What Mammoth has needed for over a year now is snow and finally it has come. As predicted, with the snow came the visitors. We went from a very low occupancy to almost 100% in a matter of 2 weeks.

Don't let the inflated condo sales in November and December startle you. The Westin Monache closed a large number of their pre-sales in the months of November and December. The market remains low on activity. There is, however, some speculation of the real estate market in Mammoth recovering with the launch of a few major developments (ie: Ritz Carlton, Altis by Starwood and Creekhouse at Snowcreek).

Creekhouse held an open house for realtors last week, the structures are up but none of the finish work is done inside so we basically were given spacial perception of the floorplans. A wonderful feature of these units are their grand private entries that mirrors what you might expect in a large home.

Altis by Starwood has been released just in the last few days. Coldwell Banker Mammoth has been selected by Starwood Development to represent them in the selling of their first project, Altis. This will be the highest price point to date of a major development in pre-sale. But these tri-level duplex homes will be located at the last TRUE ski-in/ski-out location. There will only be 4 initial units for sale and additional units will be available down the road at an even higher price point. They have been designed by the same designer used by Tallus Private Residence. The focus is on the remote location, quality of construction and high quality of interior elements. Views will be some of the best in all the area, coupled with ski-in/ski-out private homes are sure to interest the high end buyer.

The Ritz Carlton has also recently announced that they will be offering reservations for their condominium units. The focus is on a high level of service and amenities. The price points will be similar to those of Altis so the decision, once you've qualified yourself for the price tag, is whether you prefer a more secluded quiet location or you want to be in the center of everything with all the service and amenities of a five star hotel.

If you'd like to discuss any specific questions with me, please feel free to call or email at your convenience and I'm happy to reply in the same manner.

The California housing market slipped further in September as the negative effects of the Credit Crunch deepened. Several factors have affected the market adversely since the start of the year, among them...

When we look at November 2006 in units and dollar volume sold, we're up over 80% in units sold (over 45% up in all local areas). And we're also up 63% in dollar volume (over 29% up in all local nareas). Keep in mind that 54 units and $30,142,750 were closing of Westin Monache units in the month of November.

In looking back just one month, for November, we're up 67% in units sold (51% up in all local areas). And we're also up over 68% in dollar volume (60.81% up in all local areas). Again, these numbers are skewed because of the large majority being closings of the pre-sale of Westin Monache.

In December, 38 units and $25,421,700 were from the Westin. But looking back to December 2006, we're up over 24% in units sold for Mammoth (8.2% for all areas). We're up 65.95% in dollar volume for Mammoth (62.59% up for all areas). Again I must remind you that this includes the 38 closings of the Westin pre-sales.

In looking back just one month from December to November, we're down 35.71% in units sold in Mammoth (30.30% down over all). For dollar volume, we're down 22.45% in Mammoth (18.07% in all areas).

For December 2007 Real Estate Statistics, click here

* Altis, the new ultra-luxury ski in/ski out homes off of the Bridges ski run at Eagle Lodge, has the foundation for four of the first units comprised of two buildings. These will be the last new offering of ski in/ski out properties and are tri-level units with 14ft windows facing east with beautiful panoramic vistsa and 2 car side by side garages and private indoor spa.

* Delay of ice rink opening was caused by recent heavy snow fall. Work continues 7 days a week towards opening the rink as soon as possible.

* Multi-Use Center next to Library is being researched and consultants have confirmed that the site is a perfect choice with it's location next to the schools, library and ice rink.

* The road to the Lakes Basin is closed for the season.

* New bus stop being considered for the ice rink, located just east of Old Mammoth Road near the College.

* Horizon Air proposes to initiate scheduled commercial air service into Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) with two daily flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the 2008 winter ski season (approximately December to April). Horizon Air has proposed to use their Bombardier Q400 turbo-propeller driven passenger aircraft with a seating capacity of 74 passengers.

* All lodges of Mammoth Mountain are now open. With the upcoming snow, the coming weeks of ski conditions should be excellent.

* June Mountain opened December 15.

* Mammoth Mountain Ski Area held a Grand Opening event to celebrate the debut of Cloud Nine Express on Friday, December 21, 2007. Cloud Nine is a brand-new high-speed sixpack chairlift that has replaced Mammoth's legendary Chair 9, a double chair. The $6.5 million project was completed in the fall of 2007 - just in time for the 2007/08 winter season. The new Doppelmayr lift will whisk skiers from the Eagle Lodge side of the mountain to 10,371 feet near Dragon's Back in just over six minutes, providing access to hundreds of acres of intermediate and advanced terrain and cutting the ride time in half.

* Film star and governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger is featured in a TV ad promotion that aims to promote the state as a tourist destination in the UK. The first time campaign by the California Travel and Tourism Commission (CTTC) has launched the TV campaigns after the state was badly affected by the brush fires in October. An estimated $4.8 Million has been spent on the campaign, which is being supported by online and press, targeting tourists in the UK and Ireland.