Westbound Boarder

I’ve lived in SoCal for two years of my life now, but if you count the 13 years I lived here growing up, that’s 15 years total.  15 winters.  Can you believe I had never been to Mammoth?  Well, a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to change that.

After a particularly long week at work in Seattle, Washington, I decided it was about time to finally head to Mammoth.  It was May, mind you, but reports of continuous fresh pow flooded my ears all spring.  Powder and sun in May?  Um, sold!  My flight home from Seattle landed at LAX around 5:30pm, so I headed home, threw some cloths into a bag, and by 7pm my friend Matty and I were cramped up in his tough (and slightly smelly) Toyota, gear, pillows and sleeping bags sprawled in the back, cruising up the 405 freeway toward Mammoth.

We arrived around midnight (we took an hour-long detour in search of food… we ended up at Panda Express; figures) and stayed in a quaint little pad that must have slept at least 14.  Yeah, the place was tight, but cozy.  We pretty much hit the sack immediately, in preparation for the long day that lay ahead.

Now, I was told that it was pretty cold at Mammoth, so as soon as our alarms went off next morning (ok, well, after hitting the snooze button a few times) I piled on the layers.  Two pairs of pants, three top layers, and two pairs of socks later, I was bundled and ready to hit the slopes… only to find that it was at least 50 degrees F but the time we got up to the hill.  Translation, I could have worn a bikini and made out just fine.

From the main town area, you can either take a tram from the bottom to the hill or drive up.  It’s maybe a 10-minute drive and parking kind of stinks, but if you’re willing to shell out 20 bucks you’re granted premium parking right in the lot (we don’t like exercise, so we opted for that route).  We picked up our tickets (beware – lift tickets will run you a whopping 87 bucks, but rumor has it prices will rise to 92 next year, making Mammoth one of the highest priced mountain resorts in the US) and were finally ready to face the hill and shred some ridiculous spring snow.  And the sun definitely wasn’t stopping the pow from being anything less than amazing.

One of the great things about Mammoth is that there really is something for everyone.  There’s more than 90 acres of free terrain that incorporates a nice mix of beginner and advanced slopes.  There are some fun tree runs, but plenty of bowls and open groomers as well.  We spent the morning shredding the terrain (I’m sure we didn’t even begin to graze the surface of all that was available to us) but the real fun began in the park.

With three pipes and seven parks, Mammoth is continually touted as having one of the best parks in the nation.  And I can definitely see why.  Their park area was pretty sick.  It had a nice mix of jumps and they were very well groomed, but also a good number of mid-sized jumps, just enough to challenge me without completely scaring me off.  There were a few 70 footers, too (and people were actually doing them )  This year toward the end of the season, Mammoth even brought in a landing pad where riders could try new tricks or perfect the old… you know, without dying and such.

My favorite thing about Mammoth, though, is the chill and laid-back vibe this hill resonates, especially in the less-crowded spring season.  Everyone spends their days chilling in the park or hanging on the benches outside with a drink in hand before they start round two.  Out of any resort I’ve been to, Mammoth is hands down the most fun, whether you’re riding or not.  And the nightlife ain’t too shabby, either.

Insider Tip: Given its close proximity to what is commonly referred to as the mecca of action sports (ahem, LA) there is always something going down at Mammoth.  Before you plan your trip out though, be sure to check the events calendar on the Mammoth website before solidifying your trip dates. The best weekends to go are the weekends when there’s something big going down – the Roxy Chicken Jam or the West Coast Invitational, for instance.  And there’s always a pro or two to be spotted – especially when you go during a big event weekend.  I saw US Olympic rider Greg Bretz and Tyler Flanagan in the park line several times, for instance, and I bumped into Elena Hight at lunch.

With more than 45 feet of snow falling throughout the 2009/10 season, Mammoth Mountain is currently slated to stay open through the Fourth of July weekend.  So if you’re still looking to satisfy your snowboard fix, you still have a whole month to make it up!

If I were to sum up Mammoth in three words or less, it might sound a little something like this – Great snow, killer parks, and awesome local vibe (Okay, so that may be a few words over three, but you get the idea…)  All in all, Mammoth is a mountain worth going for.

Ryan Paul takes home the $10,000 prize purse. Photo by Peter Parra.

This past Saturday, pro riders from all around the nation headed to Mammoth Mountain for the West Coast Invitational, which included two big events this year: The inaugural Eddie Wall Ride Invitational and the ninth annual Mammoth Rail Jam.  Competing riders included pros such as US Olympic team rider Greg Bretz, Eddie Wall, Luke Mitrani, Peter Line, Dan Brisse, and Tyler Flanagan (and I even saw some old pros like JP on the hill).

During the Eddie Wall Ride Invitational, riders competed on a course of, well, you guessed it – wall rides.  The course was pretty insaine, and rider Tim Humphrys took home the $5,000 prize after a three-hour session on the course.  Apple iPads were also awarded for best trick, one going to Peter Line for a backside 540 on the wall and one going to Scott Blum for a backside invert on top of the wall.

But the real fun began once the sun went down.  The folks at Mammoth set up a rail park in the village which consisted of three jib hits – a C rail, a kinked rail, and a down skate rail – and riders vied for the WCI title during an hour-long rail jam session.  Most competing riders were under the age of 21, so it was cool to see the next generation of pros taking the industry up a notch.

Throughout the course of the West Coast Invitational event, riders attempted to throw down their best tricks in hopes to take home the popular vote and, ultimately, a $10,000 prize purse.  Though the event started out a little slow, it quickly turned into a “if you can clear the kinked rail, you’re set.”

But it was Ryan Paul who quickly emerged as the rising star, throwing a front flip 50-50 onto the down rail with a 180 off, cinching his victory (see the video below… unreal!) The crowd went wild, and though the competition continued, victory was already in the bag for Ryan.

Ryan Paul’s $10,000 trick Mammoth WCI from Adam Cogley on Vimeo.

Though Ryan threw down some awesome tricks throughout the evening, my personal favorite rider was Mammoth local Tyler Flanagan.  Though he didn’t really bring a ton of progressive tricks to his set, he was definitely the most consistent rider.  Had Ryan not pulled out his awe-inspiring front flip, I think Tyler would have given him a good run for his money.  It was also really cool to see US Olympic team member Greg Bretz compete in the rail jam, and though his rail-etiquette wasn’t anything to scream about, he was still pretty legit on the course.  And this event really showed his versatility.  Though we all know he kills it in the pipe, as proved during the 2010 winter Olympics (which the announcers would never let him forget) it was neat to see him also dominate the rails.

Check out some photos from the event from our WbB photographer friend, Peter Parra: