SKI: Mammoth Mountain Ranks No. 9

September 18, 2005

By Bump Diamond
Man About Town

    All over town these days, people are holding nine fingers above their heads and chanting, "We're No. 9! We're No. 9"
    OK, so they're not, but it's not beyond the realm of imagination. SKI magazine, in its annual reader poll published in its October editions, ranked Mammoth Mountain Ski Area No. 9 in North America.
    This does not represent any appreciable movement from last year on the list for Mammoth, which once again suffered in the rankings for its lack of access—a feature that many, including SKI magazine writer Jackson Hogen, also considered to be among its strengths.
    "Until the long-sought-after airport expansion comes to pass," he wrote in a delicious mixed metaphor, "Mammoth will likely continue to a busy hive on weekends and an empty nest on weekdays, an awsome bonus for the midweek skier."
    The top ski resort in the poll is Deer Valley, Utah, which bans snowboards and caters to the platinum crowd. Following Deer Valley are, in order, Vail, Whistler/Blackcomb, Snowmass, Park City; Beaver Creek, Breckinridge and Aspen.
    Mammoth finished ahead of No. 10 Sun Valley, No. 11 Steamboat and No. 14 Jackson Hole.
    For just pure skiing and boarding, however, Mammoth ranks way high.
    Readers, 5,500 of them ranking 250 resorts in North America, ranked Mammoth No. 1 in terrain parks, No. 1 in lifts, No. 2 in terrain variety and No. 3 in grooming. In terrain challenge, Mammoth placed sixth, behind Jackson Hole, Snowbird, Taos, Alta and Squaw Valley, and ahead of Whistler, Arapahoe Basin, Crested Butte and Kirkwood.
    Mammoth was the top California resort, ahead of No. 12 Heavenly, No. 16 Squaw Valley, No. 22 Northstar-At-Tahoe and No. 28 Alpine Meadows.

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