Skiing is king here at Mammoth Lakes, California.
Considering that Mammoth Lakes is 8000 feet high up in the Eastern
Sierra Mountains, with some winters seeing a total snowfall of 600
inches of snow, this is one of the premiere places to ski, in all of
America.
Not only is the skiing so incredibly intense and thrilling here, it
is a way of life. There's a lot more to do here such as fishing and
shopping, and sipping California wine and going to festivals. But
skiing is the main reason the 8000 residents of Mammoth Lakes live here
year-round and the main reason people come to vacation here.
So what else would Mammoth Lakes have that is skiing related, but
ski chalets, ski shops, ski lessons and ski bunnies? What else but a
relaxing visit to a cute skiing museum? Yes, that's right a museum with
its main and only purpose dedicated to the insatiable thirst for
skiing. Pretty incredible right, that a town would dedicate a museum to
skiing?
Actually it's a pretty cool (nice pun!) place to go. The Mammoth
Ski Museum has many interesting features where you can learn all about (what else?) skiing. Exhibits throughout the museum tell the story of
skiing and the history relating to it. Walk around the museum exploring
and enjoying the largest private collection of skiing's fine art and
literature collection all located in Mammoth California. The museum
showcases 500 years of exhibits and research on skiing, that illustrate
the sport of skiing and the culture associated with it.
One awesome exhibit at the Ski Museum is the Beekley International
Collection of Skiing Art and Literature. Beekley, a skiing expert, wrote
several books about skiing history, one in 1945. Dave McCoy, founder of
Mammoth Mountain ski area and other ski pioneers of the Sierra also share
their legendary stories of skiing through exhibits and films in the
Pioneer Theater and Gallery.
There are countless beautiful pictures of skiing throughout the
museum, and sweet retro skiing posters. (One of the
posters has a woman skiing in shorts and a t-shirt, which you can
actually do here in the spring when it gets warmer, but is still cool
enough to ski!)
What else would you expect to find in ski country, but a ski museum
dedicated to everything skiing? Take the kids; it'll be fun for
everyone. Adult are $5, and the kids are only $3. The Mammoth Ski
Museum is conveniently located on College Parkway right in Mammoth and
just off Highway 395.
This guide to classing up your vacation was brought to you by Kate Johns
Here is a tip that not many people will tell you: All you need to be perceived a skiier/boarder is a lift ticket. Put it on your jacket or lanyard and you are, officially, a skiier for the next season. No one needs to know you can only do the bunny slope in a serious wedge. No one needs to know you have never even seen a half-pipe. You don't even have to rent equipment. Just invite the ladies back to your sweet vacation condo, talk about the snow in a vague way, and you are IN.