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Hotels Mammoth Mountain USA

Large, high altitude ski resort in California with great skiing for all standards.

Pistes: 3500 acres 2430 m - 3370 m

Hotels Mammoth, ski holidays Mammoth

Mammoth Mountain is not the easiest resort to get to but it does offer some good skiing for all standards on slopes that are generally very quiet. The ski area is set above Mammoth Lakes a small year-round resort town that is connected to the base of the ski area by road and monorail. This resort town lacks a little atmosphere and you will need a car to get about, as it is very spread out. However, Intra West (the developers of Whistler and Les Arcs 1950 in the Alps) has developed The Village, which connects to the ski area via a new gondola to Canyon Lodge. This is a well designed development but only offers limited lodging capacity compared to Mammoth Lakes and the several hotels at the base of the mountain at Main Lodge.

The main mountain is large by North American standards and offers experts some massive, wide open and steep (ish) powder faces. In good snow these really are a lot of fun to ride - especially with many cornice drop in points. Intermediates will enjoy the long runs on the middle slopes that wind through the trees and there are plenty of beginner slopes too.

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Resort statistics

Beginners

Intermediates

Experts

Snow sure

Off-piste

Ski area

Charm factor

Non-skiers

Nightlife

Practicality

Fine dinning

Short transfer

Resort value

Airports

LOS ANGELES (6 hours)
RENO (3 hours)

Pros

Pistes suitable from everyone from beginners to off piste powder hounds
Huge terrain park
Uncrowded slopes especially out of peak season
Good snowfall record
Good mixture of open bowls and tree runs

Cons

A rather straggling place with no focus, a car is a must
Most accommodation is miles from the slopes although some development is taking place at the base
Winds can close high lifts and upper slopes can get icy and wind blown
Trail marking is poor

Resort Restaurants

Eating out in Mammoth Mountain gives you a wide choice of options. Chooses from a seasonal Provencal menu at Restaurant Lulu, or indulge in some Japanese cuisine at Sand Dollar Sushi and Sake, if you fancy pizza then go to 5 Boroughs Pizza, or if you want a healthy option then pay a visit to The Pita Pit. There are also burger joints, grill houses, seafood restaurants and Mexican, Asian and European style cuisine to be tried.

Mountain Restaurants

For a relaxing lunch stop visit the Canyon Beach Bar, which has BBQ's on the sundeck and a tasty menu. Eagle Lodge Talons Restaurant and Bar is next to the Eagle Express lift and the Mill Cafe is a good place for a warming hot chocolate by the fire place. For a lovely sit down service, the Parallax offers classic French Mediterranean food and also has a fantastic view. McCoy Station is close to Panorama Gondola (mid station) and offers you a market place style food court. There is plenty to choose from, with thirteen mountain restaurants in total.

Apres Ski

Although generally quiet during the week, there is a buzzing atmosphere over the weekends. The Yodler is one hot spot offering apres cocktails, Thunder Mountain offers a variety of drinks and a cosy fire and also has great views. Sherwin's usually has live entertainment on the weekends and Roberto's is also a popular place to visit after a day on the slopes. Grizzly's is also popular with its outdoor bar.

Nightlife

For a quiet beer and a game of pool The Tap on Main Street is a good bar to visit. A livelier place is Grumpy's, which has pool and also has table foosball and lots of giant TV screens for sport. For more of a party atmosphere, then the Clock Tower Cellar and Whiskey Creek are both lively bars often with live music. Lakanuki always has people dancing and Fever is a popular nightclub.