The Skiers' Guide to Mammoth Mountain

Always a great place to go skiing, especially if you can do Sunday afternoon to Friday. This mountain is huge and it has something for everybody. It has very long seasons opening early November and always say open till Memorial Day. This brings season is long and wonderful in the secret that most people don’t know.

Lodging can be quite expensive and difficult, especially last minute so plan ahead. The town itself is not very big compared to other ski towns. The apres ski experience isn't all it is hyped up to be. Canyon lodge has an on mountain acres ski experience with a DJ from 2-5 on Fridays and Saturdays that's quite fun for the rowdy young tourist but doesn't extend far beyond that. Parking can lean towards being a nightmare if you don't get to the mountain right as lifts open. The view of the Sierras is incredible from many different parts of the mountain. A couple of decent chutes and beautiful rock formations if you like natural jumps and cliffs. They have 2 big parks and many different smaller park features throughout the mountain. Usually receives a lot of snow even during seasons with low snowfall and has a season that usually extends well into May.

Fun resort if you get there shortly after a storm and not on a poplar holiday weekend. Some of lift lines get a bit long at the Main Lodge and Canyon Lodges and single/two day lift tickets are way too expensive for any average person or family. The big resorts are making this amazing sport and pastime too expensive for families to try to learn. You are almost forced to get an Ikon pass to make the per day experience make sense. I don't think it is this way in Europe and other countries. Again, fun resort but you need to live well above the middle class level to visit more than once per season.

Well, there’s not much snow in the Western United States, Mammoth has amazing coverage. People are nice lift lines are short during the week and the steeps are steep.

Great for snowboarders. There's a lot of good runs for all levels. You can literally start from one end of the mountain and make your way across to the other end with a few run in between all before lunch. Then make your way to the top on the gondola for a few long runs before making your way back across the mountain to where you started. Sometimes we take the shuttle near our lodge to The Village at the bottom of the mountain where the shops are before taking the lift up the mountain from there. I think that one takes you up the middle if I remember correctly. I suggest keeping a map with you in case you lose your way or your friends and you can meet them up somewhere. There's reception most places on the mountain as well, so you can always call said friends if you get lost from each other.

Mammoth is my home mountain and I usually visit 15-20 days per year and I know it well. I enjoy the wide variety of terrain available. Love the Outpost on the backside and the Black diamonds off the top.
Sometimes if wind is high lifts could me closed due to wind hold.
Also for someone new sometimes it can be confusing to get to different bases and can accidentally end up at the wrong base if not careful. Sometimes it takes multiple lifts to get from one far side to the other far side.
Great bus service options.
Village is great!
Lots of Airbnb and Vrbo near the bus route.
Love all the restaurant choices.
Can get really busy at time.
The snow is almost always good!!

Terrific terrain with great snow conditions and updated, comfortable lifts. The tour guides are professional and the mountain features historical information centers.

I’ve been riding at Mammoth for the last 10+ years and I’ll continue to go back. The drive is easy, the mountain is massive and has something for everyone. Aprés is super fun but I wish they would have it in multiple locations so it’s not so congested. Plus the town has great options for bars/dining and everything is so close.

Really fun mountain. Long lines at base on a bus day, but they are shorter mid mountain and backside. The grilled cheese soup combo at outpost is fire

Overall great weekend!! Cold beers good people fun times !
Snow was awesome park was up to par
Everything was just how it should be

Mammoth mountain has some of the best snow quality in CA. The runs are typically well groomed and they host events frequently. It can get crowded on weekends so plan to arrive early to beat the crowds! Always a fun time on the mountain!

Mammoth is my happy place for skiing. It’s not crowded during the week days and on the weekends just give yourself some grace to be out on the gorgeous slopes. The terrain fits everyone’s needs from beginner to hot dog skiers. Even though I come here four times a year, I find new trails that make my day. I love the variety and challenges of the slopes. The panorama from the top is breath taking. Best snow in USA now for 2026.

As you probably know, this has been a difficult year for most resorts in the US so far. Mammoth has had arguably the best conditions in the country, based on two storms which occurred around Christmas and around New Year's, so there was no fresh snow when I was there last week, and small twigs and other minor obstacles needed to be avoided. The good news is that Mammoth's team has done a wonderful job of running almost all lifts every day, so the variety of difficulty and solar orientation has been maintained, and the grooming has been excellent; they are doing a wonderful job with what they have to work with. The bad news is once you get off the groomers, snow in the trees and off the groomers is pretty cruddy, and powder is non-existent. More snow is expected this month, and I'm anxious to get back up there and play in it! My friends and I still love the dinner places that we typically eat at during our trips there, but there are limited choices compared to pre-covid era. Food on the mountain has become less interesting then, say, 10 years ago, resulting in our carrying protein bars with us for lunches.

Getting to mammoth for so cal is one of the easiest drives. 5 hours and all of a sudden you’re in town. But getting to the mountain and finding parking on a Saturday is tricky. Best to show up before 7:30 if you want a spot in one of the free lots, or you can pay $40 for parking at main or eagle. The skiing is great though. Lots of options for skiers and snowboarders of all difficulties and tons of ways down the mountain. Even after almost a month of now snow, groomed runs were in fairly good conditions thanks to two early season storms. Lodges are usually busy and food and drink are pricey but delicious. Apres was a but chaotic this weekend but is usually fun.

Got to experience the season opener for the top, it wasn’t busy and it was after the holiday crowds it was great.

I can use my 223's almost anywhere on the mountain.
The views are fantastic. Lift line move quickly and the chairs get to the top fast. The different food stops on the mountain are very good not over the moon price wise. You have variety of spots to get to the top of the mountain. Conditions on the runs are great grooming, and a bit of powder is always there for a good fluffing. I love Mammoth. Downtown in a Ski Mountain setting is full of fun and there are great places to bunk down after a day on the mountain. From beginner to expert you fall in love with Mammoth. Winter or Summer.

I love Mammoth because it gets the most snow typically in California. There is a wide variety of terrain for all levels. There are great chutes and steeps as well as cruisers. The lines at the bottom can get long but they keep the snow well groomed. Apres ski is off the hook there and super fun.

Mammoth has been my home resort for 25 years, but I love to visit others at least one week a year. This winter started late but is shaping up to a normal year so far. Mammoth always seems to get plenty of snow. The town could use more upscale dining options.

Mammoth mountain is the best “local” mountain for my family and we go all the time. It has gotten a lot more crowded in recent years and they do their best to keep up with the growing population. Some days there will be long lift and restaurant lines but other days it will be easy, quiet, and fun. Mammoth is a beautiful and well loved mountain with terrain for any level.

The resort was great, I went with a group of friends and only boarded for about half a day but I enjoyed all the runs. I lost my phone after falling on a run that I wasn't skilled enough for but ski-patrol and lost and found were very helpful and I was able to get it back the next day. Overall I had a great experience and would definitely visit Mammoth again.