Industry News
[sponsored by Mammoth Mountain]
In the first profile in Mammoth Moments With The Pros, an original SnowBrains series, we talked to skier cross athlete Tyler Wallasch about what makes Mammoth Mountain special to him.
Athlete: Tyler Wallasch
Age: 23
Hometown: Mammoth Lakes, California
Sport: Skier Cross (a timed racing event that falls into the freestyle skiing category)
Most Recent Competition: Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup season opener in Val Thorens, France
How long have you been skiing at Mammoth?
“I have been skiing at Mammoth since I was 2! So 21 years now! When I was a kid, my dad, little brother, and myself would drive up from L.A. every Friday after school and back down Sunday night all winter long. Every weekend we could get a few runs in with dad, and then ski with the Mammoth Ski Team. But I was eventually able to move up to Mammoth, and my commute to the mountain maxed out at 5 minutes.”
Where’s your favorite place to shred on Mammoth?
“I would have to say anything accessible from Chair 23. After I’m in Europe for a long time (and have a few too many Euros drop the bar on my head before I even sit down) I actually dream about riding up Chair 23. There is something special about that chair and everything around it! I’m actually smiling writing this!”
What sets Mammoth apart from other Mountains?
“One of the things I always notice about Mammoth is the ability to just go explore! There are few mountains in the U.S. that you can ski all day and hardly see the same run twice! Not only that, but the diversity in the mountain. Between the massive park, the epic free-skiing, and perfect groomers, Mammoth is insane! I know it sounds like an ad, but you could literally have all of these things in one top to bottom run from the gondola! Plus you can nearly ski all-year-round!”
Do you have any Mammoth tips, tricks, or hacks?
“Come ski in the spring! I can’t say enough about how much fun I have skiing late spring/early summer. This last year from May to July, nearly every morning I would ski for a few hours, head home grab my mountain bike and go for a lunch time ride, and then hop on my dirt bike for a sunset moto! I would even ride out to one of our local hot springs out in the valley. The snow is epic, the weather is epic, and Mammoth is epic!”
Can you talk about any stand out memories you’ve had at Mammoth?
“I think one stand out memory that actually happened a lot because of growing up in Mammoth, was after school pow sessions. Rushing out of school to get a few hours on the mountain on a less busy weekday and still hunting down pow stashes on Dragons Tail will always stay with me. Nothing mattered but having as much fun as possible with your friends. And that is something that will always stay with me.”
If you want to keep up with Tyler’s adventures at Mammoth and around the world check out his Instagram: @tjwallasch
