The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in Eastern
California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in
the Inyo National Forest. The ski area, commonly called Mammoth, is a
popular ski resort for residents of Southern California. Geographically,
the ski area exists on the north side of Mammoth Mountain, located in
the volcanic Long Valley Caldera. Overnight guests stay in the town of
Mammoth Lakes, California, and occasionally in neighboring towns like
Bishop. Mammoth has more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, serviced
by 28 lifts (including three gondolas). The area is at an elevation of
11,053 feet. The top of the mountain has challenging chutes and open
mogul runs. There are three main terrain parks branded "Unbound" at
Mammoth. Extreme snowboarding and skiing enthusiasts praise Unbound
Main, located adjacent to Main Lodge, as one of the major attractions of
the ski resort.
Many top professionals in the sport, including 2006 and
2010 Winter Olympics gold medalist Shaun White, come to practice and
compete in the world famous 18-foot-tall Super Pipe and 22-foot-tall
Super Duper Pipe. There are only a handful of Super Duper pipes in the
world. There is also a Mini Pipe. Mammoth Mountain is one of only a
handful of resorts in the world to offer a half pipe of this size and is
the only resort in North America that has three different sized half
pipes. Mammoth Mountain also has one of the longest ski seasons in North
America, which averages from November to June.
Mammoth does occasionally open earlier; in 2005, the resort opened in October, and did not close until July 4. Mammoth Mountain's longest season, over 10 months, was thanks to the 1994-1995 winter season when the resort opened on October 8 and did not close until August 13. Mammoth receives an average of 339 inches (860 cm) of snow per season, though during 2005-2006 season the resort accumulated an astounding 578 inches (1,470 cm)--a record tally. Mammoth Mountain is located in the Eastern Sierras of California, approximately 100 miles south of the Nevada state line and 30 minutes from the Eastern Gate of Yosemite National Park. The ski area resides in northern California. Skiers and snowboarders from Southern California frequent the resort. Though it is a five-hour drive from Los Angeles, Mammoth is much closer for Southland skiers and riders than the Lake Tahoe area resorts, which are more accessible to those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mammoth Mountain is a more popular destination than Southern California resorts because these areas rely heavily on snowmaking, have lighter precipitation and notably shorter seasons. Although Mammoth is physically closer to San Francisco than L.A., mountain passes along the Sierra crest close after the first major snowfall, and this lack of a trans-Sierra travel route creates an unusually long drive to Mammoth from the Bay Area and most of Northern California. For example, during the summer, the distance from Fresno to Mammoth Lakes is 189 miles, while the same excursion in winter involves 366 miles of driving. In recent years, Mammoth visitors from outside of California and Nevada fly into Reno and travel down. Ski season commercial flights are now available to MMH via LAX on Alaska Airlines (operated by Horizon Air). The Mammoth Mountain ski area has been aggressively trying to tap into the Bay Area market as an alternative to Tahoe, since the airline offers flights out of Mammoth.
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Mammoth Lakes :: Mammoth Rental :: Mammoth Lodging :: Mammoth Vacation :: Mammoth Condos :: Mammoth Cabins :: Mammoth Reservations :: Mammoth Mountain Lodging :: Mammoth Lakes Vacation Rentals
