The best of the best in Mammoth, CA

by Stephen Greenwood on

Hours in between Yosemite National Park and the highest mountain in the 48 contiguous states lies an action-packed town called Mammoth Lakes.

Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of it; Mammoth Mountain has remained a secret for many on the West Coast due to its remote location in the Eastern Sierras. Though it has always been popular for skiers and boarders from Los Angeles and SoCal, seasonal flights have started to trickle into Mammoth in recent years, quickly making it California’s next premier destination for winter sports. I went out to Mammoth to experience everything that the mountain has to offer and brought back the best of the best for you right here.


Best time to go. If your schedule permits, the best time to plan a trip to Mammoth is during a full moon. Aside from the obvious romance of snowcapped Sierras lit up by the moonlight, the Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center offers seasonal full moon snowshoe tours guided by a bona fide Swiss Alpinist. The tour will take you through the woods to a seldom visited ridge where you can take in views of the entire Mammoth Lakes area; a genuinely memorable experience. The only thing that tops it is the cozy finish of a hot cup of cider by the fire in the Tamarack lodge.

Biggest non-boarding thrill. Sign up for a snowmobile tour from Mammoth Snowmobile Adventures and take a guided thrill-ride through Mammoth’s 300 miles of snowmobile trails. The highlight is an unbounded excursion through powdery snow fields and an oval snowmobile track. The guided tours last 90 minutes, which is just about as much time as you’ll want to spend on the machines before returning to the Yodler for the end of the day activities.

Best way to get there. Without a doubt, Horizon Air’s seasonal services from Los Angeles and Seattle / San Jose are the best ways to get to Mammoth. With one-way fares as low as $39 on slow days, there’s nothing that beats a 55-minute flight over the snowcapped Sierras. The best and most under-promoted feature of the service is the fact that Mammoth Mountain will give you a free lift ticket on the same day as your flight from San Jose or Portland if you present your boarding pass at the lift ticket window. You can be trapped in Southern California smog in the morning and on top of California’s tallest ski resort in the afternoon; need I say more?

Best off-mountain adventure. Since Mammoth Lakes is a geologically active region on the edge of the Long Valley Caldera, there are dozens of natural hot springs to discover and take a wintertime dip in. The best advice? Ask a local where to go and you’ll get pointed in the right direction for hot springs that are near (and safe) for taking a dip.

Best chair on the mountain. Want the best untracked powder and tree runs while staying away from the busy weekend lift lines? Cut to the south side of the mountain for the Cloud Nine Express. For years, this corner of the mountain was serviced by a painfully slow double-chair lift that was replaced in 2007 with a high-speed six-person chair. Because of its location on the mountain, the chair rarely accumulates large lift lines despite its choice terrain and remains one of Mammoth’s best kept secrets.

Best Aprés Ski. One of the great aspects of Mammoth is that there are plenty of options in close proximity for skiers to unwind and cozy up after a long day on the mountain. The best seat in the house? The Yodler Bar & Pub’s fireside lounge. This historic building across from the Main Lodge has tasty aprés ski beverages and snacks, a lively crowd, and a cozy atmosphere. Catch a 6pm shuttle outside the Yodler for an easy ride back to the village before the nightlife gets started.

Best dinner table. There are plenty of diverse spots in and around Mammoth to grab a solid meal, but if you’re looking for something above and beyond, the table to have is a cozy spot next to the fireplace at Petra’s, just across from Mammoth’s village complex. The wine bar is highly recommended, the service is great, and the food is enough to impress the packs of highly discerning LA socialites that frequent Mammoth’s slopes.

If Petra’s is full, or you’re looking to commemorate a special occasion, then consider making the journey out to the Lakefront Restaurant at the Tamarack Lodge. The dining room is delightfully tiny and the food is meticulously prepared by Chef de Cuisine Frederic Pierrel. The atmosphere alone is definitely worth the 10 minute drive from the center of town; even if it’s only to have a warm drink in the lounge with some tasteful jazz buzzing in the background.

Best nightlife. Perhaps it’s the LA blood that trickles through the mountain, but Mammoth loves to party. If you still have enough energy to venture out after dark, there are a few fun options for socializing and finding a new ski partner to pair up with – and the best news is that they’re all in walking distance to the Village. The brand-new Hyde Restaurant & Bar has a great-looking crowd and LA-priced (read: expensive) bottle service to match. It seems a little out of place in a mountain town like Mammoth, but naturally attracts a very specific clientele.

If you prefer a more local & low-key vibe, then head down to the Clocktower Cellar Pub where pool tables, jukeboxes and cheap draft beer will help loosen your sore hamstring muscles. There’s plenty of dancing to be had at Lakanuki, but if you’re over 30 it’s likely that you’ll be feeling out of place among the throngs of college kids and Hawaiian decor.

Best way to stay connected. Anything but AT&T. Everything from 3G to basic cell reception with AT&T is appalling in and around most places in Mammoth – except on the actual slopes. Verizon and T-Mobile seem fine, but iPhone customers should be running to download the “Mark the Spot” application to file complaints with the provider. While this is solely AT&T’s problem, it’s a sign that Mammoth is still transitioning into being a major resort/destination. But it’s also a convenient excuse for why you “couldn’t be reached” all weekend.


Stephen Greenwood ventured out to Mammoth Lakes on a trip sponsored by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. No editorial content was guaranteed and Stephen was free to openly report on his experiences (pending his survival of the outdoor winter activities that demand motor skills he generally lacks).

Drive across the USA in four minutes

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Haven’t we all dreamed of taking that cross-country road trip? That amazing opportunity to just jump in a car and blast across the United States from coast-to-coast? The trouble is that not many of us have actually had a chance to do it. There’s any number of reasons why, ranging from the oft-cited lack of American vacation time to the hassle of logistics planning such a trip. Well my friends, the days of your road trip excuses are numbered. Because before your next coffee break this Friday, we guarantee you will get to travel across the entire United States by car. And you’re going to do it in just about four and a half minutes.

Did Gadling somehow discover how to bend the laws of physics? Well, not quite – but we did find this sweet time lapse road trip video by YouTube user physiciandirectory. During their recent cross country road trip from San Francisco to Washington, these traveling filmmakers set their camera to take a photo once every 10 seconds. The result is a tour of our vast country taken at breakneck speed. It’s fun to watch the scenery rapidly change from desert to grassland to town as the pair motors along, accompanied by the fast paced soundtrack. If you’re still looking for reasons to make that cross country trip a reality, consider this as your inspiration.

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Band on the Run: The SkyTrain View of Vancouver, BC

by Ember Swift on

Ember Swift, Canadian musician and touring performer, will be keeping us up-to-date on what it’s like to tour a band throughout North America. Having just arrived back from Beijing where she spent three months (check out her “Canadian in Beijing” series), she offers a musician’s perspective on road life. Enjoy!


Last week, I had the pleasure of an extra day in Vancouver. The festival we performed at in Grand Forks, BC didn’t program events on the Sunday. As a result, we headed back to Vancouver on Sunday rather than on our flight day, which was Monday. This gave me a chance to catch up with a friend in Vancouver and take in a very Vancouver-specific experience:

The SkyTrain.

I was staying out in Surrey, an outlying suburb of Vancouver. My friend lives on the opposite side of the city and so we agreed to meet up downtown. I headed to King George SkyTrain station and felt like a tourist all over again, even though this is definitely not my first time in this city.

I love wandering cities alone, even the occasionally seedy ones.

Now, I’m not slagging Vancouver. This is a beautiful place. On my many occasions here I have walked the Sea Wall, seen Stanley Park, spent copious hours on Commercial Drive and generally loved the Vancouver vibe. I am definitely a west coast convert and probably wouldn’t turn down much opportunity to get out there because it is just that beautiful. The fact that it’s guarded by the Rocky Mountains doesn’t hurt either, as though they supervise the town with their stony majesty.

Well, hey, this summer is a fine example of that respect I feel for the west coast, not to mention the magnet I feel to get there; we have flown out there as a band three times since early July and that makes British Columbia our number one destination for summer festivals in 2007.

That’s something.

I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t also point out that Vancouver has a rough side. Seedy, rough, sketchy – call it what you will. This town has its full-spectrum attributes and I’d say that King George station reminded me of this truth.

I read here that Vancouver has been noted as having “the worst skid row in North America.” Hard to believe when you tour the beautiful neighbourhoods of North Vancouver or the hip arts district of the East End.

But, I think this reality adds to the beauty of the city, too. There is a seedy underbelly here that clashes suddenly with such intensely beautiful scenery, for sure, but, even more interesting is that this underbelly is not being hidden; it is regularly visible, sort of like a dog that is willing to roll over and show its vulnerability without losing its ability to dominate or its charm.

Yeah, Vancouver is a mix, for sure, and that’s what I love about it.

Nothing happened at that SkyTrain station to be alarmed about, of course. There was just the exchange of general acknowledgment between those hanging around the station and me, the visitor, passing through the station. I bought my ticket (from the kiosks that work on an honour system – you just buy the ticket and they occasionally check but there’s no turnstile or attendant!) and headed upstairs to the platform. The only indicator that this is the right direction is the banner above the stairway that indicates that this is “Fare Paid Zone.”

I love how trusting Vancouver is.

This is the end of the line, so the train was paused here for a few moments before heading back downtown. It gave me just the time I wanted to snap a picture of its perch, pre take-off, and of the way the tracks look, as though they’re about ready to mount the mountains themselves and then race down into a twist and turn and upside-down roller coaster run. I half expected to hear that motorized-pulley sound of roller coaster cars being tugged uphill.

The SkyTrain is a subway above ground (not unlike Line 13 in Beijing or the L in Chicago) and it offers an amazing view of such a diverse city. When I sat down in the front car, I was soon surrounded by everyday commuters and some noisy teens heading out for the evening. Everything seemed normal and urban, as though I could be anywhere, as we weaved into the city suspended on stilts across the water and skimming roof lines of various neighbourhoods. No hills and no death-defying speeds, but it was cool all the same.

I got off at Granville Station and was met with the steepest escalator I have ever seen. In fact, I actually backed away from it when I saw it with the intent to take a picture and stranger said to me, mockingly, “Ah, don’t worry. It won’t hurt cha!” while pointing upwards and smirking.

I just nodded and took my picture, feeling all the more like a tourist (and this sometimes can be equated with “geeky,”) and then I also felt an overwhelming drive to put my camera safely in my bag, out of sight. This isn’t a common feeling for me so I rode the escalator up, took a couple more photos and then safely stashed it in my bag before getting to the top. The urge to conceal anything valuable was palpable and I just listened to myself. I wouldn’t call that paranoia, just instinct.

When I got out of the station at Granville, there was a lot of street action and I was grateful for this decision. I walked through it unnoticed, but sometimes looking like a tourist even when there’s only twenty bucks in your pocket and a cheap knock off camera in your possession is just not worth the hassle. I hurried past and then called my friend and we found each other just a few blocks later. Now, hey, I’m not saying there was any actual threat on that street there; I’m just saying that I wasn’t about to invite any, either. Not in Vancouver.

And then, I had a great catch up with my friend who I haven’t seen since I was in Beijing in June. I got a lift home from Dave’s sister, Liz, but I would have happily taken The SkyTrain again. I’ll have to do that sometime when night has fallen so that I can watch the lights of the city bounce off the water and the tall buildings. I’m sure it just adds to the beauty.

Until then, stay safe and open minded in the great wild, Wild West.

I miss that coast already.