Feb 4, 2026
We kicked things off late with a 11:25 pm flight out. Amy dropped us at the airport and everything went smoothly. We even had extra space between seats, which felt like a small win right out of the gate.
Feb 5, 2026
We landed in San Francisco and immediately went for burritos for breakfast. Right after, we made a spur of the moment decision to check out the United Lounge. It ended up being better than expected and now has us thinking about getting a plan later this year.
From there we flew into Bishop. It is a small airport where you step straight onto the tarmac and baggage is handled manually with a single carousel. After about an hour in a Coors-branded taxi, we arrived at Tamarack Lodge and checked into Cabin 32. It was a great setup. Cozy, with a gas stove heater.
We took the shuttle into the Village at Mammoth, picked up a few things including a hat, shirt, ski pants, and long johns for me, and grabbed some basic provisions. Back to the cabin for a snack and quick nap before dinner at the lodge restaurant. It leans fancy. Jen had the Beef Wellington and I had the sea bass. Both were great. We were in bed by 9.
Feb 6, 2026
Up around 7, breakfast at 7:30 in the main lodge, then back to the cabin to get ready. We shuttled into the Village and made our way toward Woolly’s, walking a bit before starting tubing around 10.
Tubing ended up being about an hour and a half of different runs. Side by side, spinning, facing forward. It was simple and fun. After that we grabbed lunch at Gomez back at The Village. Wings and a salad for me, nachos for Jen.
Back to Tamarack to finally get our skis. We started with Nancy’s Promenade (0.3km) into Twin Lakes Loop (1km), then crossed back and went up and down Twin Lakes Road (2km). After that we did Short but Sweet (SBS) (0.5km) and finished through the training lanes. It was a solid first session.
We went back to the cabin, finished a show, took a nap, then headed to the lodge for a good game of Scrabble in the dark. After that we came back, made dinner, watched a couple shows, and called it a night.
Feb 7, 2026
Up early again with breakfast at 7:30. Our first ski loop took about 69 minutes and was more intense than expected. A few falls, a sore tailbone, and a lot of effort. Definitely felt it afterward.
We rested for a bit, then headed back out later in the day for more skiing.
Feb 8, 2026
Breakfast was a little chaotic with a large group of teens taking over most of the space, so we ended up sharing a table with a couple from Sacramento who were big fans of Hawaii.
After giving ourselves time to digest, we swapped our skis for ones with steel edges, which helped a lot with the icy sections. We headed out on a longer route up Twin Lakes Road to Lake Mary Road, with a few loops at the top before heading back. It was over two and a half hours with about 300 feet of elevation gain. We were definitely feeling it by the end.
Back to the cabin for rest and lunch, then up to the lodge for games. We played a couple games of chess and split wins. Then we played Catan. Jen believes I cheated by not pointing out something important. That claim remains unresolved.
We brought Catan back to the cabin, made a simple dinner of ramen and a sandwich, and played again before finally going to bed a little after 11.
Feb 9, 2026
We kept it easy. Breakfast at 7:30, then a couple more games of Catan while hanging out. Brian won both, unfortunately.
Checkout was at 11, with pickup at 11:30 to head out. A solid long weekend all around.