What You Need to Know for Your First Visit to Mammoth Mountain

As members of the Mammoth Lakes community, the team here at ASO Mammoth loves seeing and hearing from people who travel from across the country and beyond to ski, snowboard, or just relax at Mammoth Mountain. Whether it’s a storm that drops a few feet of snow in the middle of spring or it’s one of our many sunny winter days, we are happy to share everything we love about Mammoth Lakes, especially with people who visit from far away!

To help people visiting from across the highway as well as across the world, the ASO Mammoth team has put the most important Mammoth Mountain information in this quick guide. Check it out below and stop by the shop if you still have any questions!

 The Mountain

 No matter what your winter sport is, if it involves snow then you can find it on Mammoth Mountain’s 3,500 acres of skiable terrain that typically has coverage from mid-November all the way to March and beyond. On the mountain you’ll find groomed runs, cliffs, chutes, tree runs, and terrain parks with features appropriate for beginners, pros, and even backcountry lovers, and they’re all serviced by 25 lifts and three lodges surrounding the base of the mountain. While the length of the season varies each year, Mammoth Mountain is known for its consistently long seasons that can reach all the way into July on high snow years.

How does a ski resort not in the Southern Hemisphere stay open into July? For starters Mammoth’s base elevation is 7,953 feet with the summit towering all the way to 11,053 feet. While the high elevation can be challenging for some visitors, the 400 inches of snow that fall every winter make things a little better. Combine the snow with the elevation and you get some of the longest ski seasons in America.

 

 What Weather to Expect

Although Mammoth’s weather often means incredible snow, it can also mean high winds. Mammoth Mountain experiences high winds throughout the winter, and when those winds combine with below freezing temperatures skiing and snowboarding can be extremely uncomfortable.

When you’re on the mountain you can avoid the high winds by not skiing in high wind areas like the backside of Mammoth Mountain. Before you get to the mountain though, you can check the weather and prepare accordingly. There are many resources to check Mammoth Mountain weather online, but we recommend these four sites. For a basic but reliable weather reports check out The National Weather Service’s Mammoth Lakes Page and the Mammoth Mountain Snow and Weather Report. If you want weather reports from the ground along with a local’s perspective then you can read the Mammoth Mountain Snowman’s weather report or check out Howard Sheckter’s Mammoth Weather blog.

While sunshine may be great for skiing and snowboarding, always keep an eye out for an Eastern Sierra snowstorm. As excellent as the weather services above are, storms are hard to predict in the Mammoth Lakes area. If you’re lucky then you’ll catch a storm that will drop a few dozen inches of snow or more during your trip!

 Where to Stay

 If proximity to the mountain is your top priority when it comes to lodging, then the Mammoth Mountain resorts like Juniper Springs Resort are your best option. Mammoth’s resorts don’t only offer proximity to the mountain, but they also offer other amenities such as in room rental gear fitting. There are several other smaller hotels in the area such as the Alpenhof Lodge and the Austria Hof Lodge that will provide great experiences as well!

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