Every family has traditions. The twice-a-year Mammoth ski trips have become one of ours. Travel in general has a way of bonding family, but there’s something about skiing in particular that seems to build solidarity in ours.
My kids might fight back at the cabin, but on the slopes, they are very supportive of each other. They wait for each other, help dust the snow off each other, carry each other’s ski’s and encourage one another.
There’s a lot of obstacles to overcome with skiing. The cold, for one. Then compound all the gear you have to wear and you feel even less nimble. It’s also a sport that’s inaccessible back home. But learning to overcome fear while embarking on the unfamiliar has given my kids a sense of achievement and confidence. Unlike any other sport I know, improvement happens rather quickly with skiing and snowboarding. After about 10 lessons, they are coming down the mountains like little professionals. All of this has not only empowered the kiddies, but bonded them as well. They are growing in their abilities. We all are, together. Some of us faster than others. (That’s me, fallen).
On a personal level, coming down the slopes is fun and freeing, something I am enjoying more with each rolling year since the more I snowboard, the less time I seem to spend on my ass. For the outgoing introvert in me, it’s the kind of interaction that rejuvenates me. Boarding down a serene mountain blanketed in white snow thousands of miles away from home with friends and family is engaging enough without the constant pressure to keep up conversation. In fact, I’d go so far as to argue skiing is best enjoyed in relative silence.
Another distinctive quality of our Mammoth trips is that we always go with the same couple of families, which makes the trip that much more fun. Traveling with other families can be challenging, but when done with the right family of the right chemistry, and with some savvy maneuvering, which is required when traveling with others, it can elevate the level of fun and convenience to great heights.
Related: How to Travel with Other Families
We love Mammoth Mountain for all of the usual qualities of a ski resort: the crisp clean mountain air, picturesque white peak views, a nice fireplace in a cabin with bunkbeds (a highlight for kids). But what we love about Mammoth in particular is the quality of snow and slopes, and it’s relative close proximity to our home in Los Angeles. The runs are longer and wider than some of those closer ski parks.
On Getting There
We always drive. It’s about a 5-hour drive, or two movies long, as my kids say. With all the snow gear and food we take, driving is the most conducive option, not to mention the most economic and eco-friendly. While biking to the snow-capped mountains isn’t an option, it’s more environmentally friendly than flying, which is a convenient option as well. The Mammoth airport is about a 15-minute drive from the ski park.
Related: How to Travel Socially Responsibly
We usually stop midway in Bishop at the McDonald’s, which breaks up the drive into nice manageable two-and-a-half-hour chunks for the kids. On the way back, we sometimes stop by Schat’s Baker and fill up on gas.
Chains are sometimes required, pending the weather. Even if the weather suggests otherwise, we always bring chains in case. Off the main exits, I’ve seen people who will put chains on for you for a fee.
Where to stay
Mammoth has three main lodges: Main, Canyon and Eagle. We’ve never stayed at Main, which has the original, older lodges. But we’ve stayed at Canyon plenty of times and Eagle Rock as well. When choosing lodging, we look for proximity above all else. Being walking distance to the mountains or the gondola means you pay more but with kids in tow, the premium price is money well spent for us.
At Eagle Rock, we’ve stayed at a ski-in/ski-out, which was very convenient in terms of accessibility. But I prefer Canyon Lodge. At Canyon, we’ve stayed at Sierra Megeve (the location can’t be beat), 1849 Condos, and The Village condos, which is my favorite by far, and not surprisingly the most costly. The Village condos are nestled in a quaint and convenient village with lots of stores and food options. You can access the slopes easily by a short Gondola ride, which the kids love. We usually book through VRBO or Airbnb.
All of the condos we’ve stayed in have access to a jacuzzi, but The Village condos (pictured above) also have a nice community pool. Swimming in the middle of winter might sound like an absolutely insane idea, but it’s actually fun to be that brazen because you only have to be brazen on your way to the pool. The pool is heated and you can always find retreat in the nearby jacuzzi.
Whoolly Mammoth also makes an appearance at the village during some late afternoons, which are fun festivities replete with face painting, hot chocolate, music and dancing. A soft snowfall on one parade we participated in added to the festive winter mood. As an Angeleno, I’ll take all the winter I can get.
What we always pack
- Ski wear (pants, jacket, thermals, gloves, neck warmers, face mask, helmets)
- Snowboards (we use a ski rack to transport)Sunscreen and SPF chapstick
- Ear muffs
- Humidifier
- Waterproof boots (for snowball fights)
- Snowball makers
- Sunglasses (bright in mountains)
- Bathing suits / sandals
- Crafts for kids
Restaurants
We usually eat in for most of our meals. We do a big Costco run before and pack all of our food and cook in the cabins. Since all of the condos have a working kitchen, the option to stay in and not have to drive in the snow is a nice potion.
But on the day we arrive, we eat out. After we’ve checked in and rented whatever gear we may need, we grab dinner at a local Mammoth eatery. This past trip we ate at Giovanni’s. I’ve also dined at Pita Pit and Toomey’s (pictured above), which has delicious jambalaya.
For lunch, we’ll either eat back at the cabin or at the onsite cafeteria, depending on whether or not we are done for the day or want to keep boarding. If you eat at the cafeteria, expect to pay $20 per person for pizza and a non-alcoholic beverage.
On Purchasing Lift Tickets
Mammoth lift tickets have skyrocketed to a whopping $160 per person (kids 4 and under ski free) as of this writing. Because of this, we seldom purchase lift tickets at the window. Here are some bundled deals that provide better value.
- The Mountain Collective: The mountain collective is a multi-resort pass where you get three lift tickets, two of which must be used at the same ski resort, and another third one can be used at a different choice of one of the 16 participating parks. Or you can opt to use all three lift tickets at the same ski resort, which is we’ve done. The Mountain Collective pass costs $429 per person. You can add another pass for kids 12 and under for $99 or purchase a child’s mountain collective pass for just an additional dollar. And each additional pass after the third lift ticket is half off for both you and your child. These passes sell out quickly though so be on the lookout.
- The Ikon Pass: This pass is very similar to the Mountain Collective but it’s more days and more parks. You have access to 26 parks instead of 16, with the option to ski either five or seven days, depending on which package you choose. The price for 2018 is $599 and $899, respectively.
- Weekly discounts: Mammoth also has weekly discounts so I would either sign up for their newsletter or follow their Instagram feeds. I purchased two of my lift tickets this past trip for half off at $80. These usually sell out within hours.
On Ski School and Lessons
Each lodge (Main, Canyon and Eagle) hold their own lessons. They do have private lessons but we’ve only enrolled the kids in group lessons so they could be with each other. They group lessons by age and proficiency level. But even if you sign your kids up at the same time, they may possibly get separated during the course of the day depending on their proficiency level. Lessons are a great opportunity for kids to mingle with other kids. Ski and snowboarding lessons come with half-day and full-day options. Since my kids were always with friends, we always put them in full-day lessons. On a couple of occasions, we have picked them up early though. Lunch is included.
All of the teachers we’ve had were great with the kids. If the weather gets too cold or windy, they bring the kids in and feed them hot chocolate. I’ve had one instructor stop by our ski-in / ski-out to pick up extra gloves for my daughter during a particularly cold and windy day. They are extremely accommodating.
Ski school is expensive at $258 a day per child, at least for this season. But I’m a firm believer that a parent shouldn’t teach their child skiing or snowboarding if they’re to have a fair shot at liking the sport. Nor should a spouse teach the other how to ski or snowboard unless you have the patience of a Dalai Lama. I was a casual snowboarder for several years, but decided to take one lesson and it made all the difference. Something clicked.
One caveat when it comes to teaching kids how to ski is that there will be lots of whining. Skiing takes work. It’s cold, the gear is cumbersome, and the initial learning stages can be very frustrating. But I’m glad we encouraged our kids to keep going. They really enjoy it now. But it did require patience on everyone’s part.
Tips
- Rent skis and other equipment the day before you ski. The mornings are very hectic so try to rent equipment the day before you ski. We rent equipment before we check into our lodging. On the day we arrive, we usually get to Mammoth by 4pm. We’ve rented from Wave Rave, but we usually rent from Mammoth Mountain. The rental department sometimes stays open past 4pm and sometimes they don’t. So we’ve missed the cut off once or twice but we’re usually able to rent.
- Bring small snacks you can put in your pocket. Skiing can exhaust your energy supply quickly. Having a couple of extra bars or Starbursts in your pocket can provide much needed fuel when you’re running on empty.
- Wear sunscreen. Don’t let the cold fool you. You will get burned if you don’t wear sunscreen. Also wear chapstick with SPF.
- Cover your face and neck. Ski masks and turtlenecks can do much to preserve heat and keep you warm on windy days.
- Wait for the snow to thaw if you don’t like icy conditions. The slopes are always icy early morning. I personally don’t like icy conditions, nor do the kids, so we usually wait until about 10am before hitting the slopes, when the snow’s had a chance to thaw a little.
- If weather conditions are terrible, consider getting a voucher for another day. If it’s just too windy or you’ve hurt yourself, Mammoth Mountain may give you a voucher for a different day, so long as you haven’t gone on more than four lifts. They’ve been pretty reasonable during my encounters with them.
- Bring a humidifier. Some condos have humidifiers so I’d check before bringing one. Having a humidifier is a big help in the mountains where the dry air and altitude can make it harder to breathe.
Other activities
In addition to skiing or snowboarding, there’s a couple of other fun activities we’ve done.
- Jump into the jacuzzi. There’s nothing like letting your muscles relax in a hot tub after a long day of skiing. Our ski day doesn’t seem complete unless we’ve had a chance to thaw out in a hot tub.
- Stop by Convict Lake. The views are absolutely breathtaking. This is a true Instragrammable gem.
- Go tubing at Whoolly’s Tube Park. This is a great snow activity, especially if you have little ones who don’t ski or are too young to ski. There’s actually a free kiddie section where smaller kids can tube. We hung out here mostly because not all of our kids met the height requirements for the steeper slopes with the steep prices to go with it. (Nothing in Mammoth is cheap!)
- Attend Whoolly’s parade. The parade is a fun festivity for kids replete with hot chocolate, face painting, music and dancing. The kids absolutely loved partying and parading with Whoolly.
Skiing and vacationing in the snow with kids is a lot of work. But we love the novelty of snow (it never snows in LA), the challenging yet rewarding thrill of skiing and snowboarding, and being in the warmth of a cabin with family and friends.