|
Welcome to Mammoth, CA!
With a massive ski
area and lively crowds, Mammoth is a mountain of fun.
•
Mammoth
PubClubbing Nightlife
When Old Man Winter visits Southern California
– turning basking beach days into the relative chill of a breezy
60F or making weekends into a rain-soaked mess – then residents
load up the four-wheelers and head up Highway 395 to
Mammoth Mountain.
Parked
in the Sierra Nevada range, Mammoth is what all ski resorts should be:
Easily accessible, full of awe-inspiring skiing/snowboarding with enough
trails to use even during the most crowded times, an overly friendly
local population and a lively bar at the base of the mountain.
As far as snow, Mammoth has had a lot of it. With an amazing 600 inches of snow this year, Mammoth just announced it will be open thru July 4.
Mammoth is one of the great mountain resorts in the Western
United States. The fact that it is less than a six-hour drive from Los
Angeles makes it a port of call from people all over Southern California.
On any given weekend from January through April, they fill its 3,500
acres 150+ trails and 28 lifts with skiers and shredders, all in search
of some good conditions and post-mountain partying.
Mammoth's advertising slogan, "No other mountain lives up to its
name" is right on target. One could spend an entire weekend skiing
or snowboarding and never make the same run twice.
The Village at
Mammoth has created a central hub of activity. There
are shops and a few retaurants and
bars and a gondola that goes straight to the mountin. Developed
by Intrawest Corporation, it's no Whistler/Blackcomb
or even Mount
Tremblant, but it has given this old mining town a bit of a
true ski resort personality.
Arrival and Getting Around Town
The Village at Mamamoth
has shops, restaurants, bars and a gondola.
First-time visitors arrive in Mammoth
somewhat surprised at the ease of their journey. There are no long,
twisting, mountain roads to navigate, steep hills to climb or cliff-hanging
turns to negotiate. One minute they are on the open highway and the
next they are in the town.
The drive to Mammoth is one of the most interesting in all the
United States. Along Highway 395 are incredible geologic formations,
historic salt mines, the sites of early Hollywood western movies, both
the lowest and highest points in the continental U.S. out of opposite
car windows (Death Valley and Mt. Whitney at Lone Pine), and the location
of the World War II Japanese internment camps in a reminder of one of
this country's darkest moments.
It's possible to soar over all this history to the small Mammoth
airport about 15 minutes from town. Currently it serves only charter
aircraft, although attempts are being made to lure commercial service
in the near future.
Once in town, for those not at or in the vicinity of The Village, it's
best to park the car and use the free shuttle service. There
are plenty of stops – just look for the signs dotting the roads
– and buses arrive every 15 minutes. They will even take you to
the bars at night, but service stops at midnight (weekdays, 11 p.m.).
The Red Line goes to the Main Lodge and the Blue and Yellow lines to
Canyon Lodge (the latter lands riders at Chair 15, a much underutilized
ski area and therefore one of the best places on the mountain to visit).The
new gondola goes to Canyon Lodge, Canyon Express and the base
of Chairs 7, 8, and 17 in six minutes.
There are taxis in town but they often require a long wait,
especially at closing time. This is not an issue for those staying close
to The Village.
Accommodations
The best area to stay in or close to
The Village. Most accommodations are rental condos. There are a
few hotel and private homes available for rent. Old Mammoth Road
is a traditional place for many, but it's a drive or one heck of a long,
chilly walk to The Village. There are condos and hotels at the mountain,
but for PubClubbing, it's best to stay in town.
Finding rooms during weekdays is a breeze. The lack of a commercial
airport means Mammoth is like a suitcase college in reverse – deserted
during the week and busy on weekends. People generally do not come here
to spend an entire week. On weekends, reservations at least two weeks
in advance are recommended. President's Day weekend (around February
15) is by far the busiest time of the year.
Equipment Rentals
Veterans know that the best rental deals
are found in town away from the mountain. Prices vary from store to
store, but skis and snowboards can be found for $30-40 a day.
One advantage of renting at the mountain is that it provides free locker
storage overnight. If equipment is not picked up by 10 the next morning,
it goes back into the rental shop. If conditions (bad weather, excessive
hangover, etc.) cause a rethinking of a day's skiing or snowboarding
plans, there is no rental cost. Canyon Lodge can also store skis for
free overnight.
The Mountain
Like it's slogan
says, "no other mountain lives up to its name."
(Bottom photo: Mammoth Mountain)
Lift Ticket Prices (Weekend): Single-day: $78. Two-day: $145.
Three-day: $193.
Finding a good spot to ski or snowboard
in Mammoth is as easy picking a lift.
Most people start from the Main Lodge and work their way from there.
For those wanting a full day, the way to play is to follow the sun,
starting at Eagle Lodge, going to Canyon, then the
Mill and eventually to the Main Lodge. Getting around the
mountain is easy with the various trails and lifts, and the trails are
so well marked in conjunction with the trial map it's nearly impossible
to get lost. Even first-timers can easily traverse from one side to
the other with few navigational issues.
It is possible to cover the entire mountain in one day but there are
so many good runs, most people pick a general area and stay in it.
Novices will no doubt find solace in Sesame Street off the Main
Lodge and Hansel and Gretel by Canyon Lodge.
 Intermediate
skiers can have a run of the place. PubClub.com recommends checking
out chairs 15, 24 and 9 by Eagle Lodge, especially on crowded
weekends. While others are battling long lift lines in the main areas,
skiers in this area are able to make run after run as quickly as they
can get back to the chair, a six-person lift we like to call "the
moving couch." Chairs 13 and 14 on Mammoth's backside are
also a welcome relief from the crowds but can be vicious in bad weather.
The runs off Stump Alley are also good (we especially like Mambo),
though the chair is probably the most crowded on the mountain. It does
drop off just above McCoy Station, with the main run of Broadway
to the right.
Expert skiers and riders zip to Mid-Chalet, then take the gondola to
the top where Climax and the Cornice Bowl provide excellent
challenges. With few trees to block the wind, though, the top of the
mountain can get extremly windy in the afternoon and is recommended
for experts only. Mogel skiier love the steep run of Chair 22
and experts also favor Chair 12. And consider Chair 26, a
short run but great for shredders who love deep powder.
Snowboarders have their own space of halfpipes at various areas called
the Unbound Terrain Park (off Broadway and Stump Alley) as well
as throughout the mountain.
Cross-country skiing is available at Tamarak Lodge Resort by
the scenic twin Lakes area at the end of Lake Mary Road. The beauty
of Tamarak is stunning and is the place to be in Mammoth during the
summer season for mountain biking, hiking, boating and other warm-weather
activities.
Looking down to
McCoy Station, a popular mid-day break spot.
Hustling down Lower
Dry Creek. (Mammoth Mountain, top/bottom)
The slopes are as
social as they are sensational.
Dining in Mammoth
The Village is the most convenient place
to eat. Hennessey's and the Auld Dubliner both offer
satisfactory pub fare in a bar/restaurant environment. Prices are $8-20.
The Pita Pit is a highly popular place for cheap eats (next to
the Dubliner which, by the way, makes an outstanding bloody mary). Lakanuki
is a bar/club and has a steak sandwich that is really an excellent flank
steak ($16,95).
For finer dining, just down a block is Whiskey Creek, with a
menu featuring duck, a thick and juicy chicken breast, steaks
and other excellent entrees. All are in the $20-30 range and reservations
are highly recommended on weekends.
A pair of breakfast places serve omelets, pancakes and other similar
fare through lunchtime. The most popular is The Stove (Old Mammoth
Road), although the food is better and the wait is shorter down the
street at the Alpenrose Restaurant. Even on light days, the line
at The Stove can exceed half an hour.
Frankly, the best place to eat is Schat's Bakkery in nearby Bishop.
When you order a turkey sandwich in this place, not only do they offer
you a choice of homemade breads, they actually carve up the turkey to
make it. It's the best sandwich in California. Unfortunately, the bakery
in Mammoth only serves the bread.
Date Places
It worked. That ski bunny from Chair
5 actually accepted your dinner invitation and you didn't even have
to get her drunk at the Yodler first.
Here's where to take her. But don't go without reservations and be
sure there is plenty of spending space on the credit card.
A good, safe bet is the Chart House. Hopeless romantics may
wish to seek out something really special.
Convict Lake Restaurant (outside of town, 934-3800 or 1-800-992-2260)
is full of romantic ambiance. It has a large fireplace, and extensive
wine list and outstanding food. Just getting there is romantic. Convict
Lake Restaurant sits alone on Convict Lake Road off of Highway 395.
It's a slow, curvy drive with nothing but nature in sight. Super romantics
can rent cabins by the restaurant.
The Lakefront Restaurant in the Tamarack area is very small,
hard to get into and well worth the advance trouble. It's old and quaint
and sits at the entrance to the actual Mammoth Lakes area. With a menu
featuring escargot, rack of lamb and other mouthwatering selections,
it's elegance on a high scale.
Time Zone
Mammoth Mountain is located in the Pacific
Time Zone, GMT-8.
When To Go
Depending on snow conditions, the ski
season starts in November but doesn't really get cranking until mid-January.
Any given weekend from January thru March is full of activity. The three-day
President's
Day weekend (mid-February) is the by far the busiest time
of the year. Acquiring reservations during that time requires advance
planning of at least one month.
Good conditions often last well into June, although by that time much
of the Southern California party crowd has put the skis and snowboards
in the garage and reclaimed their surfboards and rollerblades.
 Next
stop on the Party Gondola: PubClubbing in Mammoth
|