Mammoth Mountain Ski Area

June Mountain, the Eastern Sierra resort that has failed to make a profit in 26 years, is closing for the summer and won't reopen for the upcoming ski season, the resort operator has announced. The closure will give the resort operator time to evaluate how to make the mountain popular and profitable again, said Rusty Gregory, chairman and chief executive of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, which operates June Mountain and the more popular Mammoth Mountain. Mammoth Mountain, the most popular ski resort for Southern Californians, has 3,500 acres of skiable area and a summit of 11,053 feet.

Dr. Andrew Bourne seemed to have it all: A loving family, a successful surgical practice in Mammoth Lakes, a mountain home where he could ski with friends or plunge into the wild with his dog, Oreo. He even had time to volunteer; he served on the local school board and last year organized his sixth foreign medical mission, this one to an impoverished town in Mexico. Last month, Bourne's world caved in. On Jan. 4, he was arrested, along with another Mammoth Lakes man, on suspicion of sexual crimes involving a teenage girl.

As a follow-up to Skip Pedigo's Feb. 14 letter, I would like to inform your readers that a small group of senior skiers like myself have been trying for over two years to convince the management of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to create a speed-control patrol of the kind he suggests. Finally, this season a speed-control program was started at Mammoth Mountain, but it is limited to holidays and weekends and lasts only a couple of hours a day. That is probably why Pedigo has never seen them.

Dr. Andrew Bourne seemed to have it all: A loving family, a successful surgical practice in Mammoth Lakes, a mountain home where he could ski with friends or plunge into the wild with his dog, Oreo. He even had time to volunteer; he served on the local school board and last year organized his sixth foreign medical mission, this one to an impoverished town in Mexico. Last month, Bourne's world caved in. On Jan. 4, he was arrested, along with another Mammoth Lakes man, on suspicion of sexual crimes involving a teenage girl.

Sunny skies and lots of snow were the reports coming out of the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountain ski areas Saturday, and meteorologists predicted sunny to partly cloudy weather and possible showers by the end of the holiday weekend. Most of the roads closed earlier by the storms that pounded the mountain areas in Southern and Central California were open by Saturday, law enforcement agencies reported.

June Mountain, the sister resort to Mammoth Mountain that has failed to make a profit in 26 years, is closing for the summer and won't reopen for the upcoming winter ski season, the resort operator has announced. In a statement, Rusty Gregory, chairman and chief executive of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, said the closure will give the company time to evaluate how to make the resort popular and profitable. The company owns both resorts in the Eastern Sierra. "Cessation of operations will help the company dedicate its focus to a new future for June Mountain," Gregory said.

The giant Canadian developer Intrawest and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area have taken an avalanche of criticism for explosive growth in the eastern Sierra town of Mammoth Lakes as they carve out a "destination resort." That label means the partners can charge more for lift tickets and much, much more for condos and hotel rooms built within the pervasive faux-Alpine theme. Housing values have soared to the point that many Mammoth-area workers can't afford to live there anymore.

Mammoth's second ski area could open in the fall of 1987. At least that is the intention of the Dempsey Construction Corp. and architect Allan O'Connor, partners in a $536-million joint venture involving a golf course, condominiums, hotels and other facilities. First studied in 1965 as a potential ski area, Sherwin Bowl has since been the subject of 40 additional investigations. But while the U.S.

Southern California skiers and snowboarders worried about gas prices eating away the value of their season passes this winter will be able to fly directly from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain, Horizon Airlines is expected to announce today. The airline will offer daily nonstop flights -- the only ones available out of Southern California -- from Los Angeles International Airport to Mammoth Yosemite Airport from Dec.

Since the Mammoth Mountain ski area was sold in 2005, rustic luxury has rapidly replaced the just plain rusted. Stampeding Escalades threaten to overrun the '70s vibe, but even powder hounds with duct-taped jackets can appreciate the night life that has arrived with upscale dining, top-end shopping and increased access to one of the West's best ski mountains -- which is, after all, the point. Or is it that hottie buying you a beer on the sun deck at Main Lodge? The mountain (mammothmountain.

KELLY CLARK'S idea of a perfect day is carving fresh powder on Mammoth Mountain under sunny skies ? but not on a weekend. The 2002 Olympic half-pipe gold medalist who lives within big-air distance of the mountain likes the smaller midweek crowds. So what happens if, in the wake of the sale of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to Starwood Capital Group, the mountain becomes the new Vail and more snowboarders crowd the favorite peak? "Mammoth is so big that even when it is really, really busy, you're never going to wait more than 15 minutes in line," the 22-year-old snowboarder said.

FROM the top of Mammoth Mountain, the sound of hammers pounding in the distance drifts up from a sea of gray-green Jeffrey pines. To the east, the sun is gleaming off the top of an orange construction crane, towering over development of Craftsman-style lodges, restaurants and shops at the town's center. Just three weeks from the start of the season, the mountain is bare and dusty above the tree line, with dozens of hiking trails covered by gravel and volcanic rock.

CAN YOU HEAR IT? That's the sound of the fat lady singing. She's up at Mammoth Lakes, Calif., announcing the denouement of a set-piece performance that seems so completely, well ... expected. Mammoth Lakes is the latest in a string of authentic, unique mountain communities that are being commodified, standardized and gentrified by corporations that see a chance to make a killing. And kill it they do.

The day townspeople learned that the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area had been sold to investors, resort officials assured workers that they still had their jobs, civic leaders warned of difficult choices ahead and real estate agents were overwhelmed with calls from prospective home buyers.

Tourists who visit this ski town nestled beneath rows of towering Sierra peaks, just a short jaunt from two spectacular wilderness areas, usually see it as a scenic paradise. But to many who live here, life over the past decade has been less than idyllic. The number of skiers at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has dropped to roughly half of what it was in the early 1980s, and the economy has stagnated.

When darkness gave way to sunshine Monday morning, long-barren slopes wore a glistening white blanket up to four feet thick in places, courtesy of a blizzard that worked its magic for four long, cold days through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Since, the mad scramble that follows every first storm has been underway, as ski-area operators began preparing for the onslaught of skiers and snowboarders.

The giant Canadian developer Intrawest and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area have taken an avalanche of criticism for explosive growth in the eastern Sierra town of Mammoth Lakes as they carve out a "destination resort." That label means the partners can charge more for lift tickets and much, much more for condos and hotel rooms built within the pervasive faux-Alpine theme. Housing values have soared to the point that many Mammoth-area workers can't afford to live there anymore.