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Gonna be on the eastside briefly this weekend and want to sneak in a quick (say, 8 hr) ski around Mammoth. We all suck at skiing, so we're looking for something moderate (say, black diamond ish at most--don't worry, we possess basic competence and have skied Whitney below the notch, Ol' Greyback, etc). Don't have a book on me at the moment, so do you guys have any recommendations?

Thanks! I have enjoyed lurking your MLC SC comments for a couple of years, 1000pks. I'm looking for something 30 minutes at most from Mammoth, since one of my buddies needs to rent an AT setup from a shop. Any nearby suggestions?

Whoa, really? He rented BC skis last year from Mammoth Mountaineering, and they seemed to have quite a bit on the shelves...

In any case, thanks for the recommendations. Will definitely look into those.

The Sherwins, Tele Bowl, Airport Bowls just to name a few that are close to Mammoth.

Mammoth Mountaineering does stil have a good rental program. BD's. I hear they are good skiis.

OK, 1000pks, I see where this is going... I'll start another thread for tele vs AT spray.

But 2-4 mi = long approach? Come on, we're talking about the Eastern Sierra here. A 2-4 mi approach is short! Even in Socal we have to hump it 9 mi one way to ski San Gorgonio and Jepson. As far as AT skis/boots hurting heels, that's just an anecdote from one guy with a bad fit. When one finds the proper boot, it's easy to hike several miles and then skin 10+ miles all in one day without an ache or a blister.

Get an early Dawn Patrol start....Park at Main Lodge, start skinning below Chair 1 and head on up the snow covered Summer Road to Minaret Vista then ski on down to Reds Mdw, loop up through and over (east) Mammoth Pass down the Lake Mary Basin down to Tamarack. Catch the Red Line back to Main Lodge and your car. No more than 6-8 hours tops with some awesome views and moderate good Spring Corn. This will probably be the last weekend of the season that this can be done.


Oh yeah, it's all free!

Hey, I was hoping you'd chime in. That sounds perfect, actually, for a nice mellow time.

Aw, I was hopin' for a good argument

I guess I kind of take it for granted that all the snazzy new AT gear works so well... from what I understand it's come a long way. But then, part of me wonders how bad it could have been back in the day if folks like Orland Bartholomew skied for months and months in their touring gear (to say nothing of ancient Nordic ski hunters and warriors).

I'll be up there next week. Prolly going to ski SJR