Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Stats & Information

Mammoth Mountain is one Massive Mountain. That’s why it’s named Mammoth… when you come here to play, the opportunities are just about endless.

With 3100 vertical feet of skiing and snowboarding, much of the mountain is above the tree line, and the Main Lodge base at 9000 feet, you are going to get some great snow and the best snowpack in the west.

In the late 1940s, Dave McCoy had a vision and a dream, and today, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is one of the world’s premier ski and snowboard destinations.

It was a big dream that no one else wanted to tackle. So Dave, along with his crew and investors, went to work on Mammoth Mountain one day at a time.

Fifty years later, we have a Mecca of a ski and snowboard area.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has everything from above-treeline bowls to endless groomed runs, unbound parks, tree-lined powder runs, powder, the wind buff machine, groomed packed powder, and, come spring, the perfect corn snow to ride on.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area tops out at an elevation of 11,053 Feet

The snow season runs from late October to early November through May and can extend into July 4th on some of the bigger snow years. One year, they ran from October 8th to August 16th. In 2017, the ski area closed on August 6th, despite a warm summer.

The Mammoth Mountain snowpack is one of the most consistent worldwide. The snowpack is one of the reasons we moved here. Long, endless ski seasons with many being large 500-inch winters. Add in an extensive snowmaking system, and it’s hard to beat Mammoth when the sun is shining.

It’s funny how people say it never rains or snows in California. Mammoth Snowfalls can range from an average of around 350 inches at the 8000-foot level to well over 500 inches up at 11,053 feet. In years with significant snowfall, there have been 650-750 inches.

The weather here in Mammoth during the winter is about 70% sunny. That said, we can get some 3-week storm cycles that offer day after day of storm skiing. However, when storm cycles intensify and there is excessive snowfall and high winds, only a few lifts open from the lower lodges. 

The Lifts
Mammoth’s lift system offers up to 23 chairs, three gondolas, three pomas, and several magic carpets. The lift system is in the top ten in the world in polls taken by magazines and online websites.

Mammoth Mountain features everything from high-speed to fixed-grip lifts.

Chairs 22 and 23 are fixed grips, but only take a couple of minutes more, allowing your body to recover from the extreme steepness you just tackled.

During Holidays, beware of riding early to avoid the crowds and ride lifts 23 and 14 to avoid the biggest nightmares.

The Runs

Mammoth offers everything from beginner runs for first-time skiers to miles of groomed terrain for intermediates, as well as advanced and expert terrain. 

Beginners should visit Main Lodge or Canyon Lodge, as these are the best places to learn. The Little Eagle Lodge Area can also get you up on your first day with two pomas and two magic carpets.

Intermediate

Dave MC Coy invented modern grooming standards right here at Mammoth Mountain. Today, Mammoth’s fleet of over 30 Snow Grooming machines is one of the largest to run nightly during the long seven-month season. The fleet grooms around 800-1000 acres of snow on a nightly basis. On weekends, that adds up to around 110 runs during the peak of the season.

Advanced

As you progress from intermediate groomed runs, you can move to the advanced runs on chairs 3 and 5 and then up to the cornice run off the top of Mammoth Mountain. Cornice and then Scotties are the runs advanced skiers and riders want to master first. Dave’s is also a good choice.

Experts

Freeskiing and boarding, cliff hucking, powder, trees, chutes, cliff bands. It’s all here for the expert skier and riders. Chairs 9, 14, 22, 23, 25, and Gondola 2 are your playground, featuring over 2000 acres of sick terrain.

Snowman out…