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Mammoth or N*

W4S

Turbo Monkey
Mar 2, 2004
1,282
23
Back in Hell A, b1thces
I'm planning on one last road trip before the resorts close for winter. I went to N* this summer and thought it was awesome, but I haven't been to Mammoth in 3 years.

Given the option, what is the better resort? Is N* worth the extra 2 hour drive?
 

TYM

Monkey
Sep 10, 2001
144
0
Torrance CA
If you haven't been to Mammoth in 3 years it's worth a visit.

DH trails:
Bullet
Velocity
Follow Me

Other fun trails:
Upper and lower Shock Treatment
DC-10
Flow
Chain Smoke (minus the coffin jumps)

For pure DH Northstar wins hands down. For an all mountain experience and 3 less hours on the road plus gas money in pocket, I would say Mammoth. If they leave the mountain cross course up that's another plus for Mammoth.
 
Aug 30, 2005
154
0
San Diego
if you got the time and the cash for the drive go with N* hands down. i just went to both last weekend. i spent thursday at Mammoth and then rode sat/sun at N*. Mammoth had it's moments but it's just not as fun. if you know how to ride the terrain is barely challenging. the trails are very disconnected. if you want to ride all the trails you spend half your day taking that stupid shuttle back to the lift. why don't they build more trails that end at the lift???
:think: if i spend money on a lift ticket i want to ride, and i don't mean the bus.

N* on the other hand has a trail system that makes sense and way more white-knuckle stuff to challenge the best of em.
 

MTB_Rob_NC

What do I have to do to get you in this car TODAY?
Nov 15, 2002
3,428
0
Charlotte, NC
wikitypooshlag said:
. the trails are very disconnected. if you want to ride all the trails you spend half your day taking that stupid shuttle back to the lift. why don't they build more trails that end at the lift???
:think: if i spend money on a lift ticket i want to ride, and i don't mean the bus.
I can't compare Mammoth to N* but that statement above is just not right. Mammoth is laid out and Mapped very well. If you look at the map for more then 10 minutes and know what you want to do, you can get in a ton of riding.
Kamikaze, Shock Treatment (Upper and Lower). ChainSmoke, Velocity, DC10 all end at the Gondola. (these are just the DH trails that end there) Just plan your longer run around lunch time to head all the way to the bottom.

On average I was getting 30 miles of riding per day at Mammoth (I am an "all mountain rider"). 1 day in particular I got over 10 "runs in" and a number of them ended at the bottom of the mountain.
 
Aug 30, 2005
154
0
San Diego


look at the amount of trails vs. the amount of trails that acctually end at the lift (the big red line in the middle). mammoth is OK but N* whoops up on it.
 

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,310
209
San Diego, California, United States
dude i think its up to personal opinion. N* trails are all rocks and gnarlyness. whereas mammoth is more tame but more high speed stuff thats kind of loose. it all depends what you want. i personally like mammoth better but i would hit either in a heartbeat
 

Pegboy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2003
1,139
27
New Hamp-sha
There is always the option of heading to mammoth and if you are not impressed, take off at the end of the day and hit N* the next.

This may not work, depending on what type of lodging/tickets you are looking at.
 
Aug 30, 2005
154
0
San Diego
Pegboy said:
There is always the option of heading to mammoth and if you are not impressed, take off at the end of the day and hit N* the next.

This may not work, depending on what type of lodging/tickets you are looking at.
that's why i sleep in my car. total freedom baby woot!
 

BillT

Monkey
I've been to both (though N* was several years ago) and much prefer Mammoth because, to me, it is a more complete bike park. I think Mammoth kills N* in terms of variety of trails, length of the runs, vertical feet, etc.
 
Aug 30, 2005
154
0
San Diego
BillT said:
I've been to both (though N* was several years ago) and much prefer Mammoth because, to me, it is a more complete bike park. I think Mammoth kills N* in terms of variety of trails, length of the runs, vertical feet, etc.
N* is significantly different than a couple years ago, definitely still more gnarly than mammoth though.
 

BillT

Monkey
wikitypooshlag said:
N* is significantly different than a couple years ago, definitely still more gnarly than mammoth though.
Has the mountain grown? Can you get in a 3000 vertical foot, 15 mile run in there now? :)

I liked N* when I went there and would go again but I'd only spend a day there where I'd spend 3-4 in Mammoth.
 
Aug 30, 2005
154
0
San Diego
BillT said:
Has the mountain grown? Can you get in a 3000 vertical foot, 15 mile run in there now? :)

I liked N* when I went there and would go again but I'd only spend a day there where I'd spend 3-4 in Mammoth.
no it hasn't really grown just some new additions/trail improvements that make it a little more fun. and no you can't get 3000 ft, 15 mile run in, which is why i like it. i like to ride DH when i pay for a lift ticket. i can do 15 mile runs 45 min from my house, which i love to do. all i'm saying is i like to do serious DH if i pay for a lift ticket. you don't have to like it if you don't want to. the beauty of a place like N* isn't the lengths of the runs, it's the technicality. the fun comes from feeling yourself becoming a better rider and trying to push it harder on every run, hitting every drop, corner, and rock garden at top speed... you're putting all your effort into just making it down the run, not pedaling the 3 mile flat in the middle of the mountain.

moral of the story: if you like challenging gnar dh go to northstar. if you like longer, flatter, looser runs with lots of pedaling go to mammoth.
 

ricebowls

Monkey
May 24, 2002
163
0
san francisco
Just got back from Mammoth and although it was fun there wasn;t nearly the pucker factor you get at N*. They're both quite different. N* is super rocky and gnarly. Great for a big bike and great for damaging components (and rider). Mammoth seems way more mid-travel bike, high speed riding with occasional tech thrown in. They're both super fun but my vote is N* for an end of season trip.
 

W4S

Turbo Monkey
Mar 2, 2004
1,282
23
Back in Hell A, b1thces
ricebowls said:
Just got back from Mammoth and although it was fun there wasn;t nearly the pucker factor you get at N*. They're both quite different. N* is super rocky and gnarly. Great for a big bike and great for damaging components (and rider). Mammoth seems way more mid-travel bike, high speed riding with occasional tech thrown in. They're both super fun but my vote is N* for an end of season trip.
Karpiel and DogBone :drool:
If N* had Dirt Merchant and ALine, I'd never go to Whistler.

Looks like I'll head to Mammoth, tho just for the shorter trip.