RESORT GUIDE 2010: #5 Mammoth Mountain

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA
WEBSITE: MAMMOTHMOUNTAIN.COM
VERTICAL: 3,100 feet
ACREAGE: 3,500
SNOWFALL: 400 inches
TICKETS: $92

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.