Big mountain dead ahead
Photo courtesy Mammoth Mountain

Easier to remember is that the Panoramic Gondola will take you all the way to the very top, from where you should tack right to the Upper Bowl and a series of plunging drops that fan into a wider bowl. If you make it that far, you'll have some time to catch your breath and reconsider your recklessness.

Mammoth's signature siren-of-the-steeps is Hangman's Hollow, a chute bordered by snarling rocks that leaves room for only one perfect turn—or mistake. It's not just the elevator-shaft steepness, too; it's the mandatory air required to get into it in the first place. Even the local wackos won't try Hangman's unless there's a foot or more of new snow, guaranteeing a pillowy landing.