You know you’ve lived in Los Angeles long enough when you grow bored of the sunshine and start to crave a little snow. My two California kids find snow jackets and mittens delightful— they didn’t have to grow up in the bitter Canadian north like I did, facing wind-whipping skin-cracking weather, winter after endless winter. But this winter, while we didn’t want to be assaulted with relentless storms we’d heard about on the news, we did yearn to breathe in a little cold air, and maybe throw a snowball or two. So I was thrilled to be invited back to our favorite ski town, Mammoth, and spend a few days taking in all it had to offer.
Backstory: My husband and I both skied a bit in high school, but hadn’t been on skis since then. So about three years ago, we drove up to Mammoth, CA for the first time with the kids, not knowing if we’d love it, or end up nursing bruises and damaged egos. Imagine our surprise when, not only did the kids take to it instantly (as kids often do— they are so fearless!), but we all agreed it was our best family vacation ever. Out in the fresh air, exercising, challenging ourselves at all different levels… and best part? No screens— we were all too wiped. At the end of the day, we’d eat an early dinner, pile into bed, start a fire, and watch movies ‘til we couldn’t keep our eyes open. Best vacation ever.
This year was our third trip back to Mammoth, and both my kids were happy to return to the small town they remembered fondly. We usually stay at the Westin Monache Resort in a One-Bedroom Suite, which is cozy (read: cramped) for the four of us and all our ski stuff, but we make it work, and it’s kind of fun being in tight quarters on vacation. The Monache is a lovely hotel with friendly staff, free hot chocolate in the lobby, and White Bark, a fabulous sushi bar and restaurant. This time, we were invited to stay at the Village Lodge, and were treated to a Two-Bedroom Suite, which meant we could all spread out, have lots of room to eat breakfast at the table (instead of piling our wet boots and helmets there), and a full kitchen. One closet even had a couple of snow discs, which my daughter and I used to do some sledding after a snowfall. Both hotels are in the heart of the village, steps from the gondola that takes you up to Canyon Lodge on the mountain, so you don’t have to drive or lug your stuff too far.
I brought a few tech treats to the slopes (as I often do) to make the trip even more fun. The Contour Roam camera we each strapped to our helmets at different times during the trip caught some great footage (including a chance encounter with Woolly, the mountain mascot).
woolly from Carley Knobloch on Vimeo.
And the Mammoth Mountain app was invaluable and had some really helpful features— I used it to track all my runs, showing me my top speed and highest altitudes reached each day, as well as showing me a play-by-play of each run I took on the map. We even brought a Google Chromecast stick to watch Hulu, Netflix and YouTube on the hotel TVs.
Tech I wished I had, but didn’t: The Outdoor Technology’s Chips, which are bluetooth speakers that drop into your helmet so you can listen to music and take calls while you’re kareening down the mountain (Funny story: I actually did a conference call with my friends at HGTVRemodels.com while skiing a run… a first for all on the line), and Oakley’s Airwave Goggles, which shows you a readout of your speed, altitude, where your buddies are, and your GPS location, right inside the goggles. So. Spectacularly. Cool. Maybe next season.
The skiing was superb— we lucked out and enjoyed two fresh powder days during our four there, and the weather got increasingly warmer. This trip we also explored the mountain a bit more and found ourselves at several of the different lodges that we hadn’t visited before. We were delighted to discover more food choices (vegan chili and gluten-free muffins at Main Lodge!) even and prettier views. From the moment we stepped off the gondola, we were greeted warmly by young and eager staff, who were all smiles and ready with directions and recommendations.
snowboarder-mammoth from Carley Knobloch on Vimeo.
We returned home exhausted and content, having had lots of fun in lots of snow, and lots of fun as a family. We can’t wait to return next year.
Thanks again to the good folks at Mammoth who treated the Knobloch family to a weekend of lodging and lift tickets.
