Mammoth Mountain lives up to its name

Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in the Eastern Sierra Mountain Range, is surrounded by some of our nation's most spectacular scenery, including the Inyo National Forest and the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness Areas. Sportsmen of one kind or another visit throughout the year, but for the skiers of Southern Nevada, the slopes of Mammoth Mountain have few equals in depth and duration of snow pack and ease of access.

On a Friday morning two weeks ago, my daughters Olivia, 23, and Charlotte, 13, motored to Mammoth with me, while my oldest daughter, Whitney, 25, drove down from Lake Tahoe to join us. The uncrowded highways of rural Nevada and Eastern California brought us to our destination even quicker than we had hoped, so we were geared up and on the slopes just a little after noon. We found a perfect sunny day spilling over ideal snow conditions, and best of all, no crowds to hinder our enjoyment of them. The bonus half-day allowed us to become acclimated to the high elevation a little more gradually than we would have if we had arrived Friday night, and that's always wise if you can arrange it.

Furthermore, it allowed us to learn our way around this enormous mountain before the weekend masses arrived. That made it easier, for there's a lot to learn about Mammoth Mountain -- 150 named trails and 28 lifts spread out over about 3,500 acres. The sheer size and variety are reasons people will travel great distances to ski Mammoth.

Another is the high likelihood of getting a good skiing experience. It's a good idea to read a snow report before any ski trip, but a Mammoth report rarely disappoints; the mountain's summit has an elevation of 11,053 feet, and its slopes often get 400 inches of snow in a winter, allowing a ski season that often extends into June.

We were staying at Mammoth Mountain Inn, located slope-side in the Main Lodge area of the mountain. Our room had a loft and slept four comfortably, yet seemed small once we brought in all our bags and ski stuff. But you don't go to Mammoth to spend much time in your room. The front lobby merged into a large living room with a fireplace, the main gathering place for families. An upstairs bar, which overlooks the mountain, served as the meeting place for adults. And the property also has a heated outdoor pool, three indoor hot tubs, and one outdoors.

Ski-in and ski-out -- being able to simply walk out of your hotel and start skiing without cramming your gear into a car or onto a bus -- is sweet luxury, but this mountain is well set up even for those who aren't staying overnight. In fact, once you arrive in Mammoth, you won't have to rely on your car at all. Complimentary shuttles serve the different base lodges as well as The Village -- the hub of Mammoth Lakes -- and other destinations throughout the town. They run continuously throughout the day, into late evening.

American Indians are known to have frequented this area at one time, but it wasn't until miners descended on the area in the late 19th century that the eastern Sierra became well known. Mining near Mammoth wasn't especially successful, but those who came to enjoy the outdoor resources were, and are, better rewarded. Early on, tourists came only in summer to fish, hunt, camp, and ride horses, but the first ski lift was installed in 1955. The mountain's amenities for winter sports have expanded ever since, and more than 50 years of experience has been enough to develop plenty of infrastructure and night life.

There are only about 7,500 year-round residents in Mammoth Lakes, but I would venture a guess on most days the town is outnumbered by visitors. About 1.2 million snow lovers make their way up here in winter, with another 1.5 million people in summer. There's also a college campus here, which advertises for students by stressing its handiness to first-class skiing.

That first afternoon, we stuck primarily to groomed runs, although we did have some fun skiing through the trees, thanks to more than a foot of fresh powder that had fallen a day or two before.

On our second morning, we headed out early, first taking a couple of runs on the lower chairlifts and then heading up on the high speed Panorama Gondola from the Main Lodge up to the resort's summit at 11,053 feet. Most of our fellow passengers were skiers and snowboarders looking for the ultimate terrain, but this ride is popular with others who seek only the view. The panoramas are some of California's finest and include peaks more than 12,000 feet high. A scenic gondola ride will take visitors up to mid mountain, the top, or both. They can disembark, stay as long as they like, then ride down when they're satisfied.

Although the summit's most famous attractions are its dramatic views, especially to the east at the jagged Minarets of the Ritter Range, it is also home to the Sierra Interpretive Center. There are displays on the weather, volcanic history, geology and cultural heritage of the area. The small Sierra Cafe serves gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads. Lofty elevation sharpens the appetite, making this a meal you won't soon forget.

The majority of runs off this summit contain very steep terrain, most signed as double black diamonds, one appropriately named Hangman's Hollow. Although my youngest daughter could have made it down, we came to have fun, not test our limits. Fortunately, with our trail map in hand, we found an alternate, more pleasurable route down Mammoth's Backside.

If you want to see more of the mountain and its outskirts, one good way is a snowcat tour. These tracked vehicles look much like the ones that groom snow at night, but are specially outfitted to carry passengers. Visitors can head into the backcountry on lunch, sunset and dinner tours. Other popular excursions available in the area include dog sled tours, snowmobile adventures, cross country skiing and snow tubing.

That afternoon, we headed over to an area that we found full of freestyle terrain, frequented mostly by boarders, but some skiers enjoy it as well. We had so much fun here we ended up staying a couple of hours. Mammoth's Unbound Terrain Parks are made up of seven parks and three pipes, on more than 90 acres. There is something for everyone, from beginner to expert. Those new to terrain parks are advised to start at Disco or Wonderland parks, move up to an intermediate park such as South Park and for advanced riders there is Main Park. Even if you aren't up for the challenge, it's worth heading over to Main Park to watch the experts on the 22-foot tall Super Duper Pipe, which opened in February 2009. It is 500 feet long and 62 feet wide.

On one trail, called X-course, we found steep banked turns and an area with a series of four jumps, each about the same size and distance from one another. On our first run, we just skied over them checking them out, but on our second run, we decided to try to get some air off these jumps. When the girls were small, we often did little jumps together. My oldest daughter and I executed four pretty decent spread eagle jumps, all without crashing. After this, we had to stop off the side of the run because we were both laughing so hard, not thinking either of us had it in us.

My energetic youngest daughter took a dip in the heated outdoor pool and also tried out the local ice skating rink. Then we headed to The Village, the hub of town and a lively apres-ski scene. There are more than 50 restaurants in Mammoth Lakes, which led to much discussion of which to choose, but we finally settled on the Auld Dubliner. This authentic Irish pub serves hearty food, perfect after a long day outdoors. Our group chose traditional fare such as potato-leek soup, shepherd's pie and boxtys -- a kind of potato pancake stuffed with meat and vegetables.

The restaurant was packed, with most patrons still in ski clothes, and their mood was festive. The drink of choice at surrounding tables was called an Irish Car Bomb. One was sent to our table courtesy of some thunderous revelers across the room, but we had to decline after learning its contents and culture. Although there are variations, the drink is made by filling a shot glass with Irish whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. Next you drop that shot, glass and all, into a half-full glass of Guinness stout, and chug the Celtic concoction before it curdles.

If you can't get enough of skiing, even off the slopes, a good place to visit is the Mammoth Ski Museum. Exhibits feature a fascinating look at 500 years of the sport and culture from around the world, including early Sierra skiing. The museum is home to the Beekley International Collection of Skiing Art and Literature, the world's largest collection of its kind. There are excellent displays that feature vintage ski posters as well as paintings, photography, sculpture and literature, some by such well known artists as Ansel Adams, Andrew Wyeth and LeRoy Neiman.

Our visit was too short to complete all the activities we wanted to, for we skipped town as a major winter storm was blasting in. It dumped more than seven feet of snow in the next few days after our departure. With all that snow just over those mountains, what are you waiting for?

Contact Deborah Wall at Deborabus@aol.com.