Mammoth Mountain: Night of Lights

Intrigued by Lightswitch’s past projects in the ski resort sector, Mammoth Mountain’s event leadership reached out to us about a potential collaboration. They arranged an activation with the Lightswitch team — a test run of sorts. We observed their Mammoth Night of Lights event, then introduced our own touch: a photo area consisting of pre-lit false trees installed around a backdrop, as well as illuminated live trees across the ski hill. This element turned out to be quite popular with guests, leading to a snaking line of skiers waiting to take photos among the luminous trees.

At the start of the project, the Mammoth Mountain team communicated their wariness of a disorganized installation process. We heard their worries and knew we could assuage them. Aware that we would be installing the pre-lit trees and lighting live trees in the intense winter cold — not to mention wading through feet of snow — we made sure to finish as much work ahead of time as possible. The pre-lit trees came ready to go, their wiring complete before they ever touched the mountain.

Once installed, the pre-lit trees enclosed an area in which guests could take photos. By also illuminating many trees farther up the mountain, we added a sense of scale to the photographs, allowing skiers to create souvenirs that authentically represented their time at Mammoth Mountain. We also included large elements in the shape of snowflakes near the kids’ magic carpet, which brings young skiers to the top of the hill. Ultimately, our activation encapsulated the quintessential skiing experience — embracing the excitement and wonder of adventuring through an awe-inspiring natural landscape.

We were extremely pleased by the overwhelmingly positive response to the finished activation. An impressive line of skiers formed to take photos among the glittering trees, and at the end of the night, there were even guests who asked the Lightswitch team to keep the trees lit a while longer so they could continue to enjoy the installation.

The reaction from the client was equally rewarding. They were impressed by Lightswitch’s self-sufficient operations throughout the process and commented that the activation was even more engaging than they’d expected. Because of this success, we have been asked to return in a larger capacity in 2023, which we look forward to.