20 years ago, the folks at Mammoth Mountain started something that would leave its mark on the park scene forever: Mammoth Unbound. A constant leader in creativity and progression, Mammoth’s wide array of parks, known as Mammoth Unbound, has come a long way since its beginning in 1997. With four halfpipes and over 100 jumps and sometimes as many as 50 jumps spread across 11 distinct and specialized terrain parks, Mammoth Unbound has cemented its place in freeskiing history. In the below throwback video, Pep Fujas states “Mammoth is the shiznit”—and that still holds true today.
To commemorate its 20 years of awesomeness, Unbound is going all out. Its jibs are pink this season—a nod and throwback its earlier days—and Chair 6 (the express quad which spins right over Main Park) has been painted matte black and renamed from Thunderbound Express to Unbound Express. Take a moment go get to know each of Unbound’s unique parks, below, and delve into a bit of freeskiing history.
The Unbound Terrain Parks:
Main Park
A gathering place for pros throughout the last 20 years, Main Park is constantly setting the bar for terrain parks everywhere. With its massive jump line, jibs and 22-foot superpipe, this is the place for expert skiers to put on a show. This year it’s bigger than ever with a rebuilt deck rail—an iconic Main Park feature—and a whole new look with the revamped Unbound Express chair.
The Hemlocks
New to Mammoth this year, the Unbound crew is getting creative and shaping features that compliment the natural terrain found on the backside of the mountain. Not your typical terrain park, The Hemlocks have kickers that require steep and fast landings onto ungroomed terrain.
South Park
Geared towards intermediate/advanced skiers, South Park has some of the longest and most diverse lines available on the mountain. Usually starting with an 18-foot halfpipe, leading into jibs then to a triple-pack of jumps into more jibs, it offers big features with a more relaxed vibe compared to Main Park. It’s also great on stormier days, since it’s more protected from wind.
Jibs Galore
Rails, rails and more rails. Just next to South Park, this is an entire run dedicated to metal. Come here to get your jib on.
The Transition Park
New to Mammoth Unbound last year, the Transition Park is a skate-inspired course made up of berms, quarter pipes and rollers. Fun for skiers of all levels, it’s the perfect place to test your creativity on the mountain.
Forest Trail
Next to Main Park and off of Unbound Express, Forest Trail is the place for intermediate skiers to practice their skills or to just have fun. Often featuring a three-pack of jumps, multiple jib lines and sometimes a mini-pipe, Forest is always a blast to lap through.
Wonderland Playground
Out of Canyon Lodge, the Wonderland Playground is the place to be if you’re a beginner looking to get comfortable riding onto boxes and rails, hitting small jumps and trying out the mini pipe.
Disco Playground
Disco Playground is right off of Discovery Chair at Main Lodge, providing a place for beginners to get comfortable with ride on rails and boxes and small jumps.
Eagle Playground
Similar to its Main and Canyon Lodge counterparts, Eagle Playground is the beginner park at Eagle Lodge, made of small features aimed to help build confidence on freestyle features.
The Fun Zones
Each base lodge area (Main, Canyon and Eagle) has its own Fun Zone. Featuring gentle rollers and small spines, these zones are designed to help beginners gain confidence before heading to the playgrounds.
Mammoth Mountain just had its snowiest month on record in January, meaning there is tons for the Unbound Park Crew to work and create with. Check out more iconic photos and edits from Unbound’s history, below, and get out there yourself this season to celebrate 20 years of Unbound.
