Snowboarding near LA
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- isakosmo
I hear Bear Mountain is only good for 1-2 days - anyone know a good place to go near LA for a bit longer?! Toying with the idea of just going for it and flying to Whistler, but would be on my own so a bit awkward.
Ta
- rodzilla0
I've been to mammoth mountain, it had some nice powda when i was there about 6 years ago....it was around spring break time...
- HijoDMaite0
just save your money and splurge at Mammoth it's simply the best!
- would love to but flying to San Diego, then driving to Bear Mt. Mammoth is too far of a drive.mg33
- bliznutty0
Mammoth has more snow than any other resort in U.S. right now.. they've been getting dumped on steadily for past week or so.. They claim by this Friday they will have 100% of the resort open for riding.. If I lived in Cali I would already be there
- mg330
What's the easiest way to get to Mammoth? Closest airport?
- Reno i believeletterhead
- Mammoth has a small airportsandbag
- HijoDMaite0
This list shows that the closest spots to San Diego (Summit and Mountain High) are not even open yet...
you'll have to do Bear.- This isn't until mid January that I'm going there.mg33
- my badHijoDMaite
- mg330
What's the non-park riding like at Bear Mt.? We did a trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan this past February to a pretty awesome place loaded with tree runs and steep stuff. Is there enough of that at Bear Mt. to stay busy and have fun for 3 days?
- < terrible. rocky, icy. Bear is 3-4 hrs from LA. Mammoth is 5 hrs. Drive the extra 2.shellie
- nocomply0
Guys, there's really no comparison between Bear/Snow Summit/Mt. High/Baldy and Mammoth. Not at all.
Mammoth is a beast! It's worth the extra diving to get there if you can. They do have a Mammoth airport, but it doesn't get many flights. Most people just drive.
I haven't done much riding for the past 4 or 5 seasons now, but back when I would go a lot I wouldn't even hit the SoCal resorts on the weekends. They just get too crowded. Mammoth can get crowded too, but the mountain is so big you can always seem to find at least one lift line that isn't too bad.
- Plus back side of Mammoth at the beginning of season is just simply glorious!!!HijoDMaite
- BACKSIDE. That bowl back there is where I live. Chair 13.shellie
- Chair 13 indeed!HijoDMaite
- mg330
I'd love to talk my group into going to Mammoth. Three of us have to fly out there anyways from Chicago. Looks like we can fly direct into Mammoth in mid January for around $520 or so. We're meeting a friend in SD because he lives there, it'd be cheap for him to fly from SD to Mammoth. I'd love to make it work, because I really want to do more big mountain stuff this year after not going out west last season.
- OK, friend in SD is up for it. Now to convince everyone else about mammoth.mg33
- nocomply0
mg33 - It would be crazy to fly all the way from Chicago to go to Bear/Summit. You gotta make Mammoth happen!
- mg330
Thanks nocomply!
After not going out west last year (although, we did have a badass trip to upper Michigan on Lake Superior, backcountry-ish place) I have to make the most out of this year. I've got this CA trip we're working on, then a trip to either Utah or CO with another group.
- dbloc0
Bear is your best bet...If you are up for a little drive then head over to Mammoth.
- letterhead0
Mammoth is worth the drive from soCal. what is it, maybe 8 hours? Plus, if you are into snowboarding, Mammoth is definately one of those places that you should visit in your life.
- mg330
I'm not spending another 8+ hours in a car with the guys going on this trip. Two of these guys are constant farters. Our drive to/from northern Michigan was a brutal 16 hours of olfactory punishment. I'm not doing that again.
- dbloc0
Bear is fun and it has a good park.
- rocketrichard0
I've been to Mammoth a few times in my lifetime. It was pretty great. Not much comparable in the area.
- shellie0
When storm systems come through this time of year, I just know Mammoth is going off.
Anyone ever been to June Mountain? It's closed this winter season.
- isakosmo0
wow, just seen all this - looks like there's no point in flying out to Whistler i might as well just stay in Bear / Mammoth! Anyone know a good cheap place to stay in Mammoth? like a decent hostel-y place?!
- nocomply0
Shellie - I've been to June Mountian once or twice and it was great, but like any place it totally depends on the conditions when you hit it. I think I heard that it's closing down permanently though, no?
As for places to stay in Mammoth... I don't know of any hostels off-hand. Probably the cheapest route is to get a group of friends to go in together on a cabin. They will tell you there's a maximum occupancy, but if you can get enough people together and exceed that limit by a few bodies it will come out fairly cheap. I've done that in the summer when rates were less to begin with and it came out to like $15 per person, per night.
If you're travelling in a smaller group and that's not an option, I usually find the best rates at the Motel 6, but last time I was there the mattresses were terrible. I guess you get what you pay for.