Sun, fun and snow (Mammoth Mountain)

Member Name: itchyfeet

Product:	Mammoth Mountain
Date:	12/11/03 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: perfect conditions, Friendly locals and staff, A truly wonderful place

Disadvantages: poor apres ski, Average food on slopes and in town, Not for expert skier / boarders

Our holiday was booked through Virgin as a 2 stop holiday. Having got married in Las Vegas, we hired a car to drive to Mammoth. The 9 hour drive was a breeze due to the stunning scenery: Never have I seen terrain so diverse that combines arrid desertland with with capped mountain peaks; red rock canyons and cacti with crystal clear lakes! It's always a good story telling friends we drove through Death Valley and the fabled (mythical?) Area 51.

Anyway, having arrived at Mammoth at about 11pm, the first thing we noticed was how spread out the town is compared to it's European counterparts - we definitely recommend hiring a car. We stayed at the Austrian immitation hotel, the Alpenhof, which was pleasant enough although I would have preferred to stay somewhere that provides breakfast as part of the package.

Anyway, onto the slopes. Warning to all skiers: If you have an irrational hatred towards snowboarders, this resort is swarming with them (probably in all US resorts). We went in mid March and the conditions were perfect. Californian sunshine with 8 feet of base snow and 1 foot of fresh powder from the previous days snowstorm. Regular European boarders/skiers can appreciate this is the holy grail.

Mammoth isn't a big mountain by European standards, where you can ski for miles along winding roads and huge bowls and connect to the next mountain. In fact you can cover the mountain in 2-3 days. However, the runs are very wide and very well groomed. Going off piste is also easy thanks to the abundance of snow. Your lift pass also covers you for June Mountain which is about 20-30 minutes drive away (another reason to get a car). June is quite small but beautiful and definitely recommended when the Los Angeles crowd descend on Mammoth over the weekend.

For anybody hankering for a lively apres ski, Mammoth is not the place to go. There are no European style snow bars on the slopes and the town doesn't
have the buzzy cosmopolitan feel that you get in most European resorts. I think the Whisky Mule is probably your best bet for a good time.

Anybody looking for a break from the slopes can try one of the many hot springs scattered around (ask the locals) and snowmobiling. Great fun.

All in all, a fantastic holiday in a good resort, although I can't help feeling that our time in Las Vegas and the freedom of driving around Nevada and California gave it a rosier tint.

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