IT MAY be 308 miles to Mammoth Mountain from Los Angeles, but in many ways it seems very much part of the SoCal landscape. Big Bear and Mount Baldy may be closer, but the drive to Mammoth feels like a snap, taking in the 14 and the 395 highways, long, straight roads which are almost always open, with zero vertigo-inducing narrow, windy sections or perilous drop-offs and fabulous views of the High Sierra to your left and the Owens valley to the right. And when the weather turns stormy and everyone in the LA basin decides to go skiing, getting to Big Bear can take almost as long.
I first visited Mammoth Lakes in the summer of 1984 and was decidedly underwhelmed. Although mountains and backcountry was – and remains – breathtaking, the town of Mammoth Lakes felt like a forlorn winter sports town waiting for the mercury to plummet so it could return to life. Good places to eat were almost impossible to find, restaurant menus ran a very small gamut from pizza to ribs to chili to burgers and the bars usually served only three kinds of beer – Bud, Miller Lite and Michelob. Good luck finding any microbrews or imported ales. And as for the wine, provided you liked Hearty Burgundy from Gallo served from a large jug you were fine. Otherwise….
Almost forty years on the place has changed almost beyond recognition, and IMHO, is much the better for it. Less cow town, more civilized ski destination. It’s far more expensive, of course, but that’s the price for development. But its main appeal, its large mountain and reliable snow, remain unchanged. Mammoth boasts more than3,500 acresof skiable terrain, serviced by 28 lifts and 175 trails, meaning you can ski – or board – all day without covering much of the same terrain twice. Lift tickets range from about $170 to over $200 per day for an adult, although most of my group and many of the regulars there use the Ikon pass, (ikonpass.com) which seems the much smarter option, allowing unlimited skiing at many resorts for one price AND allowing holders to purchase discounted buddy passes for friends.
As for accommodation, there is everything from cheap and cheerful (Quality Inn), to luxury hotel (Westin Monache), and everything in between, including thousands of VRBO and AirBnB properties, from cramped, dated and tired 1960s boxes to modern, glass-fronted sleek trailside mansions.
I recently joined a group of eight others for a three-day weekend following the epic snowfall that started before New Year and continued almost unabated for three weeks. The roads were all open, although four-wheel drive or chains were required at the exit to Mammoth Lakes. The snow was EVERYWHERE, piled into every spare parking lot. In many places, including our condo, it reached up to the second floor and beyond. I even heard talk from a local that the town was running of places to store the white stuff! The town was jammed, of course, meaning some tiresomes lines at the bottom of the mountain, but by the time you took a ride up to mid-mountain or higher, the lines thinned out and what awaited was glorious hours of bluebird conditions, blue skies and miles of powder as far as the eye could see.
My group were early risers determined to not dally and pay the price of a 45-minute wait at the main gondola in Mammoth Village, the swanky dining and shopping hub at the top of the town’s main drag. Consequently our group were on the gondola bright and early by 8.30am and enjoyed hours of powdery fun. A typical day would be spent taking the high speed gondola to the mountain’s upper reaches, and gambolling on the runs reached by lifts 1, 3, 6 and 23 before stopping for lunch mid-mountain at McCoys then slowly wending our way over to Canyon Lodge for more drinks and taking in the rave-like atmosphere. The DJ and partying 20-somethings at Canyon made for a novelty at first, but by 3.30 most of us were ready for a subdued gondola ride back to base camp, followed by the hot tub…and a snooze.
Mammoth manages to have something for both the older, upscale visitor and the younger, budget-conscious party crowd. Personally I enjoyed the restaurant bar at the Westin Monache for great happy hour wine and food, and the nearby Petra’s Bistro, (petrasbistro.com) whose wine list runs at least ten pages and has plenty of choices to keep any enophile happy, plus reliable bistro dishes like duck leg confit and coq au vin to replace those burned-up calories.
There are countless places to rent your gear too, but I used The Green Room to rent skis, poles, boots and a helmet for $46 day. (greenroom-mammoth.com).
In sum, Mammoth is a perfect place to visit right now and three days seems about the minimum stay when you consider it is a half day drive. But if you’re younger and more vigorous, your mileage may vary….
Taking the 395 highway also provides the added benefit of stopping in the historic western towns of Bishop, Lone Pine or Independence. I like Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop (smokedmeatscom) for its jaw-dropping selection of jerky, including elk and wild boar in various iterations. And don’t miss the Alabama Hills Café & Bakery (alabamahillscafe.com) in Lone Pine, for a very hearty breakfast, and fabulous baked goods, which really hit the spot, no matter if you are pre-ski carbo loading, or replenishing your calories after a demanding few days on the slopes.
Mammoth: get up there and ponder the powder!
