This year, in particular, the base is very good at most of the Tahoe resorts, as well as Mammoth. The snow from late December/early January left a base of 10 feet or more at the top. And the weather hasn't been so warm as of late to make too much of a dent into that.

(Heavenly Valley's base, for example, is right around 10 feet. And Squaw Valley has a 13 foot base at 8200 feet. For comparison, Mammoth's base is between 12 and 14 feet.)

Making the trek down from Reno, though, is a crapshoot (pun intended, I think) in March. If the weather is clear, then 3-4 hours isn't a bad time. US395 is 2 lanes for much of the trip (especially as you get south of Minden and Gardnerville, towards the NV/CA border), and the speed limits reflect that.

If the weather is bad, though, then anything is possible. Once you get into California, you start climbing into the mountains. From that point, it could take four or five hours to get through to Mammoth Lakes - or longer, if the weather is bad enough to close the road.

Mind you, I'm not a skier. I just live here. But the odds are significantly better of getting to Mammoth (without weather hassles) if you come later in the year. With the amount of snow up there, they'll likely be open well into May, and likely into June. Otherwise, anticipate a travel time of six hours each way, just in case the weather is poor.

That, or save two hours of driving each way and go up to Tahoe.

Mike