Sarah WallockIt Was Time For Change
Hey! So I moved countries, cities, climates, cultures and communities this week. What a time for change. Living in Queenstown, New Zealand was a life-changing experience and such an unforgettable two years. It wasn’t my plan to move back to the United States and I actually wasn’t even considering it, but then life threw a curveball at me. Below I’ll introduce a few of the reasons why I moved to Mammoth.
I Got An Exciting Job Offer
I was already planning to leave New Zealand in August 2021, but my next destination was unknown. My options looked a bit like: teach english in Taiwan, get a Working Holiday Visa in Australia, or move to London with my partner. Nothing felt quite right and Covid-19 was making planning for the future extremely difficult.
One day in June, I saw a job posting on Basecamp for a Digital Marketing Coordinator in Mammoth Lakes, California. The job consisted of photographing life in Mammoth and events for the tourism board and writing copy for social media channels. Hmmm I like the Sierras. I have work experience in digital marketing. Hmm, I wrote my 80-page college thesis on how digital media impacts the nature tourism industry. I sent my application off within 20 minutes. Then I forgot about the job application after not hearing back for a few days and went on my way.
On a Thursday morning, an email arrived unannounced: Hey Sarah, We’d love to schedule an interview with you for Visit Mammoth. I shot out of bed and I had a pep in my step. I was hopeful for what lied ahead.
The more I looked into Visit Mammoth, the more I wanted the job. In my interview they described a typical day looking like: photographing a cross-country ski promotion in the morning, helping a pizza restaurant photograph their menu in the afternoon, and heading to shoot an event with Olympic athletes at night. And you’ll pay me to do this? It sounded right up my alley.
I found my passion for storytelling and digital marketing long ago, but I’ve been waiting for the time to market something I truly care about.
A few weeks later, I had a job offer, a new snowboard and a plane ticket to California. Now that happened quickly…
There’s Something Special About Mammoth
I had never been to Mammoth before applying to the job, but I knew it was special.
People don’t shut up about Mammoth. All over many cars of Southern California, the big M logo rests in the bottom right hand bumper. The kids wear “mammoth mountain” sweatshirts. Mammoth isn’t just a California culture, it’s a tribe. Every year, thousands of families flock to Mammoth for their yearly vacation. Whether it’s fishing or skiing or hiking or lounging, clearly it’s a remarkably special place.
Direct Proximity to The Great Outdoors
Living in Queenstown taught me that my proximity to nature is the single most important factor in determining where I want to live. When I worked in Yosemite for 3 summers in college, I dragged my feet to the car at the end of summer – sitting, waiting and hoping I could find a way to stay longer.
How could I find a career development opportunity in the middle of nature? “Maybe you should try an outdoorsy-city?” people would tell me.
“Yeah Denver is outdoorsy.” “Austin has an epic outdoors community.” “SoCal has plenty of outdoor activities.”
In Denver, you have to get in the car for an hour to get to the mountains. Whereas in Mammoth, within a 10-minute drive you’re out of the town center and surrounded by mountains.
In Austin, you have to get past all the other people who want to go for a paddle or run on Lady Bird Lake. Although it’s stunning, you’re still in a crowded city. Whereas right outside Mammoth, the Inyo and Sierra National Forests allow for remote adventuring in either direction.
In Santa Barbara, San Diego and Malibu, the beaches are incredible. But does sitting in rush-hour traffic, fighting for parking spaces, and only going to local spots to beat the crowds even worth it? Not for me.
Don’t get me wrong… Denver, Austin and SoCal have music scenes that rival Mammoth any day. And insanely delicious food from all over the world. They have plenty of amazing things, but the nature isn’t like the nature in Mammoth.
In other words, I want to be a bike ride, run, swim, or snowboard away from natural spaces. And for me, that’s totally worth living in a 4 square mile town of 8,000 people.
Small Ski Town Life
Image Credit: Visit Mammoth 
Image Credit: Visit Mammoth
I had never skied or snowboarded growing up. I knew nothing about ski culture until one year ago.
Something feels so charming and homey about the ski village vibe. Everyone can appreciate a cozy winter scene with a warm drink and incredible snowy mountains.
After living in Queenstown, I knew something felt unique and special about living in a ski town. There are a community of people who love the outdoors, share the love of winter and summer sports in common and usually there’s some buzz to it. It feels all so random that I found this passion for ski communities, but it all makes sense as I’m someone who’s always been active and loved outdoor sports and adventures.
There is definitely a high start-up cost of getting involved in winter sports. But if you’re able to invest in them, it is such a magical experience. I feel so fortunate that I gave it a try because snowboarding is one of my favorite activities now.
Living in My Home Country and State
Life abroad is pretty exciting. I think it’s a combination of allure, unknown, and adventure. There’s something so thrilling about being in a place and having to figure out a different way of life. Depending on how immersed or invested you get, it can also be a massive source of stress.
After living through a pandemic abroad, changing visas over and over again, and having a constant sense that the roots I was planting would be torn out from under me, I really value the feeling of being in my home country and more importantly, home state.
I would have never expected that after my time in New Zealand I would’ve been hurled back to the US at 100 mph, rather than propelled to discover some new unknown land and keep traveling.
The best part is, moving to Mammoth Lakes is a pretty sweet gig and there’s still plenty of time for international adventures later down the line.
[…] mentioned in one of my previous posts, I recently got on another plane to another new place to start a new life. It wasn’t easy. To […]