Mammoth ROCKS! I too have skied several mountains in this country and find Mammoth to have everything we need for a great family weekend.The prices are not to be criticized being that they are in line with everything else in pricey California. We have been going to Mammoth for nearly 15 years and have seen a myriad of changes take place but all for the better.

It's great to arrive there and not have to drive at all for the whole time because it's all in one walking area if you are staying around the village.

For those who are not content with staying in the condo after a full ski day and cooking, drinking, laughing, playing games, rocking out swapping stories, or taking a star gazing walk before bed, there is a reasonably decent nightlife. We don't want Mammoth to be built up to include long lines at overdone foo foo clubs, or more traffic around town because one needs 30 or 40 choices for dinner instead of 15 or 20. Mammoth has done a great job at keeping the newly renovated town feeling like a village.

Most ski resorts are in the "bowl" inside the mountain created to make a resort, but Mammoth mountain is not dug out to make a bowl style resort. The shops and restaurants are around the outside base of the bottom of the mountain so that the town doesn't feel crowded. It feels more spread out, as does, the mountain itself.

Of the 150 runs, mostly all open at all times, Mammoth lift lines - as crowded as they look on weekends - move quickly and once on the mountain, I never feel crowded while skiing. Even the beginner runs are scenic and long and many beginning runs go nearly to the top giving you beginners more bang for your buck. It's amazing that there are so many options for all types of skiers.

We have gone there with non skiers who also say that there is plenty to explore and do during the day while they wait for us snow bunnies.

Patti
Long Beach.

Mammoth can be fantastic--but the snow is generally very heavy (compared to say, Utah, or Wyoming) so if it dumps, you need to be right there to get a taste of powder--a day later and you are moving through "Sierra cement", and you better be in good shape--it will beat you up. The other problem with a heavy snowfall, is that the road up to Mammoth Lakes often is closed--meaning you can drive 5-6 hours toward your reserved room in Mammoth, only to wind up in spending the night in Bishop, unable to get to the mountain until noon or so the next day (this has happened to us twice so far this year ). And of course there's the whole 'close the top of the mountain because of winds' thing--again, fairly common if you're trying to catch new snow, and of course, no refund on your $79.00 lift ticket when that happens. Mammoth is also the only resort where I've ever experienced altitude sickness--the top of the gondola is over 11,000 feet, and you definitely feel it--takes your breath away just hauling your gear out of the lift area.
And sadly, I have to mention the scrapers--there seem to be a multitude of them at Mammoth--(not the snowboarders, riders that actually know how to carve a turn and ride the fall line, how to look where they're going, and avoid less those less adept at getting down the mountain, I love to watch you navigate some sweet powder)--I'm talking about the Scrapers, who are the rest of the bunch, those that traverse the entire mountain riding on their heels, only looking in one direction, oblivious to other skiers and boarders who are heading DOWN, not ACROSS the hill, or worse, scraping all the surface snow off the black diamond run they've found themselves on by sliding all the way down on their heels, too petrified to actually ride the fall line and attempt a toe turn--I hate you scrapers.
I have an equal amount of disdain for parents who bring children who are still snow plowing on a black diamond run--a small child, traversing the entire width of the piste belongs on the green runs, folks--nowhere else. So really, the problem isn't boarders vs. skiers--it's lack of skill, and people attempting to ski/ride where they don't actually have the chops yet to do so. Why do these types seem to be so prevalent at Mammoth? What is it, ego? Do parents and scrapers feel the need to say they or their offspring have been on the black diamond runs?
I have an idea, let's re-christen one of the green runs "triple black diamond", and let the bragging dads, and insecure scrapers have it all to themselves...

I have been a skier and snowboarder for 20 years, and have hit nearly every mountain in the continental US, as well as a couple on the eastern side of Canada. From New England to Colorado, up to Washington, Oregon, and Utah, and down to New Mexico and Lake Tahoe (where I now call home), Mammoth is by far the best mountain I have ever ridden. The annual snowfall is ridiculous (I have snowboarded there into July on more than occasion), and the amount of warm sunshine combined with their awesome and well-varied terrain are unparralleled. You can find everything you could possibly want all in one place - from steep chutes and wide open bowls to fast or easy groomers, not to mention the best terrain parks in the U.S. There is a good reason why so many pro skiiers and boarders call Mammoth home.
Yes, it can get crowded at the lifts on weekends/holidays, but the mountain is so huge that you can always find yourself nearly alone on the trails. And should you decide at some point during your day that there are too many people, you can head over to nearby June Mountain (Mammoth lift tickets are good there, too) and find much of the same terrain, and excellent park features - minus the tourists. Every time I've been there, I've had nearly the whole mountain to myself.
You can waste your time, money, and efforts visiting other resorts, but for anyone who is seriously in love with their snow sport, nothing compares to Mammoth. I have been too many times to count, and still am able to find new areas and features every time I take the 3 hour drive down there. It's impossible to get bored at Mammoth.

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Wonderfull mountain. Lift ticket prices are over the top. Family of four and you are in for about $250.00 a day and you have not yet eaten a berger, paid for loging, paid for gas to get there and return, five hour drive at a minimum, and a rather dull night life.

Great Snow all season, I’ve skied in October and July at Mammoth. The mountain is higher than any Tahoe resort. The 9000ft parking lot at Mammoth is at the same altitude as the top of Squaw Valley.

Great Terrain Parks: for all abilities.

The best Ski & Snowboard School in the country. Book in advance on holidays & weekends, the place gets busy and they sell out of instructors. Go midweek and you can get cheap private coaching.

The lift system is awesome. With almost all the lifts being high speed, lines can appear long but even on the busiest days but are seldom more than ten minutes. You can always find a lift with no line in you can ski or ride.

Bring your BIG Skis and Boards it snows a lot!!!!!!!!! 50ft in 2006, with an average of 30ft a season.

Nightlife is great if you ask a local where to go, but I would like to see more activities for children in the evenings.

All in all an epic skiers & riders mountain and not to FOO FOO yet.

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