My friend Peppa is a true California girl who lives for action sports: she is a breakdancer, sk8ter, snowboarder, stunt woman, and surfer, in alphabetical order.  Every winter, when we'd catch up on the phone, she would tell me about Mammoth Mountain, in central California. Peppa is what you call an “early adopter.” As a general rule of thumb, if Peppa says it's cool, then I find out later that it's usually pretty darned cool. For years, I had been determined to check Mammoth out for myself, and last month, I finally got my chance. I found breakdancers, sk8ters, stunt people, and surfers, grandpas, moms, dads, fearless children, and everyone else dragging their snowboards across this massive mountain resort.

Of course, Peppa was right. Mammoth is a monster mountain worth the trek. It gets monster amounts of snow too: last season, the lifts finally shut down on the Fourth of July.

Road Trip
Unless you have a private jet, all excursions to Mammoth begins with a road trip.  (For example, Peppa drives 307 miles to Mammoth Lakes from LA with a fully loaded iPod; San Fransisco is 320 miles away.)  Until commercial flights begin service from The Mammoth/Yosemite Airport in late 2007 (available now for private planes only), it's not easy to get to Mammoth Lakes from the East Coast.

From New York, I flew into Reno, the closest airport to Mammoth.  Then I began my scenic 168-mile journey. Leaving Reno, the strip malls were uninspiring (at least, until I spotted an In-N-Out Burger,  the legendary West Coast burger joint, when I nearly cried with joy and leapt out of the car.) Then, in the heart of the Eastern Sierra Mountains, the views of low deserts and high mountains began to emerge. Highway 395, among the most beautiful corridors of California, lead to sleepy gems like Mono Lake, Topaz Lake, and Bodie Ghost Town. Instead of stopping for pictures, I was hellbent on getting to Mammoth by sundown.

The Village
Three hours later, I arrived at Mammoth Village. Owned by Intrawest, the Village may lack character, but it's a convenient place to start and end the day. Built just three years ago, The Village at Mammoth provides easy access to the slopes, as well as lodging, boutiques, galleries, restaurants and bars. Village Lodging, the newest property located in The Village at Mammoth, consists of three buildings: Grand Sierra, White Mountain and Lincoln. Each building features studio to three-bedroom condominiums.

I walked into my room at The Grand Sierra Lodge, and I gasped. All this space just for me? My room had a gas fireplace, television, DVD player, a pull-out sofa, daily housekeeping, and fully equipped kitchens with granite countertops and slate floors. 

To get my bearings, I took a walk in the Village and found the Mountain Center ”“ a 17,000 square-foot one-stop skier services building. The Mountain Center offers equipment rentals, including higher performance demo equipment, retail items, and lift tickets. Angling for a nap in front of the fireplace, I procrastinated on renting gear until the next morning.  

The Mountain
Procrastination rarely pays off. I woke up with a pounding, altitude-adjusting headache and long waits at the Mountain Center. If Peppa were with me, she would have told me to chill out.  The first thing I had to do at Mammoth was adjust my New York attitude to the laid back West Coast style. On the weekends, I found long waits on any line at Mammoth ”“ for gear, at lifts, for a beer. I waited in line for 40 minutes to rent ski/snowboard equipment. I waited in line for another 20 minutes to buy a lift ticket. At one point, I needed to exchange gear. This too, took 45 minutes.

Clearly, I need another beer. Or my own gear. 

To make up for the waits, I was happy to discover that the Village Gondola would whisk me up to “The Hill,” as the locals call it, in just six minutes. This free 15-passenger gondola, on its third season, handles 3,000 guests per hour. It was wonderful to be able to access the slopes without a car ”“ very important on powder days for a speedy run.

I'm typically a skier, but in honor of Peppa, I wanted to try snowboarding, so signed up for a three-hour lesson. Jill, my friendly instructor from New York, watched me fall for the next three-hours. I learned how to "falling leaf" down the bunny slope with an architect from LA, a 14-year old skateboarder from San Diego, and two 14-year old girls from The O.C. 

The next day, on skis, I met a Mammoth host at the large trail-map sign near the Canyon Lodge for a free tour of the mountain (available daily, starting at 10 AM.)

After both days of yard-sale style wipe-outs, I slid into the outdoor Jacuzzi at the Grand Sierra Lodge, where I found a friendly après-ski bar scene: Mammoth regulars from San Diego with coolers full of beer.

A Full Belly
I kick-started every morning with breakfast at the Old New York Deli & Bagel Company in the Village. My bagel was surprisingly dense and chewy, fit for a picky New Yorker. It was tempting to eat nachos for lunch at the slopeside lodges, but Side Door Café was worth the gondola ride down to the Village. I had a perfect Chicken Panini, with a nutty pesto and tangy goat cheese oozing down the sides. For après-ski, pair one of 30 wines by the glass or one of 300 labels from the cellar with a plate of charcuterie or Humboldt Fog cheese.

A dinner at Restaurant LuLu the spinoff of the popular San Fransisco restaurant, featured four enormous family-style courses. We started with marinated mushrooms, beets, and olives. Next course featured fried artichokes with an aioli, mussels with drawn butter, and a salad of escarole, watercress, and romaine hearts. Somehow, we managed to try a bite or two of the platters or salmon, seared rib eye and frites, and a very tangy goat cheese ravioli. Just when we were about to burst, dessert arrived: creme brulee with a perfectly blowtorched sugar crust, chocolate tart, and an apple tart.

For a dinner adventure, try the Parallax Snowcat Dinners. I met my fellow diners at the Mammoth Mountain Inn for a glass of champagne, and then climbed aboard a deluxe 12-seat Snowcat blasting bossa nova. The ride up to Parallax restaurant, located mid-mountain at McCoy Station, was about 10 minutes. On this particular night, Parallax featured a five-course dinner featuring wines of Dirk Smits. The menu varies nightly.

Bursting at the seams with foie gras and an excellent veal chop, we attempt to burn off some calories on the dance floor at Lakanuki, a popular tiki-bar, but of course, the line outside is too long. Well, there's always a party in that Jacuzzi.

Shopping
I got tired of falling while learning to snowboard, so of course, I spent an afternoon in retail therapy.

If you want to look hip for dinner, drop into Chato. This boutique in the Village features Theory, Nanette Lepore, James Perse, and Paper Denim & Cloth Jeans for men and women. California girls like Peppa definitely pop into Tonik, in the Village, for Free People t-shirts and Habitual jeans. Brought to the Village by long time Mammoth locals, Tonik offers hip threads for both on and off the slopes.

For the fur-trimmed Bond girl look, call Panache. You'll find brands like Bogner, Prada, Custo, signature jewelry, as well as personalized service. 

If you want to blend in with the fashion-forward teens from The O.C., drop into Unbound Sports Shop. Located in the Village, Unbound is a one-stop-shop for terrain park gear. It features styles and trends driven by the California youth market, with products from Burton, Rip Curl, Volcom, and Lib-tech.

Click here for Mammoth addresses and contact information.

Hyon Jung Lee is a New York-based freelancer who has also written for Forbes.