Recently, I was invited by
Lawrence Davis, Publisher and Editor-in-chief of
LA Splash Magazine to cover a weekend of festivities at
Mammoth Mountain, California's
premierski and
snowboarding resort. I didn't hesitate considering the mountain just got dumped on the previous week with over five feet of
fresh powder.
Not to mention we'd be flying up to the Mountain on Horizon Air. Forget the 5-7 hour drive from LA, it's up and down and your skiing in three hours. Yeah, that's right,
Christmas just came early.
A lone snowboarder shreds up the face. The coverage already this season is amazing
In addition to the incredible skiing and snowboarding, this particular weekend,
Mammoth Mountain played host to their annual
Night of Lights celebration.
I will get into greater detail on my Day 3 article. In fact, there were
so many activities, I had to break this article up into multiple sections just to be able to share the entire
experience with you. So, are you ready? Then let's go!
(Please keep your arms and hands inside the tram at all times).
Mammoth Mountain averages over 400 inches of snow yearly with 300 sunny days making it one of the most sought after skiing destinations in the world
Day One - We were picked up promptly by
Dave, our super-friendly
Super Shuttle driver. I instantly liked the guy since he laughed at my jokes all the way to the airport.
Super Shuttle offers a range of choices to get you to and from the airport. The basic Super Shuttle is a van that holds
6-8 passengers. This option is the least expensive, but it makes more stops, making it a longer ride.
The XPRESS(which is what we took) is a comfortable
mini-van, which makes a maximum of two stops, which
worked great for us, since Lawrence and I live fairly close to each other.
Our super-friendly XPRESS driver Dave
The third option is the Execucar, a
Lincoln Town Car (which we took on the return trip) for passengers who
prefer more comfort and
privacy when they travel. The great thing about any of the
Super Shuttle choices is you're
dropped off right at your terminal, you don't have to hassle parking your car and you
save money on the expensive airport parking. You can now make reservations to and from
33 airports in
26 cities. For more information on all of their services, call direct at
1-800-258-3826 or go to the website, www.supershuttle.com/
Mammoth Mountains friendly and furry mascot, "Wooly"
Okay, back to the adventure. We were picked up from The Valley and arrived at
LAX in plenty of time. We were dropped off, got our
boarding passes through
Horizon Airs self-service computer check-in (only about two minutes if there isn't a line). Then a brief security check and on to our gate where we were greeted by
"Wooly”, Mammoth Mountains furry and friendly
mascot. Also waiting for us was a table filled with an assortment of
bagels, cream cheese, hot coffee and
orange juice. They really make you feel at home. Then we boarded the plane and we were up, up and away to the fresh snow waiting for us on the Mountain.
Horizon Airs green eco-friendly Bombardier Q-400
We flew on the
inaugural flight of the season from LA to
Mammoth Lakes on the green (literally)
eco-friendly plane. The 76-passenger
Bombardier-400 prop plane is comparable to the CRJ-700 jet aircraft (which only holds 70 people). The green Bombardier not only holds more passengers, but also burns
30% less fuel and puts out
30% less carbon emissions in the atmosphere. For a two-hour flight, the travel time is only about a fifteen-minute difference.
The beautiful view from the plane as we flew over the majestic Sierras
From
Los Angeles, Reno and
San Jose, the difference is negligible. As you fly into the
Mammoth/Yosemite Airport, you get to enjoy the spectacular and
breathtaking view high above
The Sierra Mountain range. Just so you know,
Horizon has recently implemented a
$15 service charge for every
checked bag. It's a small price to pay for the service and most other airlines have already been charging a fee for years. Not only is Horizon one of the
last carriers to charge for luggage, a lot of other airlines have actually increased their fees. Don't expect a meal or a movie on this
flight, which whisks you to the mountain in
less than an hour, (fifty-five minutes to be exact).
The entrance to Mammoth Mountains brand new Airport
What you will get is
friendly service and
a quick trip to mammoth Lakes. We were served
complimentary beer and
wine on our flight up, (check with the airline when you book your reservation to see what they're offering on your flight).
Horizon Air, which is partnered with
Alaska Airlines has also added an additional round trip flight
(2 daily) to and from
Los Angeles to
Mammoth, and brand new
flights to and from
Reno and
San Jose.
The entrance to the The Grand Sierra (The Village) Lodge at Mammoth Mountain
Upon arrival, we were taken by shuttle bus to the
Grand Sierra Lodge. Our rooms were actually
one-bedroom condominiums with a
fireplace, separate living room and
separate dining area. There is a
full kitchen with granite counters,
stovetop, microwave,
refrigerator and coffee/tea maker. If you feel the need to cook on your vacation, the kitchen also comes complete with
plates, glassware, utensils and
pots and pans. The bedroom has a large closet with two bathrobes and a
king-sized bed with
Egyptian cotton sheets. Sit in the living room and kick your feet up in front of the fireplace or relax in the bedroom and watch some TV with premium channels, satellite service, pay movies and a DVD player. Each unit is also equipped with
high-speed Internet access and has its own balcony with a view. For more information go to the website www.grandsierralodge.com/
The upscale interior of one of the Grand Sierra condominiums
Because Lawrence and I were on the
8:40am flight out of LA, it was still early enough for us to
still get in
half a day of skiing. I jumped into my ski clothes and met Lawrence in the lower lobby, which is actually street level, for a brief walk through the village to the
ticket office and
equipment rental center. The
Grand Sierra Lodge is right in the middle of an area in town called The Village, a quaint, one-street area of the mountain with high-end shops, restaurants and bars. The best part (no, not the bars) is the brand new
Gondola that takes you from The Village right to the mountain without having to take the
local shuttle bus. We literally walked out of the resort, through
The Village, and we were at the Gondola in three minutes. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The Village is even more beautiful when it's lit up at night
The first stop was the ticket office to pick up our
3-day lift pass. If you decide to ski more than a few days, you can get a
multiple day lift ticket and save some dough, (for drinking after the day is done). Lawrence and I decided to
demo some new equipment and headed upstairs to the
rental department. Oh, I forgot to mention the best part of Mammoth, the people. I've skied at most major resorts throughout the United States and none of them have the friendly
down-home feelof Mammoth. It's about as far from corporate owned ski resorts as you can get.
Everyone is incredibly nice and really make you feel like you're family.
One of the many helpful and friendly Mammoth Mountain employees
A prime example of this was when we went to get our
equipment from the
rental department. In my haste, I
left my small bag with
my ski gloves back
at home. Yeah, bummer. I asked E.J. (who runs the rental dept.) where I could get some gloves. Without hesitating, he said, "Do want to borrow mine? I won't need them for a couple of days" and proceeded to give me his brand new gloves still in the bag. I was floored. Nobody does that.
Except in Mammoth. Thanks again E.J. Actually, Lawrence needed a pair of goggles and the other rental employee lent him his as well. It was unbelievable, but that's how
wonderful the
locals are in
Mammoth.
Mammoths Equipment Rental Center has brand new skis, bindings and boots ready to go when you are
Okay, on to the
demo equipment. I have been an expert skier and certified
PSIA instructor for years having grown up in Bloomfield Hills Michigan where I raced on the ski team. So, I need advanced equipment and chose the
Rossignol CX-80 all-mountain skis and matching
Rossignol Axial2 140 TI bindings. For those of you looking to buy new equipment this season, know that most manufacturers are now selling
"system skis", that is, they now will only sell their brand of skis with their brand of bindings. The good ole' days of buying any skis and putting any bindings you want on, are over. It's actually a smart idea, not only for corporate sales, but it actually increases the performance of the equipment by
combining the same brand from the
manufacturer.
Just another beautiful day at Mammoth Mountain
I've used
Rossignol equipment for many years and give two enthusiastic thumbs up for their new line of skis chosen as
Outside Magazines "Gear of the Year" for 2009. The skis keep their edge whether you're flying downhill or hitting the powder off trail. The Rossignol bindings are really
high-tech in both look and performance, but are still easily adjustable for different size boots. Speaking of which, I tried out
Nordica's new line of
"Hot Rod" ski boots. The buckles were extremely easy to adjust and with a strap on top of the boots tongue, really make it easy to get your foot in and out. There is a Velcro strap on top of the boot instead of a fifth buckle which really added to the comfort level. And did I mention style wise; the boots really are "hot". For
poles, I went with the standard
Scott issue.
The Village Gondola is a beautiful ride over the town and up to the mountain
Okay,
we're geared up and ready to rock! As we stepped outside the second level of the
ski shop, we were only
20 steps away from the scenic
Village Gondola, which takes you over part of the town and up to the Mountain. Each Gondola can
hold up to twelve people, which wasn't an issue for us since it was a Thursday and there were no lift lines anywhere.
Mammoth had just gotten dumped on the week before, and there was
plenty of snow with all lifts operating and almost no one on the mountain. It was Heaven. Since it was the first day of the season for both Lawrence and I, we decided to take it easy and get acclimated. After all, we had
two more full days of skiing to get crazy.
The quaint and cozy fireside room at the Lakeside Restaurant
That night, we met some other
journalists and the
PR people from Mammoth for dinner at the
Lakefront Restaurant. This five-star gourmet restaurant serves both
French and
California cuisine and touts an
exceptional wine list. Lakefront is located inside the historic Tamarack Lodge and overlooks Twin Lakes in the
Mammoth Lakes Basin. Both the food and the service were exceptional. We started with the creamy
Butternut Squash Soup (the best I've ever had by the way), followed by a salad of European
Seasonal Greens tossed in Asian Caesar Vinaigrette and topped with
Grilled Sea Scallops.
The French and California gourmet cuisine is amazing at the historic Lakefront
Restaurant
For the entree, I had that night’s special,
Filet Mignon Grilled aux Tres Sauces
Prime Beef Tenderloin that was pan-seared and finished with a port wine demi-glaze. The beef was then cut into
three sections, each topped with a different
cream sauce. After dinner, our group went into the
cozy fireside room for coffee and dessert. I had the delectable
Chocolate Delice Mousse served like a sundae in a tall glass and
topped with Tahitian vanilla whipped cream. What an amazing dining experience. My compliments to
Director and
Chef de Cuisine Frederic Pierrel. Reservations are required. For more information go on the website at www.tamaracklodge.com/dining/
Relax after a day of skiing in the lower level sitting room at The Grand Sierra Lodge
We were then
shuttled back to the Resort for a good nights sleep. The
four-day trip had just begun and I wasn't about to get burned out the first night. It had already been a long day since we had to get to the airport for our early morning flight. The first day on the
mountain was so incredible; I could have flown back that night and still been ecstatic. Luckily we still had
three more days to go.
For
more information on all that
Mammoth Lakes has to offer all year round, call
1-800-Mammoth or visit their website, www.mammothmountain.com/
To read my other articles on this great trip click on these links:
From time to time Splash Magazines receives complimentary products and services from companies. The receipt of these gifts in no way affects our reviews or opinions in our editorial coverage. Our loyalty is to you, our readers, and we will give you our honest, unbiased opinions.
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