BIG TENT = LITTLE JEWEL
As it turns out, the adage popularized in the film Field of Dreams – if you build it, they will come – is accurate. At least when it comes to ice skating
Executive Director of Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT), John Urdi, reported that, since its opening over Thanksgiving, the much-anticipated Community Recreation Center (CRC) ice rink had trafficked 9,000 visitors according to the data available at January 3rd’s MLT board meeting.
And just yesterday, Recreation Manager Katrina Kelly revised that total upward to 10,500+ on the season.
Last year, the final year for Mammoth’s outdoor rink, saw 8,651 visits for the season.
The season record for skater visits prior to this year was 10,225.
“And we haven’t had that much visitation,” said a sardonic MMSA Interim CEO Eric Clark at Wednesday’s meeting, in response to the report.
And those numbers cash in. Parks and Recreation Director, Stuart Brown, told The Sheet that revenue stands at $145,000 (up from $85,341 for the 2022/2023 season).
“It’s a little jewel,” said Mammoth Town Councilman and MLT Board member, John Wentworth.
A jewel, it would seem, in a crowd of local businesses insistent on chugging along, despite a slow, snow start to the winter season.
Tom Cage, owner of Kittredge Sports, remains optimistic. And for good reason.
“Business is solid. People have come. Thank goodness for man-made snow,” said Cage, referencing the efforts made by the mountain’s snowmaking team, and similarly commended by MLT.
“A lot of infrastructure went in last summer,” explained Clark. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve invested a lot in our snowmaking and we have a lot more investment coming.”
Clark explained that the goal is to focus snowmaking efforts down at Canyon Portal so that starting next year (and in conjunction with the construction of Chair 1) Mammoth Mountain can open Canyon, consistently, on Thanksgiving Day—a guaranteed early start that won’t rely so much on mother nature’s goodwill.
Still, in spite of this winter’s slow start, Kittredge isn’t the only business with good numbers. Hordes of visiting snowbunnies and townies, alike, flocked to Roberto’s over the holiday weekend for the best Tex-Mex this side of the Eastern Sierra.
A brief stint of dialogue to revisit a conversation had between The Sheet and Roberto’s owner, Joanie Schaller:
Schaller: We’ve done huge business since December 15. We’re up over last year.
Sheet: Do you ascribe that to people actually being able to access your business [versus battling last year’s snowdrifts]?”
Schaller: “It’s certainly helpful that people can get to our door.”
That said, not all local businesses are inclined to agree. For many, the lack of snow has signaled the tightening of belts, the reevaluation of inventory, and the adjustment of expectations.
“We didn’t have a back parking lot last year,” recounted Mammoth Mountaineering employee, Ben Ward.
“But it’s one of those things” said Forest Smith, finishing co-worker Ward’s sentiment, “there’s definitely a sweet spot.”
As Smith explained, Mammoth Mountaineering is a one stop gear shop for everything from climbing to backcountry touring.
“But skiing is what pays the bills” says Smith.
Compare ice skate versus ski maintenance, for instance—services that Mammoth Mountaineering offers, and the latter of which has seen increased demand since the CRC’s opening. Smith explains that, while both services are valuable to the business in that they encourage repeat customer behavior, a skate sharpening earns $10 and a ski mount earns $85. Both require the same amount of time, in labor.
“It takes a pretty big toll on a shop that relies on backcountry skiin … when there’s no snow, there’s no snow,” said Smith.
But all is not lost. The holidays—and, now, several inches of snow—have brought a tailwind of visitation and tourist spending.
“It is shocking how just the foot of snow we got really gets things going; really changes business,” said Forest. “And now, people realize they have these setups sitting around, waiting to be mounted. So they’re finally coming in.”
Like Smith, for Stellar Brew General Manager, Nikki Lee, the 2023/2024 season thus far has been about adapting and refining existing business models to cater toward its given clientele.
“What we’ve discussed, financially, in regard to the lack of business because of snow was that we could make cuts on our spending,” said Lee. “It’s a last-ditch resort to cut labor, because that’s where our value is.”
According to Lee, the past few weeks have provided a much needed tailwind for the local and all-organic coffee shop.
“It was getting a little slumpy around here. But now, there’s this stoke—I always feel like once we get that first big rush in town, it keeps us going,” said Lee.
Still, at the turn of the new year, Lee and the rest of the Stellar Brew management realized a small cost restructuring was necessary.
“We have had to lower our prices. We’re starting to run specials,” said Lee. “That was all a brainchild of it being so dead.”
Moreover, explained Lee, it was an effort to draw in business from that other, soon-forgotten crowd in discussions of all things tourist economy—the locals.
“They sustain us through the year,” said Lee.
And Smith agrees.
“We do get a lot of those passers-by, but we have a cool group of locals that come in all the time,” said Smith. “It’s definitely a core part of our business that people come in here with money to spend from out of town, but we help the locals out. It doesn’t do a lot for us, but it creates a community that relies on us, and I think that’s cool.”
Smith emphasized that the niche-nature of his industry, and the culture fostered at Mammoth Mountaineering around “everything old can be made new again” resonates with local customers. Smith might very well be the only guy in town with that Kevlar cord you need, that’s since been taken out of production. He knows how to fix a 20-year-old telemark binding.
“You know, it’s the kind of stuff that doesn’t make a lot of money, but it does make for a lot of returning and loyal customers,” said Smith.
So if nothing else, mild winters prove the staying power of Mammoth’s year round community, and its devotion to the small businesses which sustain it.
In the meantime, as we wait for an atmospheric river, now’s as good a time as any to “think global, shop local.” And not for nothing, Smith urges us to refrain from comparisons between this year and last.
“We knew we were gonna have an 80 inch year, sometime,” said Smith, “but that’s what it means to live here and work here. When the snow is good, we do better. We have higher highs, and lower lows.”
