6 Reasons to Add Mammoth Mountain to Your Ikon Pass Bucket List
Nov 10, 2022
If you’re an Ikon Pass holder but have never visited Mammoth Lakes — a little ski town in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains — let’s just start by saying, you’re missing out big time! Sure, before Mammoth Mountain popped on your radar as part of the Ikon Pass or Mountain Collective Pass, you may not have even heard of Mammoth Lakes. But now, with access to 41 resorts around the world, the Ikon Pass makes it easy to plan your travel around all of the amazing places you can ski.
Mammoth Mountain is one of those places that has to be on the top of your list. Here’s why:
Legendary Sierra Snowpack
With a summit at 11,053 feet and a unique placement in the Sierra Nevada that leads to unreal amounts of snow, Mammoth Mountain is in a league of its own. The mountain is perfectly situated to get absolutely dumped on from big storms that roll in from the Pacific. And that “Sierra cement” your buddies who ski Colorado tease you about? Not a thing when you bump up the elevation to Mammoth levels!
One of the Longest Seasons in the Country
Massive snowfalls plus the High Sierra climate mean the snow sticks around for quite a while. In fact, Mammoth Mountain historically has one of the longest ski seasons in the country. Most years, guests can ski and snowboard at Mammoth Mountain from early November into the summer (think: skiing in shorts on the 4th of July).
So if you’re sad to stay goodbye to the snow when some of you’re other favorite resorts shut down lifts in early April, look no further than spring and summer skiing at Mammoth Mountain. Sure summer skiing is a bit of a novelty, but that’s all the more reason to get Mammoth Mountain onto your bucket list… if only to say you’ve skied one of the longest seasons out there.
275 Days of Sunshine!
As much as we like to brag about the legendary snowpack here in the Sierra, one thing is for sure… everyone who calls Mammoth Mountain their home mountain is just as grateful for the 275 days of sunshine (on average) as they are for the snowfall. California really serves up the best of both worlds when it comes to plenty of snow coupled with magical bluebird days.
Unlimited Days of Skiing & Riding at Mammoth Mountain
And the best news about those 275 days of sunshine? You can soak in as many as you want in a given season because Mammoth Mountain has unlimited days of skiing and riding on the Ikon Pass. So when your one-time bucket list visit to Mammoth Lakes turns into the best ski trip of your season, there are no rules against coming back again and again.
The Highest Chairlift-Accessible Mountain in California
Enough about the amazing snow and unbelievable weather and unlimited skiing and riding. Here are some of the stats that make Mammoth Mountain pretty special in its own right. First of all, Mammoth Mountain is the highest chair-accessible ski resort in California. The summit reaches 11,053 feet and spans 3,100 feet vertical from the summit to the base lodge.
And the mountain really lives up to its name when it comes to 3,500 skiable acres, 151 trails and 28 lifts.
Fly Here From Anywhere in the World
With non-stop flights from Los Angeles into Mammoth on Advanced Airlines, and non-stop flights from San Francisco and Denver to Bishop (just 40 minutes south of Mammoth Lakes) on United Airlines connecting to Mammoth Lakes from pretty much anywhere in the world is easy.