MAMMOTH, LAND OF THE FUTURE
Published in the November 15, 2025 issue.
From one purple painted wall hangs the word “Trendy” in enormous blocky neon light letters. Other similar signs read “Yeah!!!” and “We are the party every day!!”
Currently, Mammothland VR boasts eleven virtual reality machines, which transport the user to a plethora of other worlds: a 360 degree skier, a racing kart, a sniper. Customers pre-load money onto a game card which they receive from a kiosk in the front of the store. They then pay $10-25 to play the games on the machines, which typically last 5-10 minutes.
“Usually people spend about a hundred dollars or so,” said Mammothland VR employee Leanne Paupel in an interview with the Sheet on Tuesday.
Mammothland VR “soft opened” on Aug. 8. The operating hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Owner Rami Akary is planning a “grand opening” for sometime before Christmas. His business has yet to receive all the machines he hopes it will have, which he says could be as many as 25.
This Saturday, Akary expects to receive six more machines, Paupel said. These could include additional virtual reality machines, an air hockey table, a vending machine, and a popcorn and cotton candy maker.
Akary started the business with the intention of giving people something to do in the evenings.
He pointed to Mammoth Rock ‘N’ Bowl as a business with a similar mission, supplying people with a mechanism for fun that doesn’t revolve around an outdoor adventure.
“[VR] is made for all ages, from three year-olds to 100 year-olds,” Akary said. Business has been slow so far. Like many other businesses in town, Mammothland VR has felt the economic impacts of shoulder season.
“Nobody is coming to town, it’s not the season,” Akary said. “But God willing, we’ll get more business when it gets busy.”
Akary emigrated from Syria in 2004, when he was 22-years-old. He followed his brother to San Fernado, Calif. The pair went on to co-own multiple businesses, including a gas station and a liquor store. Akary brought his family to Mammothland VR; his cousin, Issa Souki, is the manager.
Akary first came to Mammoth Lakes in 2016. He currently splits his time between Mammoth and San Fernando, where his wife and four-year-old child live.
“I fell in love with the town,” he said. “Ever since moving from Syria, I’ve always loved and built small community businesses.”
He hopes to eventually utilize Mammothland VR to give back to the community. He floated the idea of connecting with different high school principals throughout the area, starting with Mammoth and extending to June, Lee Vining, and Bishop, and supplying the top ten kids in each of these schools with a free ticket every few months.
“I didn’t really have a good education. I didn’t go to college,” Akary said.
But since having a child of his own, Akary has placed immense value on education. This hypothetical program could create a fun incentive for academic success.
