Record Winter Sets the Stage for Mammoth Improvements
Mammoth Lakes, California (PRWEB) August 30, 2017 -- Coming off a 270-day-long season that broke multiple snowfall records, it will be a short off-season in Mammoth Lakes this year, but when the lifts spin again for opening day on November 9th, a number of improvements and new businesses will greet visitors for winter ‘17/18.
As is the case every four years, Mammoth Mountain will be at the center of the run-up to the winter Olympics. Mammoth Mountain’s Unbound Terrain Parks, routinely ranked the best in the world and known among snowboarders and freeskiers for consistent quality and creative progression, will serve as the launching point for a number of Olympic dreams.
Names like Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Kelly Clark, who've made Mammoth their home base, will be joined by a host of others looking for similar success and the training edge that the best park in the world provides. The men's and women's Olympic Freeski and Snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe teams will also be named at Mammoth following the Mammoth Grand Prix, which will serve as the final Olympic qualifier.
With the Olympics on tap and with so much new in store, there’s a lot to be excited about in the Eastern Sierra, even if we did just put our skis and boards away.
On the Mountain
- The Melt House at Chair 14: On the backside of Mammoth Mountain, at the far-flung base of Chairs 13 & 14 in one of North American skiing’s most iconic little enclaves, the Melt House now sits. Dedicated to that most delicious and timeless of dishes - the grilled cheese - Melt House’s menu combines bread and dairy in both new and traditional ways to delicious effect. With hearty soups on offer as well as cold and hot drinks, the Melt House is a perfect little cheese-slinging oasis tucked away in the Mammoth Mountain backwoods.
- Progression Airbag: Mammoth Mountain's new "Progression Bag" is the future of training at highest levels of slopestyle freeskiing and snowboarding, and the only one in the world currently used on snow. At 192 ft long and 76 ft wide, it’s one of only three such bags in the world, and allows athletes the chance to attempt tricks in the most realistic training setting possible. Slopestyle phenoms Hailey Langland, Nick Goepper, Brock Crouch, Chris Corning, Anna Gasser, Eric Beauchemin and more spent the spring dialing-in their Olympic tricks on the bag. Once perfected, athletes can then transition to an identical on-snow jump and landing that's adjacent. The result: a safer and radically sped-up learning curve for big air athletes. And It’s not just Olympians that will benefit, the bag will be available to the public during select camps and training sessions during the 2018 spring season.
- The Fort: New this year, the Fort is a creative co-working environment with two locations, one in Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge, and one in the Old Mammoth Village on the Old Mammoth Restaurant Row. With lightning fast internet access, a stocked fridge, meeting spaces and a community of like-minded individuals, the Fort makes balancing work and play more fluid. Both Fort locations are available to all members. Individual and corporate memberships are available with daily, weekly and monthly terms with special discounts for Cali4nia Pass holders.
Off Hill Dining
- Shelter Distilling: set to open this fall in The Village at Mammoth, Shelter Distilling is a unique collaboration, bringing together several of Mammoth’s most venerable beverage connoisseurs in Black Velvet Coffee’s Matt Hammer and Mammoth Brewing Company’s Jason Senior and Karl Anderson. Distilling gins, vodkas, rums and un-aged “white whiskies” in a hand-made copper still, the small-batch operation will offer tastings and cocktails out of the store front in the village near the Gondola.
- Salsa’s Taqueria: If there’s one thing a mountain town (or any town for that matter) can’t have enough of, it’s tacos. Now under new ownership, Salsa’s Taqueria serves up delicious and authentic street-style tacos, burritos, tortas and more. Take-out options make it easy to grab dinner on the run after a long day on the slopes, and if the early reviews are any indication the al-pastor and carne asada are not to be missed.
- Hugs Ice Cream: Fresh cookies, sundaes, ice cream tacos and a constantly changing selection of 16-24 flavors of premium craft ice cream made by a 4th generation ice cream maker, sorbet and sherbet; Hugs ice cream in the Village at Mammoth has your sweet tooth covered.
Events
- US Freeski and Snowboard Grand Prix: The 2018 US Olympic Snowboarding and Freeski teams will be named at Mammoth Mountain, following the 2018 Mammoth Grand Prix, Jan. 17-21. The final event in the Olympic qualifying series, the Grand Prix will see the biggest names in snow sports descending on the Eastern Sierra for one last chance to punch their ticket to PyeongChang.
In Town:
- Mammoth Christmas Market: Sam’s Wood site, the longtime venue for Bluesapalooza,Labor Day Arts Festival and Shakespeare in The Woods, will turn into a winter wonderland Nov. 24 - Dec 31 as the home of the first annual Mammoth Christmas Market. Enter a whimsical forest and find yourself surrounded by one million twinkling lights, music and merriment throughout the holiday season. Shop with artisan vendors, take photos with Santa, enjoy live entertainment and taste traditional German foods and drinks.
- Yoga Lab Mammoth: Offering a variety of classes to empower every aspect of your wellness Yoga Lab Mammoth Lakes is a great addition to the Village at Mammoth and good way to get those sore ski legs back in action. Free classes are offered throughout the year at select locations and private sessions are available on request. AUM to your heart’s content or keep your practice more reserved, either way Yoga Lab Mammoth Lakes has an option to suit.
- Sierra Dog Ventures: Because humans shouldn’t be the only ones vacationing in Mammoth Lakes, the newly formed Sierra Dog Ventures now offers adventure camps for Mammoth’s 4-legged visitors. Offering pickup and drop-off from anywhere in town, Sierra Dog ventures will come pick your pooch up from the hotel and give them a real Eastern Sierra outdoors experience, either as part of a pack or individually if the dog’s temperament requires it. So you can hit the slopes and Fido can also be outside enjoying everything Mammoth Lakes has to offer.
- Ground Up Climbing Guides: In addition to skiing and snowboarding, the Mammoth Lakes region is also home to world class rock climbing and bouldering, much of it at lower elevations and accessible year round. With more than 20 years experience as a climber and eight years guiding, AMGA and WFR certified lead guide Clay Tyson and crew can get you safely on belay. With options for total novices and more experienced climbers alike, Ground Up Climbing Guides have the expertise to show you the mountains from a completely different vantage point.
- The Upper Main Street Sidewalk Project: expected to be complete by the end of November, the project will allow easy walking access between two of Mammoth Lakes’ most popular dining, entertainment and retail areas in the Village at Mammoth and Old Mammoth Road. The $2.5M project will add an eight-foot-wide multi-use pathway connecting the two, and it’s the first of a three phase project that will make Mammoth Lakes even more friendly for pedestrians and cyclists year round.
- Bleu Market and Eatery: Building on the success of the original Bleu specialty market, the new Market and Eatery will see owner Theresa Brocia expand the concept, moving into the former Chart House space in Old Mammoth. Now, with dining space and offering composed salads, organic baked goods, an on-site butchery and fresh produce, the Market and Eatery is still home to the same experienced staff, ready and willing to guide you through the newly expanded inventory of delicacies, allowing customers to experience some the best foods and beverages in the world at the top of California.
- Best Western Plus High Sierra Hotel: Following a $1.2M renovation, the Best Western Plus High Sierra looks and feels totally different, both inside and out. With new furnishings and amenities in the rooms, a complete redesign of the cafe, and a newly renovated lobby and front desk area and the same great location, it’s now a perfect spot for skiers and snowboarders looking for modern amenities at a price that won’t break the bank.
Check http://www.visitmammoth.com/ and http://mammothmountain.com for more information and to get started booking a Mammoth Lakes vacation.
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Tim LeRoy, Lyman Agency, http://lymanagency.com, +1 312.451.7679 Ext: 1303, [email protected]
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