Forum Forever Trailer from Forum Snowboards on Vimeo.

It’s a sunny day here at Mammoth and the weather folks are saying there’s 90% chance of snow for tonight. So do what you gotta do to get out early tomorrow morning. And if you’re in town already and looking to get some cross-training in, the road to Main is mostly clear. By the looks of the handful of cyclists on the road yesterday, there’s still plenty of riding to be had! And we’ve been riding up as well and have a tiny bit of advice: it’s good out there, but due to sand and occasional black ice this is not the time of year for entering turns at 40 mph. Even if you have studded tires.

7am-9am – Side Door Cafe – Happy Hour — discounts on coffee and pastries. Goodies start at 55 cents.

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6pm – One World Eats – Happy Hour with $5 falafel sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and $2 domestic beer.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

5:30pm-9pm – Clocktower Cellar - Free pool and food and drink specials.

8pm – “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Luxury Outlet Mall. $20. Presented by Mammoth Lakes Repertory.  More info at  760.709.1981.

10pm – Sushi Rei – Video screening of Forum’s “Forever”, which is almost as good as the Judy Blume book by the same name. Just kidding. But there’s a  huge buzz about  John Jackson’s part.  And there’s a good chance that it may be segment of the year. Cool fun fact about him? He’s a Crowley native.

It’s a new season and time for a change: below you’ll find the first installment of Locals’ Knowledge, a regular column from a passionate group of skiers and riders who work here on the mountain. We’re proud to introduce Ray M., a jack-of-all-trades, who spends his winter in Main Lodge’s Sport Shop and his off-time on the hill. Without further ado, here’s Ray:

Hello skiers and snowboarders! We are now in our second week of the season and the snow conditions have been great!  Cooler temperatures means the snow guns have been going and since Mother Nature provided 4.5″ to 5″ of new snow last week, we are off to a great start.

Saddle Bowl, off the back of chair 3, has been the favorite of many skiers and snowboarders. And Cornice is open with some great natural and manmade snow. Last week, our snowmaking crew had the guns going almost non-stop on Cornice.  I recommend skier’s right along the snowmaking guns if you get out later in the day.  (The snow from the middle tends to get pushed over to the side of the runs later in the day.)  But don’t get too far off to the sides or you might find a couple of treasures just under the surface!

Forest Trail has had some fun features lately. Thanks to Unbound Director, Oren Tanzer, and his awesome team, we have seen some super fun jibs and mini booters, which translate to a fun way to get the first slides and spins in for the new season.

Remember, early season obstacles exist!  I recommend skiing on trail until we get a few more storm cycles.  We all know the weather is going to start rolling in here soon and conditions are only going to get better. So,  stay in control and get the feeling of your gear under your feet.  It’s not a race right now. Be considerate of the skiers and boarders in front of you, they do have the right of way!

And have fun – it’s going to be a great season and I want to see everyone out there having a great time from now till we close in the spring!  Stay posted for more updates on our ski conditions and other run openings.

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6pm – One World Eats – Happy Hour with $5 falafel sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and $2 domestic beer.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

7pm – Murder Mystery Dinner at Tom’s Place – $35. Join Sierra Classic Theatre for this entertaining event that blends delicious dining with riveting mystery theatre.  Call Tom’s Place for reservations at 760.935.4239.

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

All Day – Tipsy Tuesdays  at Auld Dubliner – $1 tacos and $2 PBRs.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6pm – One World Eats – Happy Hour with $5 falafel sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and $2 domestic beer.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

7pm – Murder Mystery Dinner at Tom’s Place – $35. Join Sierra Classic Theatre for this entertaining event that blends delicious dining with riveting mystery theatre.  Call Tom’s Place for reservations at 760.935.4239.

7pm – International Film Night at Mammoth Lakes Library. For more info call 760.934.4777.

All Night – Customer Appreciation Night at Minaret Cinemas – All seats $6.

Happy Friday the 13th. We just got off the hill and the conditions are scary. Scary good. The snow off the back of chair three is great and the park crew did a great job on Forest Trail where there’s boxes, rails and a few tabletops.  And they’ve been blowing snow on Cornice so that’s going to be the move tomorrow morning when the gondi starts turning from mid-station. As of tomorrow, the gondi is scheduled to run daily.

But before you can get into the fun of tomorrow, think about tonight. There’s a big party going down in The Village. It kicks off at 7pm with a beer and drink garden and a bunch of giveaways as well as the unveiling of the brand new Village fire pit that’s complete with a few benches.  Get there early to check it out and get a good seat for the movies, which include the Billabong/Transworld film “Get Real” and the all-women “Stance”. The movies start rolling at 8pm and will run until 9pm. So bundle up and come on down/up.

Oh yeah, one last thing, Chair 1, 3, and the upper gondola are slated to turn tomorrow. And at 10am tomorrow morning there will be a special ceremony to commemorate the life of  the legendary ski racer, conservationist and long-time Mammoth Lakes local Andrea Mead Lawrence. If you’re interesting in taking part, just  meet  at the top of the Far West ski run at Mammoth Mountain at 10am. In honor of Ms. Lawrence’s achievements at the 1952 Olympics, where she won gold medals in the slalom and giant slalom, Far West will be renamed “Andy’s Double Gold”.

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

7am-9am – Happy Hour  at Side Door – discounts on coffee and pastries.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-6pm – Base Camp Cafe – Burger & Beer special -  $5.95.  Pint of Mammoth brew (or your favorite beverage) and burger and fries. Vegetarians be prepared for a let-them-eat-beef tax: veggie burgers are an additional $2.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

7pm – Snowboard film screenings in The village – Grab the stoke with a couple of great new boarding flicks on the big screen in The Village Plaza. First up is “Stance”, which features the world’s best female riders and it’s followed by the Billabong /Transworld’s joint production, “Get Real.” For info call 800.MAMMOTH.

Family Movie Night @ Mammoth Lakes Library

7pm @ Mammoth Lakes Library. Info: 760.934.4777.

8pm – “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Luxury Outlet Mall. $20. Presented by Mammoth Lakes Repertory.  More info at  760.709.1981.

All Day – Old New York Deli & Bagel – $3.99 breakfast special (two eggs with a choice of bagel or toast). $5 lunch special (hand-formed Angus beef hamburger with a side).

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

7am-9am – Happy Hour  at Side Door – discounts on coffee and pastries.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

Ghost Town from Shiny Toy Guns on Vimeo.

Even if you don’t know the Shiny Toy Guns, you’ve probably heard them. The dance anthem “Le Disko” from their first album, “We Are Pilots” was used in various ads including Motorola’s RAZR2 and utilized old school synthesizers (think Gary Numan of “Cars” fame) and female vocals from a singer whose versatile style ranged from Peaches to your favorite ’80s New Wave chanteuse.

The record, which was re-recorded at least twice as they bounced from one record company to another and released three(!?!) times earned the band a Grammy nomination for the category of Best Electronic/Dance Album in December 2007. An award that ended up in The Chemical Brothers’ mitts.

On the heels of their sophomore release and gearing up for an arena tour with All American Rejects, the Shiny Toy Guns will play Canyon Lodge this Saturday at 9pm.

But don’t expect to hear the same dance-friendly songs of their first record on the new one. It’s heavier record chock full of ghosts which vacillates between rock and roll anthems (the song “Ghost Town”) to Trent Reznor-esque fight songs (the first single, “Richochet”).

“There are two things that sharpened and darkened [the new CD] Season of Poison,” explained band founder Jeremy Dawson in a phone interview. “Number one, personally there were a lot of dynamic things that happened within the band…we had a member change, a parent die, extreme break-ups and some marriages near collapse: a roller coaster of emotions that happened all at once.

“Coupled with a four year tour with all rock bands, where we were like ‘Yeah, we like to turn our amps up too.’”

Unlike the first record which was made on a computer, they wrote the new songs with the live rock show in their mind, anger in their gut and a vocalist they had originally courted in 2003, when she was contractually obligated to another band and record company.

Long since free from both, Sisely Treasure is now a household name in some circles after her stint on the CW reality show, “The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For The Next Doll”, where she was one of the oldest on the show and earned laughs and rancor when she said that the winner danced “like a drag queen.”

In the “Richochet” video, which is worth a gander on YouTube, she doesn’t dance at all but her voice that’s run through a whole lotta affects is the perfect counterpoint to the angry, early Nine Inch Nails-style vocals.

Another video that’s worth checking out? Ghost Town. The product of an independent animator, Dawson describes it as “Scooby Doo on acid in psycho, zombie nightclub: a fantasy epic deal.”

And if he’s to be believed, the band’s live show also has a bit of the Electric Kool Aid involved.

“Live we go crazy. We empty our bank accounts. We go way too far with production,” he said. “We bring out trucks of gear: LED technology from England, strobes, lasers, projectors and these incredible machines called DO-3s. It’s a moving light like you’d see in a nightclub, but inside of the light is the lens of a video projector. So, we can take a swimming shark and blow it into a middle of fog stream in the air and the shark will jump into your face and then disappear before turning into a wide tiger and running down the street.”

Shiny Toy Guns play Canyon Lodge on Saturday, November 14 at 9pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and available at any Mammoth ticket counter, at the door, or at 800.MAMMOTH

All Day – Old New York Deli & Bagel – $3.99 breakfast special (two eggs with a choice of bagel or toast). $5 lunch special (hand-formed Angus beef hamburger with a side).

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

All Day – Tipsy Tuesdays  at Auld Dubliner – $1 tacos and $2 PBRs.

7am-9am – Happy Hour  at Side Door – discounts on coffee and pastries.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

All Night – Customer Appreciation Night at Minaret Cinemas – All seats $6.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

All Day - Old New York Deli & Bagel – $3.99 breakfast special (two eggs with a choice of bagel or toast). $5 lunch special (hand-formed Angus beef hamburger with a side).

All Day - The Auld Dubliner – $2 PBRs all day.

All Day  - Thai’d Up – $9.95 Chinese menu

3pm-6pm - Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-6pm - Base Camp Cafe – Burger & Beer special -  $5.95.  Pint of Mammoth brew (or your favorite beverage) and burger and fries. Vegetarians be prepared for a let-them-eat-beef tax: veggie burgers are an additional $2.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.

7:30pm – Clocktower Cellar – Halloween M.A.D. Creepy Crawl and costume contest, sponsored by Mammoth After Dark. Bar crawl and costume contest. Starts at Clocktower before heading to Auld Dubliner and ending at Lakanuki.

9pm-1am – Mammoth’s Haunted Playground at Eagle Lodge – Halloween party featuring a dj, dancing and a free costume contest with lots of great prizes like R/T tickets on Horizon to LA, Reno or San Jose. Admission is free.

10pm-11pm - Westin Monache – Late night Happy Hour and DJ Clearly spinning dance music until 2am.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

All Day - Old New York Deli & Bagel – $3.99 breakfast special (two eggs with a choice of bagel or toast). $5 lunch special (hand-formed Angus beef hamburger with a side).

All Day - The Auld Dubliner – $2 PBRs all day.

All Day - Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

All Day - Angel’s – Sports Bar Sundays – $4 Build your own Bloody Mary bar, $2 Coors drafts, $1 Silver Dollar pancakes and huge brunch menu that includes a Cap’N Crunch encrusted French Toast.

All Day  - Thai’d Up – $9.95 Chinese menu

7am-9am - Side Door Cafe - Discounts on coffee and pastries.

11am-close – NFL Football Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food from the special, smaller than the regular menu, Sunday menu in the bar and $1 off pints.

3pm-6pm - Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-6pm - Base Camp Cafe – Burger & Beer special -  $5.95.  Pint of Mammoth brew (or your favorite beverage) and burger and fries. Vegetarians be prepared for a let-them-eat-beef tax: veggie burgers are an additional $2.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts

All Day – Old New York Deli & Bagel – $3.99 breakfast special (two eggs with a choice of bagel or toast). $5 lunch special (hand-formed Angus beef hamburger with a side).

All Day – Side Door Cafe – 10% off your bill for all locals.

All Day  – Thai’d Up – $9.95 Chinese menu.

All day-11pm – All you can eat beef ribs at Angels, the 2009 winner of the Mammoth BBQ Cook-off. $10.99

7am-9am – Happy Hour  at Side Door – discounts on coffee and pastries.

3pm-6pm – Auld Dubliner – Happy Hour, which includes 1/2 off appetizers, $3 wells, $3 drafts and bottles (except Guinness). And hipster happy hour never stops: draft PBRs are $2 all day and night.

3pm-6pm – Happier Hour at Gomez’s - With Mexi Fries, quesadillas and chimichangas for less than $3 and great beer specials it’s  a great Happy Hour. Our faves? The Mexi Fries and shrimp tacos.

4pm-6pm – Base Camp Cafe – Burger & Beer special -  $5.95.  Pint of Mammoth brew (or your favorite beverage) and burger and fries. Vegetarians be prepared for a let-them-eat-beef tax: veggie burgers are an additional $2.

4pm-7pm – Giovanni’s - Happy hour.

4:30pm-6:30pm – Happy Hour at The Bistro at Snowcreek – 50% off well drinks and draft beer and appetizer specials.

5pm-6pm -  Happy Hour at Whiskey Creek. 50% off all food, except desserts, in the bar and $1 off pints. If you’re looking for dinner it’s the best deal in town. And the food is really good.  If you want a table, get there before 5:30pm.

5pm-6pm – Happy Hour at Cafe 203 in the Best Western – $8.99 all-y0u-can-eat Indian buffet. We’ve only been there once but it was tasty, albeit on the spicy side. There are also drink specials like $3 drafts.