WILL MAMMOTH LOSE APPEAL? SKI RESORT AREA TRYING TO COMPETE.Byline: Bill Becher Staff Writer MAMMOTH LAKES - If you haven't been to this Eastern Sierra ski resort town in winter in the past few years, you've missed some mammoth changes. And if you're not a snow boarder, you might be mystified mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. by words like ``jibbing jibbing a vice in which the horse refuses to move forwards and may run backwards when in harness. Called also balking. ,'' ``rails,'' and ``fun box,'' which you'll hear on Mammoth's new high-speed lifts. Some of the people riding those lifts are worried that Mammoth, long known for it's laid-back atmosphere, will lose something as the resort, considered a playground for Southern Californians, strives to compete with Colorado and Utah ``destination'' resorts. Intrawest, a Canadian ski resort developer, bought land for development and a part interest in Mammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a large lava dome complex[1] that lies to the west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest. Mammoth Mountain is home to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area which is notable in that it gets an unusually large amount of Ski Resort in 1996, providing capital for $125 million in on-mountain improvements over the past five years. ``I love all the high-speed quads and the new gondolas because they move so many people on the hill, said Troy Gilbert of Ojai, who has been skiing at Mammoth since 1970. ``We don't have those hour-long lines we had in the late 70s and early 80s.'' Mammoth's 22 lifts, three gondolas and two pomas have earned it Ski Magazine's No. 1 rating for lifts. And now 40 percent of the people on the lifts are snowboarders. Mammoth has gone all out to cater to the younger generation - expanding its Unbound unbound said of electrolytes, e.g. iron and calcium, and other substances which are circulating in the bloodstream and are not bound to plasma proteins so that they are available immediately for metabolic processes. See also calcium, iron. Terrain Parks this year. Drawing on urban skateboarding, the terrain parks include snow jumps, ``rails'' and ``fun boxes'' - man-made features on which boarders and adventurous skiers can slide, spin and jump. Rails come in different sizes and shapes, and are for sliding. Fun boxes are slick plastic platforms for spins and jumps. ``Jibbing'' means riding these artificial creations. And you can do all this to a rock-and-roll soundtrack at the Main Park, though there's no music at the two smaller South and Canyon parks. The three terrain parks cater to the beginner level to Olympic-caliber snowboarders and free skiers - skiers on short, double-ended skis that allow them to do the kind of tricks the board riders do, including ``fakie'' (backward) landings. Mammoth also appears to be winning the battle of the giant half-pipes - the big snow ditches riders use to get airborne. Even though Snowboarding Magazine gave last year's pipe its top rating, this season Mammoth bought the largest pipe-grooming machine it could find, the Zaugg Pipe Monster, and added an extension to make it even bigger. The machine will be used to build a new 600-foot long ``Super-Duper'' half-pipe at the main park, with walls 22 feet high. That means free riders should be able to get 35 feet of air. All of this attention to the new generation of winter sports winter sports: see bobsledding; curling; hockey, ice; ice dancing; ice skating; skiing; snowshoes; tobogganing. enthusiasts at Mammoth has been noticed outside of California. In the Colorado Ski Country USA survey of young skiers and riders ages 14 to 24, Mammoth ranked as the No. 1 U.S. ski resort, ahead of all the Colorado resorts. But the older crowd has different criteria. Even though Ski Magazine rated Mammoth tops for lifts and terrain parks, its overall ranking suffered because of off-mountain facilities. When it comes to skiing, Mammoth slips to 29th and ranked only 32nd for dining. Colorado and Utah resorts have the restaurants where you can get your seared sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. ahi tuna with avocado avocado (ä`vəkä`do, ăv`–), tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). salsa, smoked goat cheese and a $75 bottle of wine. Apparently, Mammoth's famous burgers at Berger's restaurant just don't cut it with the BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. crowd. Southern Californians head for Colorado and Utah resorts when they go on longer ski vacations, said Joani Lynch, a spokesperson for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in eastern California on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest. The ski area, commonly called simply Mammoth . And that creates a problem for the resort, local service businesses and their employees. Mammoth is viewed as a regional, weekend getaway for skiers from Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , not a destination resort, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Lynch. The ski area, restaurants and condos are booked solid on weekends and barely able to cover the electric bill midweek. Changing Mammoth into a destination resort where skiers will come and stay a week or more is key to the ski area's new plan, Lynch said. Two years ago, Intrawest constructed upscale ski-in, ski-out hotel-style facilities at the base of the Eagle Express six-person lift on the southern side of the ski area. This year, Intrawest and Mammoth Mountain are building a whole new self-contained ``Village'' at the intersection of Minaret minaret (mĭnərĕt`), tower, used in Islamic architecture, from which the faithful are called to prayer by a muezzin. Most mosques have one or more small towers, which are usually placed at the corners. Road and Main Street, scheduled to open in February. The 20-acre facility includes 166 luxury rental units along with restaurants, shops and bars. A new 15-passenger Village gondola should open in December, allowing guests at the Village and others to get to the Canyon Lodge ski lifts without having to drive or take a shuttle bus. Mammoth hasn't ignored its traditional base in Southern California. The ski area sold more than 30,000 Value Passes last spring. The $399 season passes, sold in the spring but good through the 2002-03 season, are meant to reward Mammoth's loyal Southern California skiers, according to Lynch. Now, Gilbert and his wife bring their three children, ages 7 to 11, to ski at Mammoth most weekends. ``There's nothing better than prehistoric prices,'' Gilbert said. ``That really helps our family stay a ski family in the winter.'' The Gilberts bought a condo five years ago and have seen its value double with the Intrawest improvements at Mammoth. They like that but don't want Mammoth to change too much. ``I hope we don't lose the old Ronald McDonald Mammoth we used to have and it turns into a Vail Vail (vāl), town (1990 pop. 3,569), Eagle co., W central Colo., on Gore Creek, in the Gore Range of the Rocky Mts.; founded as a ski resort 1962, inc. as a town 1966. high-society fur-ball situation,'' Gilbert said. ``We'd like to keep it our hometown as a small, quaint place.'' The ski area also has acquired the Tamarack tamarack: see larch. Lodge cross-country ski and snowshoe Snowshoe a recently recognized cat breed; it is a medium- to large-sized cat with blue eyes, and coat color similar to a sealpoint or bluepoint Siamese, but with a white nose, chin, and ventral midline, and white boots on all feet. facility, located at Twin Lakes Twin Lakes may refer to: Communities
So Mammoth has something for every winter sports enthusiast - please just help out the locals and stay a little longer. IF YOU SKI --Thanks to an early-season storm that left 2 to 4 feet of new snow, Mammoth is operating its Panorama Gondola, taking skiers to the top of the mountain, and anticipates having all 27 lifts and more 3,500 acres of trails open for the Thanksgiving holiday. Distance: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a five- to six-hour drive from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Average snowfall: 32 feet Length of season: November to June Vertical rise: 3,100 feet Elevation: Base 7,953 feet, summit 11,053 feet Skiable acreage: 3,500 Snowmaking snow·mak·ing n. Production of artificial snow in the form of granular ice particles for use on ski slopes. : 477 acres, covering 48 trails - 33 percent of mountain Number of lifts: 27 - 1 Six-pack, 9 Quads (8 high-speed detachable de·tach tr.v. de·tached, de·tach·ing, de·tach·es 1. To separate or unfasten; disconnect: detach a check from the checkbook; detach burs from one's coat. 2. ), 7 Triples, 5 Doubles, 3 Gondolas and 2 Surface lifts (2 pomas) Number of trails: 150 named trails Uphill capacity: 50,000 rides per hour Longest run: 3 miles Terrain: 15 percent expert, 20 percent advanced, 40 percent intermediate, 25 percent beginner Winter hours: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 24-hour snow conditions: 888-SNOWRPT Information: 800-MAMMOTH; Web site: www.MammothMountain.com; e-mail: info(at)mammoth-mtn.com LIFT PRICES Adult $60, Afternoon Adult $48, Teen $45, Afternoon Teen $36 (ages 13-18), Child $30, Afternoon Child $24 (ages 7-12), Senior $30, Afternoon Senior $24 (65-79), Children 6 and under and Seniors 80+ free. Afternoon ticket good from 12:30-4 p.m. Beginner lift ticket $25 fixed price, good on Discovery Chair and Chair 7 Free lift privileges for first-time beginners enrolled in a lesson. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Skiing) (2 -- color) no caption (Ski lift) (3 -- color) no caption (Couple skiing) Jon Gerung/Staff Artist (4) The Gilbert family from Ojai likes Mammoth Mountain's improved facilities but hopes it won't lose its small-town charm. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) IF YOU SKI (see text) (2) LIFT PRICES (see text) |
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