It's still Mammoth at heart

Mammoth Lakes, Calif. — Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

The sky is falling.

The end is near.

And Mammoth is turning into Aspen.

Only one of those statements proved wholly true during my recent visit to this eastern Sierra ski resort: The sky, indeed, was falling. Tiny, fluffy snowflakes floated down from the heavens. Children romped. Snowboarders shouted for joy.

Whether the end is near and development is destroying the town's rustic appeal depends on one's point of view -- of which I heard many during my visit just before the Thanksgiving weekend opening of the Village Gondola, the heart of a new town center.

From a traveler's standpoint, the new Mammoth looks good. But some visitors, especially its longtime devotees, still may worry how much change has come to Mammoth Lakes, the town, and Mammoth Mountain, the ski resort. Do the new upscale lodging, restaurants and shops fit like a glove or a cramped ski boot? And is this pleasantly unpolished place -- this skier's ski resort -- losing its soul?

Some visitors may wonder whether there was a soul to lose. The 325-mile drive north from Los Angeles along U.S. 395 is, of course, scenic enough to lift anyone's spirits.

But swing onto Highway 203 toward Mammoth Lakes, population 7,700, and the portrait of white-capped peaks quickly melts into motels, strip malls and parking lots. Businesses are strung along two intersecting thoroughfares, Main Street and Old Mammoth Road, and undistinguished condominium complexes elsewhere contribute to a suburban hodgepodge.

The Village is an attempt to change that. A few blocks off Main Street, the mini-mountain of timber and stone rises along Minaret Road. Four floors of guest rooms sit atop ground-level shops and restaurants lining a central promenade, all built in an Arts and Crafts style but tarted up in the soft hues of a rainbow trout.

With the new gondola connecting guests to one set of ski lifts (at the Canyon day lodge) and shuttles running to another (at the Main day lodge), visitors can stow their vehicles in an underground parking garage and theoretically spend their days skiing, shopping, eating, drinking and sleeping without ever hopping back into the car.

I parked and checked into a fourth-floor room at the Village, whose 166 studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units were sold like traditional condos but are managed like hotel rooms: When owners aren't home, visitors move in. Each unit has virtually the same woodsy, contemporary decor and standard hotel amenities, including daily housekeeping service.