Mammoth Mountain is the closing act of the American ski season. While the rest of the Rockies are shedding their snowpack, Mammoth's east-facing bowls still hold deep, dry powder, and lifts often spin until July 4th. The numbers explain why: more than eleven metres of annual snowfall, a base at 2424 m, and a summit pushing 3369 m where a panoramic gondola deposits you on the volcanic crown of the Mammoth Lakes Caldera. The 240 km of pistes are organised across a remarkably balanced mix of terrain, with broad blue motorways for cruisers, three full freestyle parks for the freeride generation that grew up watching local heroes, and a string of expert chutes off the cornice. The town of Mammoth Lakes, five kilometres from the main lodge, is a high-altitude village of ski shops, sushi bars and lakeside hot springs. When the snow finally goes, the same lifts reopen for downhill mountain biking and the alpine lakes come alive with kayaks and fly rods. Mammoth is a year-round playground that just happens to be a great winter resort.