While Mammoth Mountain is largely heralded as a terrain park paradise, there’s more here than meets the eye. No doubt, Oren Tanzer and Mammoth’s Unbound crew have created one of the largest, best and longest-running quality parks in the world, but Mammoth is loaded with some serious terrain for those in SoCal looking for more than just a park fix.

Mammoth spans a massive 3,500 acres and offers 3,100 feet of vertical for you to get your adrenaline rush. The scary-steep terrain, open faces and tight trees will chew you up and spit you out. Mammoth is blanketed in 400 inches of California’s finest, so you’ll definitely want some big sticks to take advantage of the ample snowfall. The combination of terrain, snowfall and high-speed lift system make it a no-brainer for a pro like Chris Benchetler to call Mammoth home.

But the crown jewel of Mammoth is still the Unbound Terrain Park. From early season training to big swinging mid-season sessions to late spring custom film shoots, Mammoth’s park and pipes cover it all. Pros and wannabes, established film crews and startups have all been flocking to Mammoth’s parks for a decade, a testament to its build quality and the dedication of the staff.

But all the gifts of Mammoth come at the price of a secluded location. Mammoth is about six hours from Los Angeles and four hours from Reno. The good news? Direct flights from LA and San Jose make Mammoth a quick hop away, if you’re willing to pay. And remember, Mammoth is still in Southern California. Translation: it’s sunny, warm, the season is long and the après deposits you smack in the middle of So- Cal coeds.

     

THE TOP 12
#1 Whistler/Blackcomb, BC
#2 Aspen/Snowmass, CO
#3 Sqaw Valley, CA
#4 Jackson Hole, WY
#5 Mammoth Mountain, CA
#6 Alta/Snowbird, UT
#7 Breckenridge, CO
#8 Telluride, CO
#9 Mt. Baker, WA
#10 Big Sky, MT
#11 Copper Mountain, CO
#12 Park City, UT