Free Skiing at Mammoth Mountain

For skiers going like 70--not necessarily in speed, but definitely in years--the place to be in February is the Sierra Nevada Inn at Mammoth Mountain.

The inn will host the second annual 70-Plus Mammoth Mountain Ski Fest, Feb. 23-28, with a full program of activities on and off the slopes. The inn has a heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, plus 24-hour coffee and tea service in the lobby coffee room.

In addition to regular skiing at Mammoth Mountain, where everyone 65 and over skis free, there will be a series of special races for the 70-plus skiers, complete with trophies and an awards banquet.

The inn has a 70-Plus package for the event that can be taken for three, four or five nights. The price includes accommodations, taxes, continental breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, evening receptions and all the skiing you can handle.

Rates for the basic package are $186 per person, double occupancy, for three nights; $232, four nights, and $259, five nights.

A deluxe package includes a larger room with a kitchen and fireplace. Package rates per person, double occupancy, for the deluxe room are $225 for three nights, $275 and $326.

One person in a standard room pays $269 for three nights, $336 and $380. For a deluxe room, it’s $345, $440 and $518.

An awards banquet, set for the last night, costs $27 per person, including entertainment. Those who are not members of the 70-Plus Ski Club pay $32.

For more information on the Mammoth packages, contact Emily Maner, Sierra Nevada Inn, P.O. Box 918, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. 93546, (800) 824-5132.

For more information on the 70-Plus Ski Club, which provides members with a list of where seniors can ski free, write 70-Plus Ski Club, Lloyd Lambert, 104 East Side Drive, Ballston Lake, N.Y. 12019.

There are also ski trips for mature skiers who are at least 50 years old. These are sponsored by the local chapters of the Over the Hill Gang, a national sports-oriented club.

For information on these trips or the many year-round activities of Over the Hill Gang chapters in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, contact Dick Knudsen, Over The Hill Gang, 3111 Paddington Road, Glendale 91206, (818) 244-2631.

Golden Tours for Seniors, which is a clearinghouse for dozens of senior tour operators, reports it still has many seats available on a wide variety of Christmas/New Year’s tours.

They range from three- to five-day motor-coach tours to such destinations as Wonder Valley, San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel, to 8- to 10-day air/motor-coach trips to Washington, D.C., and Williamsburg; Victoria, British Columbia, and Hawaii.

Participants in the Golden Tours’ trips get picked up in Alhambra or Pasadena. Membership, which is $6 before Dec. 31, is required for tours. Members get 15 issues (monthly) of Golden Tours’ eight-page trip-filled brochure through February, 1993.

For more information, contact Golden Tours for Senior Citizens, Box 1070, Alhambra 91802, (213) 283-7876 or (818) 289-6271.

Now through Dec. 20, Aston Hotels has a “Senior Fall Special” at the Aston Kaanapali Shores and the Mahana (an oceanfront condominium) on Maui.

Mature travelers 55 and over get a $50 dining credit at the Beach Club Restaurant at Aston Kaanapali Shores, in addition to Aston’s regular 20% room discount and a free economy car from Budget.

Advance reservations and a four-night minimum stay are required, however. For more information, call Aston Hotels at (800) 922-7866.

The Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, has a “Sunday Senior Package” for mature travelers 55 and older through Jan. 31, on a space-available basis.

Cost is $49 per person, double occupancy, or $79 single. A Sunday night room, three-course dinner, dancing to recorded Big Band music in the hotel’s West Coast Club and a continental breakfast before Monday departure are part of the price. For more information, call (800) 822-7873 or (714) 960-7873.