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The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in Eastern California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest. The ski area, commonly called Mammoth, is a popular ski resort for residents of Southern California. The ski area built on the north side of Mammoth Mountain, located in the volcanic Long Valley Caldera. Overnight guests stay in the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, and occasionally in neighboring towns such as Bishop. Mammoth has more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, serviced by 28 lifts (including three gondolas). The area has 3100 feet of vertical; rising to an elevation of 11,053 feet, .The top of the mountain has challenging chutes and open mogul runs. There are three main terrain parks branded "Unbound" at Mammoth. Unbound Main, located adjacent to Main Lodge, is highly praised by extreme snowboarding and skiing enthusiasts, and is one of the major attractions of the ski resort. Many of the top professionals in the sport, including 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics gold medalist Shaun White, come to practice and compete in the world famous 18-Foot-Tall Super Pipe and 22-Foot-Tall Super-Duper Pipe. There are only a handful of Super Duper pipes in the world. There is also a Mini Pipe. Mammoth Mountain is one of only a handful of resorts in the world to offer a half pipe of this size and is the only resort in North America to offer three different-sized half pipes. Mammoth Mountain also has one of the longest ski seasons in North America, which averages from November to June. Mammoth does occasionally open earlier, such as in 2005, when the resort opened in October, and did not close until 4 July. Mammoth Mountain's longest season, over ten months, was thanks to the 1994-1995 winter season when the resort opened on October 8 and did not close until August 13. Mammoth receives an average of 339 inches (860 cm) of snow per season, though the 2005-2006 season saw the resort accumulate an astounding 578 inches (1,470 cm), a record tally. Mammoth Mountain is located in California's Eastern Sierra approximately 100 miles south of the Nevada state line and 30 minutes from the Eastern Gate of Yosemite National park. The ski area is located in Northern California. The resort frequented by skiers and snowboarders from Southern California. Though it is a Five-hour drive from Los Angeles, Mammoth is much closer for Southland skiers and riders than the Lake Tahoe area resorts, which are more accessible to the San Francisco Bay Area. Mammoth Mountain is a more popular destination than Southern California resorts, because of these areas' heavy reliance on snowmaking, lighter precipitation, and their notably shorter seasons. Although Mammoth is physically closer to San Francisco than LA, mountain passes along the Sierra crest close after the first major snowfall, and this lack of a trans-Sierra travel route creates an unusually long drive to Mammoth from the Bay Area and most of Northern California. For example, during the summer, the distance from Fresno to Mammoth Lakes is 189 miles, while the same excursion in winter involves 366 miles of driving. In recent years Mammoth has had increased visitors from outside of California and Nevada with many flying into Reno, and ski season commercial flights are now available to MMH via LAX on Alaska Airlines (operated by Horizon Air).. Mammoth Mountain ski area has been aggressively trying to tap into the bay area market as an alternative to Tahoe since flights have started out of Mammoth.

Bodie is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills, east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States, and is about 75 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe. Situated 12 miles east-southeast of Bridgeport, at an elevation of 8379 feet, the town has an historic district. As Bodie Historic District, the U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes it as a National Historic Landmark. Since becoming a state historic park in 1962, the town receives about 200,000 visitors yearly. Summers in Bodie are hot, and in winter, temperatures often plummet well below zero degrees Fahrenheit and winds can sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour. Nights remain cold even through the summer, often dropping to well below freezing. The harsh weather is due to a particular combination of high altitude and a very exposed plateau, with little in the way of a natural surroundings wall to protect the long, flat piece of land from the elements. Residents require plenty of firewood to keep warm through the long winters. Bodie is not located in a forest, so people import lumber imported from Bridgeport, Benton, and Mono Mills California and Carson City, Nevada. The winter of 1878–1879 was particularly harsh and claimed the lives of many residents.