An expert expat’s tips for Mammoth Lakes, California

The expat

Stuart Brown

After growing up in Wollongong, Stu Brown spent 36 straight winters chasing a 365-day alpine lifestyle on the Australian Ski Team and Australian Professional Snowsports Instructors’ Demo team. “I found my happy place at Mammoth Lakes,” he says, and from 1992, worked in its race department, ski and snowboard team, and marketing department. He is now Mammoth Lakes’ parks and recreation director and public information officer. See townofmammothlakes.ca.gov, visitmammoth.com

Do

Mammoth Lakes is all about four-season outdoor adventure and six-plus-month snow seasons, but it also has indoor ice skating, curling and hockey at the new LA Kings Ice rink (LAkingsicemammothlakes.com) and bowling at Mammoth Rock ’n Bowl (mammothrocknbowl.com). E-biking is also huge with a paved town loop and path to and around the Lakes Basin as well as 130-plus kilometres of tracks at the Mammoth Bike Park. Early morning swims or paddleboarding at June Lake, hiking around Horseshoe Lake, and kicking back at the many music festivals in The Village are summer favourites. Not to be missed among Mammoth Lakes activities is the new 18-hole Shady Rest DiscGolfPark and Sierra Star (discgolfpark.com) – California’s highest golf course. The ball literally flies – which direction is up to you!

Eat

Mammoth Lakes has year-round activities for the adventurous.

In summer, outdoor dining is a must. Grab a pre-made breakfast burrito from Stellar Brew (stellarbrew.life) or a delicious deja vu crepe at Cafe Crepe (cafecrepemammoth.com). For lunch, you can’t beat the street tacos at the Chip Shots Cafe in the Sierra Star Golf Club. Mammoth Lakes also offers some incredible fine dining – chef Ian Algeroen’s menu at Skadi features high alpine dining at its best and you must share the tasting of Skadi’s chocolate desserts – simply divine (skadirestaurant.com).

DRINK

Plenty of local pubs offer local brews along with the gauntlet of American beers, but sadly no Aussie beers. Mammoth Brewing Company (mammothbrewingco.com) has signature beers and you’ll like them all; my favourites are the Golden Trout, Mammoth Pilsner and the Yosemite Pale Ale. Mammoth Lakes is also known for “mammoth” margaritas at Gomez’s (gomezs.com), so bring your thirst, and if you’re up for a mix of everything, head to Lakanuki (lakanuki.net) in the village and say gidday to Kiwi Stu.

AVOID

Steer clear of shopping at Vons supermarket after 5pm, or driving around Mammoth Lakes in winter; take the free trolley instead. Also, don’t visit Yosemite National Park without lodging reservations, and never drive from LAX to Mammoth Lakes on a Friday afternoon. And definitely avoid visiting Bodie, a genuine California gold-mining ghost town after dark. You’ve been warned!

THRIVE

If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes.

Mammoth Lakes (2402 metres) is higher than Mount Kosciuszko (2228 metres), so thrive at altitude by staying hydrated (use your own bottle), protecting your eyes with sunglasses or goggles and use SPF30+ on your skin. There’s an old saying in Mammoth, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes,” so be prepared with lots of layers and a quality jacket. In the cold, the signature Mammoth Mountain beanie is a must.