major airports (but you can tie in city breaks to your stay)
Can be busy at weekends and during holidays
Still some slow lifts on the backside of the mountain

On the Slopes

The mountain at Mammoth starts off gently at the resort’s base, before steepening rapidly towards its summit. Beginners will enjoy the gentle greens served by the Schoolyard Express and progression on to longer greens and flatter blues is good. Traversing from one side of the ski area to the other, via the summit is more than in the grasp of confident intermediates, just be sure to check out the daily grooming report to ensure you catch the freshest corduroy.

Mammoth frequently attracts the world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders and it is easy to see why. The variety is unparalleled across ten different terrain park areas and the resort is also home to not one but two huge halfpipes. Those looking for steeps and powder are definitely well catered for here too, with the entire summit ridgeline providing some great steep chutes and powder bowls, especially after one of the famous Mammoth snowstorms.

In the Resort

Accommodation can be found in four separate base areas. The newest is the Village, a purpose-built collection of condos and hotels with an attractive core. However, most people tend to stay in Mammoth Lakes in one of the numerous self-catered condos located within the woods at the base of the mountain.

There is a good range of eating and drinking options, including the Mammoth Tavern, Mammoth Brewing Company and the Black Doubt Brewery Company – three of the most popular options for a post-skiing beer. Having a car definitely helps here however, not only because of the access from international airports, but it also really helps with getting around the resort.

Season Dates

Opens: Friday 15 November 2024
Closes: Monday 26 May 2025 (TBC – Mammoth aims to stay open to memorial day (26/5/2025) but this may vary based on conditions)