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Mammoth Mountain Snowboarding

Posted on July 08, 2008 by: rickyrod24

  • On the drive up, caught a rainbow
  • Another car photo, getting closer!
  • One of the many mountain trails. As you can see, plenty of room
  • The lifts move quickly and are still pretty long because of the distance.
  • Another picture perfect view from the top
  • Gondola! Notice the 1/2 pipe beneath it. Sweet.
  • Absolutely Gorgeous
  • The mountain mascot in all of its glory
  • Notice the height of the snow. They could have been buried.
  • Inside the cabin. Guitars, drinks and good times.
  • The trip crew sans Sandy (taking the photo)
  • Right before we left, the snow got crazy. We packed up and got out of town quick!

Closest City: Mammoth Lakes
State: California
Country: United States


By far one of my favorite places to visit is Mammoth Mountain, CA.  It's a great place year round for all types of activities, but I usually visit exclusively for the beautiful powder that hits each Winter season.

My last Mammoth trip was in 2006.  The standard M.O. is to plan a trip at least a month to 2 months in advance.  This helps so you can book a decent cabin during one of the busiest times of the year.  Finding a cabin to stay in comes down to knowing your needs.  How many people are going to need a place to sleep and how much can everyone afford?   My friends and I, as most others do, split the cost for the week or weekend and it makes for a manageable expense.  You can find a ton of online websites dedicated to cabin rentals for vacationers, so finding a cabin within budget isn't too difficult.

The other consideration is distance to the mountain.  Don't want to be too far away, but at the same time everything is pretty close.  It's always nice to stay in places that are close to food and drink!

Then of course comes the part that makes us drive the 6.5 hour drive up to Mammoth which is hitting the trails.  Nothing in SoCal compares to Mammoth snow.  Very rare to see ice patches like at Mountain High or Big Bear.  Mammoth snow is gorgeous and plentiful.  The mountain itself is enormous so there's plenty of opportunity to find the perfect Trail.

On this particular trip in 06, there were 5 of us boarding together.  3 were beginner status and were going to get lessons.  We let them have at it while 2 of us were pretty intermediate snowboarders. (Meaning we like to go fast, cut hard and jump big). Because of the size of the mountain, Cisco and I made it a point to ride from the West side all the way to the East side trails.  It was pretty awesome. It took us all day catching one lift to the next and just burning up the trails.  I love that Mammoth's trails are so long and continuous.  That makes the lift ride worth it.

So we rode from West to East and back again and were SPENT.  By the end of the day, my legs were done, but I loved every minute of it.  On the backside trails, there are so many patches of pure powder that you just launch into it and fall like it's a bed.  Got to love it.

Mid-day is a cool break to hit the lodge, grab some grub and pour down a drink or 4.  lol.  Keeps the edge off and preps for the late-night party on the horizon.

For those of us w/ boards and boots, we got our stuff put away and in the truck.  For those w/ rental equipment, it was surprisingly quick due in part to the enormous rental room.  Another huge advantage over the SoCal mountains.

Post riding is nice because the #1 thing to do is hit the pizza spot.  Can't quite remember the name of the place, but there is a killer spot in town.  We changed out and headed right over to chow down on the best pizza and beer in town.

Ready to roll out thanks to all the breadsticks, chicken wings and pepperoni pizza, we head back to the cabin and it's time for some relaxation.  Cards, guitar playing, karaoke and another drink or 2 never hurt anyone right?

Well, if you're in town for more than a day, then you're definitely planning another trip to the bump.  But on our last day in town, I love to have a big leaving town breakfast in the cabin.  So stopping by the market for sausages, bacon, potatoes, eggs, OJ, pancake mix and lots of hot cocoa is mandatory for a great breakfast before we head out of town.

All in all, can't go wrong for a Mammoth Snowboarding trip.  For me, it's never much more than heading up with great friends, hitting the slopes for great powder and getting back home safely.

This trip was taken in March of 2006.  It was a perfect weekend with plenty of snow, but nothing that shut down the good lifts or impeded our driving.

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Related Activities:

Freestyle Skiing, Snow Skiing, Snowboarding

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Tags

Mammoth, Mountain, CA, Snow, Snowboarding, Ski, Skiing, Ski Lift, Rentals, Food, Snow Cabins, Chalet, Boots, Bindings, Snowboards, Pizza, Mammoth Lakes, Sierra Nevada

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Member Comments:

  •  

    Traveler Said...
    I can't believe I haven't been yet, to a mountain so close that dumps so much snow.

     

  •  

    sl8rs Said...
    Your pictures say it all! Good times with good friends.

     

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