Family ski trip to Mammoth Lakes:
Everything you need to know

Great ski trips are about more than just the sport. Ultimately, they’re bonding experiences — both for your family and with the place itself. After all, the best travel experiences feel as if you’re not just visiting a place but starting a relationship with it.

So as you’re considering your itinerary, consider — and include — the space. Block out some time for the unexpected excursion off the mountain. For going back wherever you and the kids enjoyed most. For rest and recovery, some unstructured play time in town. For exploring.

Here are the basics of what’s in store in Mammoth Lakes.

Being on the mountain is physical. It quickly exposes everyone’s comfort level when it comes to being in the sun, wind, cold, up at elevation, etc. Proper gear is essential.

Of course, there’s a certain stoke that helps push through all this: a sense of learning. Of progression. Whether it’s your kids’ first run in the terrain park or just getting more comfortable on a snowboard and overcoming those initial jitters, it’s all one endless learning experience.

To understand Mammoth Mountain, you have to start with the terrain. As storm systems come in from the Pacific, they sometimes drop heavy snow on the Eastern Sierra. Mammoth Mountain averages 400 inches of snowfall or more each season — with some seasons extending into August. Storms of three feet, four feet (sometimes more!) can be routine.

At times, these big weather events can be accompanied by winds, creating temporary lift closures. But the moment they’re open again, a kind of feeding frenzy occurs, with powder-crazed riders and skiers looking for first tracks down their favorite lines. And this is when Mammoth Mountain turns legendary.

The infrastructure is built around four base lodges (as well as the Village at Mammoth, which has its own Village Gondola up to the mountain):

• Main Lodge — summit access via Panoramic Gondola. Gets first sun in the morning.
• The Mill — less than a mile before Main Lodge, easier parking. Good meeting point between Main Lodge and Canyon, yet limited services and storage.
• Canyon Lodge — accessible from Village Gondola. Busiest of all four lodges.
• Eagle Lodge — closest to the center of town, yet limited parking.

Lift tickets can be purchased directly at any of the four bases (as well as the Village at Mammoth), and each has food options as well. Ski school is available at Main Lodge (which also offers daycare), Canyon Lodge, and Eagle Lodge.

While not directly part of the lift-accessed infrastructure, a “fifth” lodge — Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center — is a quiet alternative located on 19 miles of groomed Nordic trails.

Beyond being on the mountain, there are so many ways to explore the Sierra and enjoy the town of Mammoth Lakes. Some, like ice skating, make great early evening or after-dinner activities. Others, like side trips to Hot Creek or Mono Lake, are awesome rest-day activities.

And still others, like snowshoeing or exploring Mammoth Lakes by fat bike or snowmobiling, can be their own half-day or full-day adventures, which give you a totally different perspective on the terrain.

Mammoth Lakes has a special vibe for a number of reasons. It feels very familial here, part of which may be the legacy of the ski area itself, which David McCoy ran as a family business for more than 60 years.

Leaving the Village at Mammoth and heading south along Minaret Road to Main Street, you’ll find Mammoth Lakes’ business district. Between Main Street and Old Mammoth Road is everything you’ll need, from restaurants and shopping centers, to gas stations and the local Vons grocery store, to the pharmacy and a Bank of America. Note that during peak winter season, reservations at restaurants are a great way to ensure you have a table waiting for you after a day of adventures.