Here’s how I remember it: We are heading up the gondola at Mammoth Mountain, California. I’m maybe 10 years old at most, and I am crying. It’s my first time up here as my dad convinced me to try the Mammoth classic, Cornice Bowl. Now, as the summit terrain’s steepness comes into view, I’m paralyzed with fear. I see a guy launching off what seems like a massive wall of vertical (this was before Cornice was groomed, so it actually had, well, a bit of cornice). I had no idea people skied stuff like that. I remember feeling sick to my stomach.
Back then there was no easy way down, so my options as presented are, one: ride back down the gondola by myself, in shame, or two: put on my big boy pants and send it. I end up going with my own variation of option two, where I ski down, crying like a baby all the way down and stopping after every desperate skidded turn. As it turns out, it is pretty reasonable once I realize how other people are traversing in at an angle. Once you’re in, you’re in. It’s always easier once you commit.
Fast forward 37 years and I’ve had a kind of a Rip Van Winkle ski life. I stopped skiing at 12, but then at 47, I just fell in love with it, and now I’m back up there more days than I care to admit.
The best thing about Mammoth Mountain to me is, that there is something to do during every season. It’s not even just the skiing or boarding. Mammoth is like an anchor in the Eastern Sierra, supporting all kinds of ancillary adventures.
In fall, as the first snow starts to accumulate and gets shaped by the Mammoth groom wizards, you can maybe do a half day there and then rock climb down in Bishop, less than an hour away. When winter finally arrives and you’re timing trips up the 395 for the waves of atmospheric rivers, you can squeeze in a day ice climbing in nearby Lee Vining. I love keeping it multisport and exploring everything the area has to offer.
Spring, to me, really is king at Mammoth Mountain. Situated near an opening in the Sierra Crest, Mammoth is a real snow magnet with a healthy 400 inches of average snowfall, creating over 3,500 acres of skiable terrain. What’s more, with the summit peaking at 11,053 feet, that incredible Eastside corn tends to stick around deep into spring and even summer. Last year’s epic season saw me skiing all the way until my birthday on August 3.
I do love Mammoth Mountain all year long — in fact, the whole of Eastern Sierra. I can’t say I’ve become a great skier, but I’m sure I’ve never had as much fun doing anything else. And at least I don’t cry on the gondola anymore. Surely that would make Dad proud.
