A digital Mammoth mall

For Mammoth lovers who can’t be here as much as they’d like, there’s nothing quite as appropriate at the holidays as a gift that reminds them of Mammoth.

What Mammothophiles wouldn’t want to wrap themselves in a Mammoth woven blanket? Or who wouldn’t want to spend the long winter nights sipping cold ones from the local brewery, reading one of several Eastern Sierra backcountry guidebooks while admiring that carved bear across the living room?

Heart in Hand/ 437 Old Mammoth Road/760-924-2424

Mammoth Woven Blanket

Very seldom can a simple postcard accurately describe the tale of a trip to Mammoth. The choices are limited to one, tell-all picture of the area, or a hardly-legible cluster of photos illustrating every hotspot in the Eastern Sierra.

Beth Anderson, the proprietor of Heart In Hand, a gift store located in the Minaret Village Shopping Center, has an alternative.

Her woven blankets ($45), measuring four feet by six feet, display five scenic landscapes around Mammoth, and are lined with patterns of all the activities common to the area.

The scenes depict Twin Lakes, the Minarets, Mammoth Mountain, Rainbow Falls and Devils Postpile and are surrounded by smaller images of skiing, snowboarding, biking, fishing and horseback riding.
The blankets, which have been one of the store's most popular items since 1995, come in three colors: navy blue, hunter green and cranberry.

Anderson, the store's owner, says that the blankets are a good buy for any occasion.

“It's great for somebody looking for a unique gift for someone else, or for themselves. We have people buy them as graduation gifts, wedding gifts and as a thank-you for house-sitting. Of course, I have one for myself as well. It is something I will hold on to forever.”

Mammoth Mountaineering Supply/ 3189 Main Street/ 760-934-4191

Mammoth Adventure Literature

As any experienced Mammoth mountaineer will tell you, a little research will enhance any backcountry experience. Luckily for us, there is a wealth of literature written about mountaineering in the Eastern Sierra.

According to Zach Schneider, an experienced mountaineer and employee at Mammoth Mountaineering Supply, there are a few books essential to the area.

If a backpacker is on your gift list, look no further than R.J. Secor's “High Sierra Peaks, Passes and Trails” ($29.95). According to National Geographic magazine, Secor is the world's authority on local mountaineering, and this book covers many Mammoth area routes in short, detailed blurbs. The book also includes a quick history about many of the locations and covers the entire Sierra Nevada range.
“Mammoth Area Rock Climbs” ($30), by Marty Lewis and John Moynier, is an indispensable guide to climbing the Eastern Sierra, Schneider says.

It includes a good selection of cragging and climbing at different skill levels and covers routes north and south of Mammoth, and around the town itself.

For the backcountry skiing set, John Moynier's “Backcountry Skiing California's High Sierra” ($14.95) is a comprehensive guide to skiing and trekking in the High Sierra. It includes detailed information on where to go, how to get there, and how to be safe doing it, with avalanche advisories and warnings unique to each route.

Mammoth Art Supply/452 Old Mammoth Road/ 760-934-7230

Illustrated Mammoth Hiking Guide, coloring books, watercolor paintings and panoramic photos

Ten years ago, artist, author and entrepreneur Ron Luce realized that his San Diego-based gallery and art supply store was in need of a change.

The mountain-loving artist, who had a passion for the Mammoth area, was having trouble selling his Eastern Sierra and Yosemite prints to the beach crowd.

“They wanted beach landscapes and flowers,” Luce says. “That's just not what I do.”
In 1996, Luce made the logical move to Mammoth and started Mammoth Art Supply. Since then, Luce says, business has flourished.

He has sincewritten and illustrated a book about the area, including “Easy Day Hikes Around Mammoth” ($6.95), which has become a popular guide for tourists and locals alike. It includes easy to moderate day hikes around Mammoth, with illustrated scenes of many of the areas.

Luce also caters to younger nature enthusiasts, with his two coloring books, “The Mammoth Coloring Book” and “Eastern Sierra Coloring Book” ($5 each). The books have illustrations of photos Luce has made of local scenes, including a Bodie church, the annual Mule Days celebration in Bishop, and a skier flying down Mammoth Mountain.

In addition to his books, Luce also has a variety of watercolor paintings and panoramic photos of the Mammoth area that are available in prints of various sizes.

Mammoth Ski Museum/ 100 College Parkway/ 760-934-6592

Dave McCoy Prints by Warren Miller ($225-$500)

On a sunny day in the winter of 1951, ski filmmaker Warren Miller took a photograph that would go on to define the community and ski area of Mammoth.

It was a simple picture of Mammoth's founder Dave McCoy skiing near Chair 1, with the iconic Minarets, Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak in the background.

What would make this picture so powerful had nothing to do with the scenery, the snow or the perfected skiing style.

This image would paint the stereotypical picture of Mammoth, a place where people like McCoy, with a huge smile on his face, could enjoy high alpine thrills with nothing more than a t-shirt, some warm pants and a love for the sport.

“This picture is classic Mammoth, classic Dave McCoy,” says T.J. Chase, Mammoth Ski Museum director.

“When people think of Dave McCoy, this is what they think of.”

The museum, a part of the Mammoth Lakes Foundation, which raises money for the local college, has a close relationship with Miller and are able to sell the print to the public. As an added bonus, many of the prints are autographed by both McCoy and Miller, and 100percent of the profits are donated to the college.

“Warren and Dave have had a lasting relationship,” Chase says. “Of all the photos Warren took of Dave, this is the longest lasting and most recognizable.”

Edisto Gallery and Tea Room/ 452 Old Mammoth Road/ 760-934-3001

Mammoth Art with a Twist

Upstart Mammoth gallery Edisto is in the business of art, but not art like you have seen in Mammoth before.

Rather than focus on typical Sierra art, such as landscape photography and painting, owner Mary Siceloff has created a gallery with a more progressive, contemporary feel.

What you will see are pieces like whimsical pastels of the ancient bristlecone pines, Gaudi-esque woodcuts creating magical, distorted worlds from scenes like U.S. Hwy. 395 and the Yosemite Valley, and brilliant macro photography of local flora and fauna.

Local artists like Lori Michelon, Kendra Knight, and Patrice Miller regularly grace the walls of the small corridor in the Sierra Center Mall, along with national names like Tom Killion. Prices range from $30 to $3,000.

“We try to use a lot of local artists,” Siceloff says. “But others, like Tom Killion's work, is so Sierra-based, it makes sense to carry it here.”

Siceloff hopes galleries like hers will help to add a new dimension to Mammoth, one where people come for the art as well as the scenery.

“We are working hard to get the word out that people should see Mammoth as a resource for not only natural beauty, but great art as well,” Siceloff says. “I want people to realize they come here to ski, hike and see art on the same level.”

Bear Essentials/ 1102 Forest Trail/ 760-934-3013

Bears, Birds and More

A highlight of a summer trip to Mammoth is always a bear sighting. Most tourists, unless lucky enough to have a camera at hand, will never be able to prove it to friends and family back home.

Bear Essentials, which features carved wood bears, may be the next best option.

Ranging in size from a few feet to life-size, these bears are on the way to becoming the quintessential Mammoth souvenir.

Bear Essentials owner and bear carver Scott Smith has been perfecting the craft for almost 12 years, and has since expanded his repertoire to eagles, pelicans and signage for local businesses like Schat's Bakery on Main Street and the Lakanuki tiki Bar in the Village.

They are carved from local Mammoth wood, sanded and oiled,, and can usually be ready in a matter of days, Smith says. Prices usually are about $100 a foot up to $5,000.

He is now working on a few larger projects, such as an eagle and nest that will be visible from the gondola between the Village and Canyon Lodge, and a family of bears that will have a 13-foot circumference and will stand 10 feet tall.

“I've got the craft pretty dialed in,” Smith says. “If I study a photo of an animal and figure out the dimensions I need, I can get it pretty close.”

Additional holiday gift ideas:

Mammoth Gallery, in Sierra Center Mall and at the Village. Local photographers show their work in both locations, and the Sierra Center Mall shop has a treasure trove of ski posters and vintage Mammoth Mountain black-and-whites.

United States Forest Service Ranger Station and Mammoth Visitors Center. On Rte. 203 near the entrance to town, the Visitors Center has a solid library of Mammoth, Yosemite and Eastern Sierra literature for sale.

Mammoth Monthly magazine subscription. For $26 a year, recipients get 10 copies of the magazine. Details at www.mammothmonthly.com.

Gallerie Barjur. In the Village, this gallery features local artists and an eclectic array of other art, including glass.