Apres Ski in Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain Village, opened in 20+ years ago, created a skiing community linked to the main ski area by the Village Gondola and a return ski trail.
The Village at Mammoth Mountain
The Village, opened in 2003, has created a skiing community linked to the main ski area by the Village Gondola and a return ski trail. Luxurious accommodations such as Lincoln House and White Mountain Lodge have direct access to the slopes as well as some luxury amenities, and there are stores and restaurants. For a virtual tour of the new Village, log on to their website at www.mammothmountain.com.
The nearest town is Mammoth Lakes. Situated four miles (6.5 km) from the ski area, it offers accommodations, shops, over 50 restaurants and a free shuttle service.
Apres Ski Bars & Restaurants in Mammoth Mountain
Après-ski options include live music in bars and restaurants, or you can go and soak in a natural hot spring with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
The Village at Mammoth offers a variety of dining and drinking establishments. The Yodler Bar and Pub, across from Main Lodge, is a Swiss chalet with California atmosphere for après-ski cocktails, a casual dinner or snacks at lunchtime, but it shuts at 9:00 pm. Thunder Mountain Bar is a warm and cozy upstairs lounge at Main Lodge, where you can get hot drinks, beer and a variety of delicious appetizers, plus fantastic views of the Unbound Main terrain park and the blue Broadway trail.
Mammoth Lakes has around 20 bars, which come alive when the weekend crowd comes to town. It can be pretty quiet during the week, but really gets going at weekends as Southern Californians drive in to ski and party.
The town of Mammoth Lakes has around 50 restaurants, many of which have live music ranging from rock and reggae through folk, jazz and blues. In addition, there are around 20 bars, including the very popular Whiskey Creek, appealing to the 21-35 age group, with excellent live music on weekends plus midweek DJ and dancing; and the Clocktower Cellar at Alpenhof Lodge, with its mellow, pub atmosphere, popular with local residents.
By California State law, all venues must be licensed to sell either beer and wine, or all alcohol. The minimum age for consuming alcohol is 21 years and children can only accompany their parents in to restaurants, but not bars or clubs. Most bars close at 2:00 am.
If you want some retail therapy, there are plenty of sports stores and factory outlets for the big names, where you can get designer labels at a discount. In fact, the streets of Mammoth Lakes are lined with gift stores and galleries.
Other Activities in Mammoth Mountain
One of the best resorts in the U.S. for non-skiing activities, Mammoth also offers cross-country skiing, ice-skating, snowmobiling, dogsleds and athletics.
If you’re not interested in skiing on the mountain there are masses of other activities at Mammoth. It’s one of the best places for non-skiing winter activities in the U.S. Cross-country skiing takes place at the Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center, where there is 27 miles (45 km) of freshly groomed track around the Lakes Basin on skis or snowshoes.
You can ice skate at the outdoor ice rink in Mammoth Lakes, or try your hand at snowmobiling along hundreds of miles of forest-lined trails. Take a one-hour ride to Crater Flats or an all-day excursion through the Inyo National Forest. Contact Snowmobile Adventures at Main Lodge (kid-sized sleds at Little Eagle). Dogsleds head up to Minaret Vista, and there is tubing and an athletics club with an indoor pool at Mammoth Lakes. You can find out information at any of the local shops as well as on the main reservations number for Mammoth. There are also music festivals, art shows and special events throughout the year. Contact 800-MAMMOTH for details.