Mammoth Ski Holiday Guide
A ski holiday to Mammoth Mountain means epic snow, blue sky days, awesome terrain and incredible views.
Mammoth is a Californian classic located near Yosemite National Park with an elevation of over 10,000 feet, with 3500 acres to play on and an annual average of over 400 inches of snow.
The Mammoth season is a long one - it's not unknown for Mammoth to be open in June and on average there's over 300 bluebird days every year. There's great skiing for every standard at Mammoth and a world class terrain park by the base area. Mammoth also has a great range of ski hotels and condos with everything from the luxury of the Westin Monache to the great value and homely Alpenhof Lodge.
Mammoth works well as a single destination trip but we can also build an itinerary including Heavenly, Squaw Valley and Northstar (all at Lake Tahoe) with the opportunity for stopovers in San Francisco and Los Angeles if required.
Skiing in MammothOn first glance at the trail map you may notice more diamonds than Liz Taylor sports on Oscar night. The ridge which fans out from Panorama Lookout, at the summit, veritably sparkles with double diamonds; couloirs and chutes which open out into vast bowls of 'ski or ride anywhere you please', steeps and deeps. You should probably take your Cojones Grandes to attempt 'Huevos Grande' run - to ski 'Climax' what you take is at your discretion. By riding Chair 14, it is possible to drop down onto the backside of the mountain, where there are heaps of blue intermediate trails between here and Chair 12. Another fantastic area for those not quite up to flinging themselves of precipitous over-hangs, is around the Eagle Express and Chair 6 - 'Christmas Tree' and 'Bridges' are cut through the trees and a great place to find shelter if it's snowing. Though perhaps unnecessary, as in spite of it's greedy snow record, Mammoth claims 300 days of sunshine. 'Haven't the Foggiest', a blue/black off Chair 25, has to take the prize for being the most fabulously named trail on the mountain - not a bad wee run either. If the trail map seems devoid of learner terrain - do not be deceived - Mammoth is one of North America's top first-timer destinations. The Sports School, which made it into SKI Magazine's top 10 North America ski and board schools - has an innovative learn-to-ski/ride programme. Beginners can come here and have an awesome time. |
Mammoth
- Ski Area
- 3,500 acres
- Annual Snow
- 33ft
- Number of Lifts
- 27
- Snow Making Capabilities
- 46 trails
- Ski Shuttle
- Free shuttle between base areas of Mammoth mountain and town. (7am-12am Sun/Thurs, until 1.30am Fri/Sat)
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