Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
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| Mammoth Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Location: | |
| Nearest city: | Mammoth Lakes 1 mile east, Reno, Nevada 170 miles (275 km) wnw |
| Top elevation: | 11,053 feet (3,369 m) |
| Base elevation: | 7,953 feet (2,424 m) |
| Skiable area: | 3500 acres (14 km²) |
| Runs: | 150 named |
| Longest run: | 3 miles (5 km) |
| Lift system: | 28 lifts: 3 gondolas, 23 chairs (2 high speed six, 9 high speed quads, 1 quad, 7 triple, 4 double), 2 platter lift |
| Snowfall: | 348 inches, 8.8 meters |
| Snowmaking: | 477 acres (1.9 km²) covering 48 trails, 33% |
| Web site: | Mammoth Mountain |
The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in eastern California on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest. The ski area, commonly called simply Mammoth, has the best terrain park according to Transworld Snowboarding, and is consistently ranked in the top ten ski resorts by Ski Magazine.[citation needed]
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[edit] History
Mammoth was founded by Dave McCoy, a hydrographer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. As a member of the Eastern Sierra Ski Club in the 1930s, McCoy noticed that Mammoth Mountain consistently held more snow than other mountains. The Ski Club had a portable rope tow. McCoy bought the rope tow from the club in 1941 and usually kept it at Mammoth. In 1953, the United States Forest Service awarded a permit to McCoy to operate the ski area. The first ski lift was built in 1955. McCoy sold 33% of interest in the ski area to Intrawest in 1996.
As recently as the 1980s, senior citizens skied Mammoth for free. As of 2006, those aged at least 80 years may ski free.
On February 23, 2005, Dave McCoy announced that he would be selling his stake in Mammoth Mountain, after 68 years of running the ski area. On October 5, 2005, Mammoth announced that a majority stake will be sold to Starwood Capital, a private equity fund specializing in real estate, run by Barry Sternlicht.
[edit] Description
The ski area is built on the north side of Mammoth Mountain, located in the volcanic Long Valley Caldera. Overnight guests stay in the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, and occasionally neighboring towns such as Bishop. Mammoth has more than 3,500 acres (14 km²) of skiable terrain, serviced by 28 lifts (including 3 gondolas). The area has 3100 feet (940 m) of vertical, rising to an elevation of 11,053 feet (3,368 m). The top of the mountain has challenging chutes and open mogul runs. There are three main terrain parks branded "Unbound" at Mammoth. Unbound Main, located adjacent to Main Lodge, is highly praised by extreme snowboarding and skiing enthusiasts, and is one of the major attractions of the ski resort. Many of the top professionals in the sport, including 2006 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist Shaun White, come to practice and compete in the world famous 18-Foot-Tall Super Pipe and 22-Foot-Tall Super-Duper Pipe. Mammoth Mountain also has one of the longest ski seasons in North America, which averages from November to June. Mammoth does occasionally open earlier, such as in 2005, when the resort opened in October, and did not close until the 4th of July. Mammoth Mountain's longest season, over ten months, was thanks to the 1994-1995 winter season when the resort opened on October 8th and did not close until August 13th. Mammoth receives an average of nearly 400 inches (1016 cm) of snow per season [1], though the 2005-2006 season saw the resort accumulate an astounding 668 inches (17 m), a record tally.
[edit] Logistics
Mammoth Mountain is located in California's Eastern Sierra approximately 100 miles South of the Nevada state line and 30 minutes from the Eastern Gate of Yosemite National park. Although the ski area appears to be in Northern California on a map the resort is mainly frequented by skiers and snowboarders from Southern California. Though it is a five-hour drive from Los Angeles, Mammoth is much closer for Southland skiers and riders than the Lake Tahoe area resorts, which are more accessible to the San Francisco Bay Area. Mammoth Mountain is a more popular destination than Southern California resorts, because of these areas' heavy reliance on snowmaking, lighter precipitation, and their notably shorter seasons. Although Mammoth is physically closer to San Francisco than LA, mountain passes along the Sierra crest close after the first major snowfall, and this lack of a trans-Sierra travel route creates an unusually long drive to Mammoth from the Bay Area and most of Northern California. For example: during the summer, the distance from Fresno to Mammoth Lakes is 189 miles, while the same excursion in winter involves 366 miles of driving. In recent years Mammoth has had increased visitors from outside of California and Nevada with many flying into Reno, 160 miles to the north of the ski area, and taking the scenic drive down US 395.
Nearby Mammoth Yosemite Airport is set to begin scheduled service (by Horizon Air) starting in December 2008.
