Rink

N estled in California's Sierra Nevada, about six hours north of Los Angeles and 164 miles south of Reno, Nevada, sits the pic- turesque ski resort town and adventure- land of Mammoth Lakes. While the slopes and trails are a favorite pas- time for locals and tourists alike, LA Kings Ice at Mammoth Lakes is climbing in popularity. "LA Kings Ice at Mammoth Lakes continues to surpass our expectations in providing Mammoth Mountain and the Town of Mammoth Lakes with enhanced lifestyle opportunities for the commu- nity," said LA Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. "Last year we saw multiple programs including Little Kings Learn to Play, LA Kings Alumni Adult Clinics, LA Kings Women's Clinic and our popular Kings Camp Mammoth, all achieve memorable outcomes for our participants. We continue to plan for a robust on-ice schedule for the immediate future and beyond." The single-sheet facility, which has seen a 300% increase in adult and youth hockey through two seasons, operates between mid-October and mid- February before converting to a three-court gymna- sium known as the Mammoth RecZone. "It's staggering," said Stu Brown, Parks and Recreation Director. "Just to see the community embrace this facility and ice sports and everything we are offering. "Combined with community-driven and pro- fessionally branded programming, LA Kings Ice Mammoth Lakes has been a game-changer." Filling a Gigantic Void LA Kings at Mammoth Lakes has been nearly 10 years in the making. Prior to the multisport facil- ity, the only ice available was an outdoor sheet. But the inconsistencies of mountain weather—abundant snow one day, warm beaming sunshine the next— made ice maintenance an issue. "I think we spent more time shoveling the thing than operating it," Brown joked. "It was just so chal- lenging. But we had such a resilient community, and still had about 50 or 60 kids coming out. Adult leagues would clear out their player boxes as often as they could." In April 2021, the city and parks and recreation broke ground on the 40,000 square-foot facility which would house the town's first indoor Olympic-sized sheet. The LA Kings got involved in 2022 with a part- nership designed to draw more players to the sport. "We look at the numbers from the past two seasons and we asked ourselves, 'oh my goodness, why didn't we do this sooner,'" Brown said. Brown points to the girls' and women's side of the game as a particular point of pride. The first girls' and women's Learn to Play clinic sold out at its 40-player capacity. The second one had the PHOTOS: LA KINGS ICE AT MAMMOTH LAKES "IT'S STAGGERING. JUST TO SEE THE COMMUNITY EMBRACE THIS FACILITY AND ICE SPORTS AND EVERYTHING WE ARE OFFERING. COMBINED WITH COMMUNITY-DRIVEN AND PROFESSIONALLY BRANDED PROGRAMMING, LA KINGS ICE MAMMOTH LAKES HAS BEEN A GAME-CHANGER. " — Stu Brown, Parks and Recreation Director USICERINKS.COM JULY.AUGUST.2025 / 19

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