Mammoth Mountain and skiing are well-known buddies. But writer Yvette Cardozo recently found out there’s a lot of summer fun to be had up there on the hill, with more on the way.

Woolly’s Mining Co — gem mining adventure for children at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Photo by Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

I am not a thrill junkie. But … I would make an exception for Mammoth Mountain’s new “taste of climbing” cliff route.

On the other hand the zipline plunge over what locals call “Oh S*%t Cliffs,” um, maybe not.

Either way, for this mountain better known as a killer ski destination, the two latest summer additions give folks a reason to think about what used to be called “off season.”

But how off season is a time of year when you can hike, kayak, climb, cycle, fish, ride horses and more?

Just heading off, onto the Kids’ Ropes Course at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Photo by Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

For those kids you found climbing the kitchen cabinets while still in diapers, there’s the kids ropes course for children 12 and under. The site says, “Climb, stretch, balance and crawl your way through 10 different elements that include a climbing net, log walk, planks, swings and more before you rappel back to the ground to finish.”

But for the parents, it’s nice to see all this isn’t THAT high off the ground and the final rappel drops a fairly tame 15 feet.

Let’s talk zipline. Mammoth Mountain calls  theirs the Mega-Zip. You can do it sitting (the conventional way) or on your belly in “Superman” position, hurtling in the air down a mountain at 60 mph. The ride is billed as the “most vertical in the USA” (some 2,100 feet from the top of the ski resort at 11,053 feet) to the bottom. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

It’s more than a mile long from top to base and you will be able to descend side by side with other folks on parallel cables. The whole ride is actually in two stages, starting from the very top and going on a somewhat sideways path to the mountain’s Chair One, where people exit and get on a second line all the way to the bottom.

Mammoth hopes to open it by early September, which would give about a month before winter snows start.

And the resort has more adventures. In addition to the kids ropes course, there’s the Woolly’s Mining Co, a gem mining adventure (see both, above). The “taste of climbing” wall called Via Feratta is under construction.

Climbing the Via Ferrata at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Photo by Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

The Via Ferrata, which translates to “Iron Path” is a mid-mountain, mostly horizontal traverse along a cliff face. Rebar is being secured into the cliff face and the adventure will include ladders, suspended bridges and iron rungs, among other things. There will be six different routes that progress in difficulty.

“We think of it as an intro to climbing,” said Justin Romero of the mountain’s marketing department. “The idea is to give people who have never thought of climbing an idea of what it’s like.”

You go with a guide, he added, you are clipped in at all times and the total vertical is about 180 feet as you follow a set trail for 300 feet more or less horizontally across the rock.

The website says “perfect for families, groups or individuals. No previous climbing experience required.”

Photos of what it might look like show folks in full climbing gear … helmet, harness and the rest.

People enjoy and photograph the view of lakes from the top of the gondola at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. This viewpoint is a short hike from the gondola top.

Mountain biking in summer from the top of the ski area at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. One of many summer activities in the area.

A lot of these improvements come courtesy of Alterra Mountain Co., which now has interest in a dozen ski destinations, including CMH (heli skiing). The company, which recently merged with Intrawest, pumped serious money into Mammoth. Some $10 million is being used this summer on the zipline, the cliff climb and both children’s adventures along with improvements to Canyon Lodge.

Summer season is usually early June through end of September when the snows arrive.

For more information, visit Mammoth Mountain’s website, here. 

Hungry for more? If you enjoyed this article, you’ll also enjoy Yvette’s article about Tucson and Points South.