I know that the big news in California today is the Oscars (which aired last night) but the main event here in the Sierra is the scene-stealing powder day at Mammoth Mountain. We woke up to blue skies and knee-deep snow – definitely a contender for the best of the year. This show of snow is an instant classic, owing its epicness to the uncrowded weekday, warm temps, wind-less sky, and Ski Patrol who made it safe. Photos: Taking the stage over by Roger’s Ridge, 8:50am, Feb. 25, 2008.
Watch CBS Sports Feb. 23 and 24 when the station airs the John Paul Mitchell Systems halfpipe competition, which took place earlier this month at Squaw Valley. Mammoth riders who competed include Luke Mitrani (3rd place), Tommy Czeschin (5th), Luke Wynen (8th), Greg Bretz (11th), Trevor Jacob (14th) and Molly Aguirre (4th).
Hey, neighbors! Show your Nevada State ID for $10 off an adult lift ticket at Mammoth Mountain through the rest of the 2007/08 ski season. Monday through Friday. Not valid with any other offer. Tickets are not transferable.
1. Call 800.MAMMOTH 24 hours in advance to purchase.
2. Show proof of Nevada residency, such as a Nevada state I.D. or passport, at ticket window upon pickup.
Mammoth Mountain is 5 hours from Las Vegas and 3 hours from Reno.
The free tours offered by Mammoth Mountain from Chair 2 are not always packed. In fact, they’re usually small groups of two or three people. A lot of skiers don’t know that you can tag along with a Forest Service volunteer who will tell you lore about the mountain on chairlifts and lead you down off-the-beaten-path trails.
“I never thought of doing this before,” said Ellen, a skier from Los Angeles. “It’s a great way to get to know the mountain. It’s only an hour and you ski interesting runs.”
The 2007/08 winter season marks ten years that the tours have been offered at Mammoth Mountain. The tours are led by Forest Service volunteers who are educated as naturalists to lead discussions on geology, history, trees and mountain operations. Skiers learn about Mammoth Lakes as a geologically active area, volcanic history, see different kinds of rocks, learn to identify all seven types of native trees on Mammoth Mountain, where to look for each kind and how trees survive Mammoth’s harsh winter winds. They get great view of the Mammoth Lakes Basin and ski up close to avalanche guns and the fumarole near Facelift Express.
Tours are offered free of charge to anyone with a lift ticket or season pass. They are recommended for intermediate skiers, but snowboarders and beginners can be accommodated. Two tours are offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Meet at 10:30am and 1:30pm at the Mill Café. Kids are welcome.
Photo: Guide Jim Williams points out something interesting.
The Nikita Chickita all-girls slopestyle contest, held at Mammoth Mountain’s South Park on Saturday, Feb. 9, was fun and sunny – more like a springy spring day than early February. The pro and amateur girls performed well on the quadruple jump line and jib features down below. Boys on the sidelines watched in envy of the girls who got to ride the nearly perfect fresh-built 30-foot kickers under the warm sun. Congrats to Isabelle “Izzy” Lalive who won cash in the pro division with a backside 540 into a cab three, and Mammoth local Alice Gong who stood out among the ams with a half cab indy, back three, method and front 540 to win a one-year Nikita sponsorship. The day was followed by a steamy concert at Lakanuki by the Lovemakers. Thanks to event sponsors Nikita, K2 Snowboards, Active Ride Shop, Fender Guitars and DVS.
1. Izzy Lalive
2. Vera Janssen
3. Jordie Karlinski
1. Alice Gong
2. Indigo Monk
3. Femke Henriques
Clifford Mann is a Mammoth original who was raised on the race course and continues to work instrumentally in Ski Area operations. As the director of Mountain Operations he is responsible for the snow you ski on, the roads you drive on and the chairlifts you ride on. It’s like he was made by the mountains as well as for them, first standing out as a 12-year-old on Dave McCoy’s race course, then National Junior Downhill Champion, and growing up to a man over six feet tall who defines hard work, dedication, long days and high standards. He is friendly and available, yet demands the same level of attention he delivers to others. I dug up a Mammoth Monthly profile on Clifford, written in 2006, which described him as much a fixture on the mountain as the rocks. “New equipment and technology have made our lives easier,” he explained, “but Mother Nature always shows you where you stand.” With this due respect of the Sierra and a resume filled with storm survival stories, there is no one who can give you a more experience-based weather outlook of Mammoth Mountain.
The Clifford Mann Classic ski race will take place at Mammoth Mountain this weekend, Feb. 9-11, 2008. It is a USSA/Far West Wild West Series race. Three Super G races for men and women are a qualifying event for the J3 Junior Olympics. The J3 Team is an intermediate-level racing program for 13 and 14-year-olds.
Mammoth historically names races after individuals who have added significantly to the race department and culture at Mammoth. “This race was originally held in November,” explained Beat Hupfner, director of Mammoth Mountain Race Department. “It’s a gesture to say Thank you for making snow.” He added, “Clifford has always been supportive of junior racing.”
Nikita Chikita Pro/Amateur Event:
Saturday, February 9, 2008.
South Park, Mammoth Mountain.
Open to any and all chikitas.
Register at Signmeup.com.
In February 2007 Randell Leoncio, a Navy Corpsman who lost his leg in a roadside bomb in Ramadi, came to Mammoth to try out his new leg on the slopes. “I’m snowboarding with this fantastic new leg,” he said. “I used to snowboard before, and that was my biggest question when I was injured: ‘how am I going to be able to board again?’”
This week the Wounded Warriors Project is back in Mammoth for the third year in a row. A group of twelve servicemen will participate in skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowcat rides and dogsledding with specialized instruction from Mammoth’s Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra organization. All twelve have been severely injured during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This event is a great way to put any personal politics we have aside and focus on thanking these brave soldiers for the sacrifice they’ve made for their country,” said DSES director Kathy Copeland in the official Mammoth Mountain Press Release.
The Wounded Warriors Project was developed to help our servicemen ease back into day-to-day activities and recreation following their injuries. This week’s sponsors include Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Mammoth Dog Teams, Disabled Sports USA and the Westin Monache.
Give these heroes a high five Feb. 5, 6 and 7 on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain.
