A Mammoth Breakthrough

The town of Mammoth Lakes has always been on the casual end of major ski resort centers. The eastern Sierra town is a haphazard collection of gas stations, condominiums, restaurants and fast-food joints, ski-wear and sporting goods stores, with no real center. Most of its skiers are families that drive more than 300 miles from Southern California and back on weekends.

But the biggest of several recent changes is on the way. The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a $28.7-million grant to upgrade the local airport to handle mid-size commercial jets such as the Boeing 757. With new accommodations and the construction of a mountain village, Mammoth aspires to join Aspen, Vail, Park City and others as a glamorous “world-class destination resort.” It will take time, but real estate prices already are soaring, and there is little talk these days of the region’s bouts of seismic activity.

The challenge for local officials and business leaders is to restrain the development to the current boundaries of the town and ski area so that Mammoth retains its natural alpine setting without the awful sprawl of Vail. And they must deal with a growing housing crisis for local workers.

What Mammoth has always had is one of the best skiing mountains in North America, offering lots of snow, long seasons, an impressive variety of runs and family ownership led by the legendary Dave McCoy. The town has become a haven for those who love the outdoors and adventure sports, the nearby High Sierra wilderness, the trout streams and lakes and its proximity to Yosemite and Mono Lake.

There’s never been much night life. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area repeatedly gets rated as one of the best on the continent for skiing, but the town gets poor marks for amenities such as apres ski, shopping, fancy restaurants and its difficulty of access.

Town leaders long have coveted jet airline service as the breakthrough needed to compete with the Aspens and Vails, to attract affluent visitors from across the country and other continents for stays of a week or longer. Many Mammoth Lakes folk like the change and will profit from it. Yet others already lament the loss of the good old days in a quiet, close-knit eastern Sierra community.