Mammoth

[Zand]

Going to Vegas in mid January. Thinking about renting a car and driving up to Mammoth for a couple days. Looks like a 5 hour ride. Do I need an SUV for that ride or is it possible to,get there with a car in the winter?

Also, i know nothing about the resort so please learn me about it!

 

[raisingarizona]

Going to Vegas in mid January. Thinking about renting a car and driving up to Mammoth for a couple days. Looks like a 5 hour ride. Do I need an SUV for that ride or is it possible to,get there with a car in the winter?

Also, i know nothing about the resort so please learn me about it!

It’s possible unless it’s not.

 

[jaytrem]

Be aware, lots of rental SUVs in CA/NV/AZ are 2WD. You might actually be better off with car if it has front wheel drive. If you can be flexible with your plans you could probably get in and out okay and if necessary use the busses while you're there. Odds are most of your ride would be dry until you get pretty close. Might also be possible to pick up some snow chains. Some rental companies don't allow them, but I'm not sure how they would ever know. Return the chains after the drive if they're not used (or maybe even if they are).

The mountain itself is awesome with fun stuff all over the place.

You could also be a little lazy and just head to Lee Canyon for some turns.

 

[Zand]

Won't book anything until the week of as far as Mammoth goes. As weird as it sounds, I'm hoping for a dry week in order to make the trip. Not gonna risk hitting heavy snow when I only have a two day window to get in and out. I've only ever driven a considerable distance out west twice...once from Denver to Winter Park where I lucked out with a dry trip out and back and not much traffic. Then from SLC to Jackson where 95% of the trip was dry. But had an SUV both times back when it wasn't a million dollars to rent one. I got stuck in LCC last spring in a snow squall because I tried going up in a shitty rental. Bad enough getting stuck there, dont want to risk that in the middle of nowhere. Too bad I can't fly my Jeep out with me!

Lee Canyon looks kind of interesting. Just probably wouldn't bother lugging my stuff out to Vegas to ski 800 vert lol.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

ive been to mammoth once. it was the year after college with my buddies from college who moved to LA. so this was a long time ago and we were in full college party mode. memories are a blur. but my recollection of the drive is that the road from LA was mostly a flat straight shot thru desert territory and no mountainous terrain til the end. it dumped on us once we were there and it was definitely necessary to have a decent vehicle to get around. mountain is really big. i have regrets about taking mushrooms and staying in the condo too much and skiing not enough. i should go back.

 

[jaytrem]

Too bad I can't fly my Jeep out with me!

The first time I went there I bought a 4runner in Santa Clara and drove it home to NJ.

 

[raisingarizona]

From Vegas it’s all desert until the final climb into mammoth. When it snows in mammoth though, it freaking dumps and the whole town is built on a pretty steep hill.

The back country ski touring around Lee Canyon is really rad if they have the snow.

Another option is to ski Brian Head and/or Eagle Point up in the Tushars. They’re a lot closer to Vegas then mammoth

 

[LasersInTheTaiga]

Chains or cables will get you through both R1 and R2 road restrictions even in a 2wd vehicle. If it gets to R3 you're either not going to want to be driving or the road will be closed, so don't worry too much about that. You can buy chains in Bishop or Lone Pine before you head up into the Long Valley / Mammoth, or if the weather is good on your arrival you can definitely buy them in multiple places in Mammoth Lakes as well. Though it seems like chains are prohibited on rental vehicles, for most companies if you read the fine print it says basically "...unless required by law" so you would be covered.

Also -- pay attention to the weather before you pick your route from Vegas. The fastest route is through a pass between the White and Inyo Mountains on California 168. California has a lot of crazy roads, and this is near the top of the list, in my opinion. I wouldn't want to be doing this at night in off conditions.

Also let me put in a plug here for an afternoon at June Mtn, especially is Mammoth is slammed.

 

[Zand]

Thanks for the info. I'm starting to think this whole idea might be too shoehorned in. I'll let the weather decide. Just can't risk getting stuck in a storm as I have to fly back out Thursday.

Another option (and much safer weather wise) is to kill off another bucket list item and drive down to Magic Mountain (the amusement park in LA, not the ski area lol). This would probably be less time consuming, a similar distance but easier ride, and no real weather risks on this route.

 

[LasersInTheTaiga]

Magic Mountain is awesome, and totally worth putting up with crazy Angelinos for.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

The suggestion upthread of doing a couple days at Brian Head/Eagle Point has legs IMO. They are half the distance from Vegas and don't face the same CHP restrictions on what you can drive under which conditions. If you're looking to satisfy your ski jones and minimize potential logistical snafus, that's your best option, and I say this as an IKON Pass holder and lover of Mammoth.

 

[Zand]

The suggestion upthread of doing a couple days at Brian Head/Eagle Point has legs IMO. They are half the distance from Vegas and don't face the same CHP restrictions on what you can drive under which conditions. If you're looking to satisfy your ski jones and minimize potential logistical snafus, that's your best option, and I say this as an IKON Pass holder and lover of Mammoth.

Eagle Point is on the Indy so that's certainly an option.

 

[raisingarizona]

Eagle Point is on the Indy so that's certainly an option.

I drove by there two years ago. It’s a beautiful spot and off most people’s radar. There’s some killer looking back country skiing around the resort and the one side of the mountain has a decent pitch for around 1500 or so vertical. I think the lodging there is pretty darn affordable too.

 

[Tonyr]

We drove up to Mammoth from LA, I didn't think the road was all that bad I'm guessing the Vegas drive up would be similar. Certainly no where near what you'll see driving through some of the crazy roads and passes in Colorado. I always error on the side of caution though and rent a truck or SUV when driving in the winter, it can get ridiculously dumped on there.

As far as the skiing goes Mammoth is a bucket list spot for advanced/expert level skiers. The whole top ridge of the mountain has some unbelievable terrain. Right up there with the best terrain you'll ski at Big Sky, Jackson, Snowbird, Crested Butte, or Squaw Valley.

If you have the opportunity I'd highly suggest squeezing the trip in, you'll love the mountain and the terrain. It has a very laid back vibe there as well.

 

[DoublePlanker]

I remember driving from LA to Mammoth. It was pretty cool. Only like 4 towns on a very long stretch of desert highway. Mammoth was awesome place to ski!

 

[machski]

Mammoth is great. We loved it so much we would have considered moving if it was anywhere else than within California. Cannot comment on the drive, both times we went were late April and summer sessions, so other than Tioga almost not opening fully in time (summer session did Pallisades last weekend of June then did 3 days exploring Yosemite, so getting from there to Mammoth in 3 hours requires Tioga Pass) roads were clear. Went down from Reno both times. Most of that road is decent but there is a canyon section that I could see being really sketch in a major storm with low snow levels.

 

[jaytrem]

Eagle Point is on the Indy so that's certainly an option.

I did a mini Eagle Point/Brian Head trip. Enjoyed both, crazy good powder day at EP, fresh tracks all day. The expert section is very nice. That being said, there's a world of difference between them and Mammoth. If you want a crazy huge western mountain experience, Mammoth is the only option. If you're okay with the smaller more laid back places, EP/BH is a very nice option.

 

[jimk]

Going to Vegas in mid January. Thinking about renting a car and driving up to Mammoth for a couple days. Looks like a 5 hour ride. Do I need an SUV for that ride or is it possible to,get there with a car in the winter?

Also, i know nothing about the resort so please learn me about it!

If you get to Mammoth I hope you'll do one of your great trip reports. I might go there late Spring 2022 and could use the gauge. Never been before.

If you drive up Interstate 15 to ski in Utah there is an amazing stretch of interstate 15 that follows the deep Virgin River canyon (the section of roadway cutting through a small piece of northwest AZ). Scenery here is among the best of any southwestern interstate highway and is too low and south for much snow. Further towards Cedar City, UT there are a couple medium size mtn passes on 15 that are generally ok, but subject to occasionally snowy conditions. I've traveled I 15 from Vegas to SLC a few times in winter and had no driving problems. It's also very lightly trafficked compared to eastern interstates. Real pretty desert-mtn scenery the whole way.

 

[Hoodoo]

I've done Mammoth using Vegas as my jumping off point. The drive over to Death Valley and then up the Owens Valley is really cool. I would always pad the trip with a day to spend in Death Valley and then a day to return via Western NV. Chains, 4WD, etc are not generally a concern until you travel beyond Bishop. And then only immediately after or during a storm. Mammoth itself is fantastic. If you go, West Bowl is just uber fun as well as the terrain off of chairs 13 and 14. It is a huge mountain that needs at least two days of riding to exlpore.

 

[snoseek]

All the good colorado style snow with the Sierra terrain. The place is fantastic and enormous amounts of high quality terrain.