Mammoth Mountain

The U.S. Geological Survey is planning to examine the Mammoth Mountain area with an airborne infrared scanner in an attempt to learn more about tree kills generated by volcanic emissions of carbon dioxide, scientists said Wednesday. The mission, which is being coordinated with NASA, will be undertaken in August after the heavy eastern Sierra snowpack melts, according to USGS volcano expert Michael Sorey.

Dark clouds veiled the highest peaks of the Sierra just west of Sherwin Grade on U.S. 395 out of Bishop, filtering the sunshine and hinting that maybe, at last, it might snow. Radio station KIBS, 100.7 on the FM dial, was counting down the country-and-western top 40, and the twanging sounds of Shelby Lynne's "Things Are Tough All Over" filled the car.

The deaths of three ski patrol members at Mammoth Mountain earlier this year might have been prevented had resort officials properly trained employees, posted more warning signs and written procedures for how to deal with toxic volcanic vents, state regulators said Friday.

Surrounded by images of three men skiing down pristine mountain snow and the strains of the Jeff Buckley song "Last Goodbye," family and friends on Friday celebrated the lives of the three ski patrollers who died last week when snow collapsed around a volcanic vent at Mammoth Mountain. A standing-room-only gathering of hundreds filled dim conference rooms, illuminated by soft red and orange lights on the third floor of the main lodge.

It's like old times this week at Mammoth. Snow is blowing, chairlifts are whirring and skiers . . . well, they're skiing. All it took was $5 million out of Dave McCoy's bank account to build a state-of-the-art snow-making system. "He bought us a $5-million insurance policy," says Jeff Irons, public affairs coordinator for the town of Mammoth Lakes, which is one of the main beneficiaries. As with many insurance policies, however, there is always the question of whether it was really necessary.

Federal scientists monitoring volcanic activity under Mammoth Mountain report that they have measured an increase in carbon dioxide emissions near the mountain, prompting the closure of a high country campground. The apparent rise in gas emissions to 1,200 metric tons a day--as high as at many active volcanoes, and two to three times higher than at Mammoth last year--and an increase in earthquakes this year have led the U.S. Geological Survey to pay closer scrutiny to the Mammoth Lakes region.

"You're out of your mind," my husband, Paul, snorted when I told him I wanted to take a beginner's lesson and try snowboarding. True, less than a week had passed since my last ski trip to Mammoth Mountain, when I'd hit a rock on a run called Wall Street, taken a nose dive, ground my sunglasses into my forehead, dislocated my shoulder and slid 75 yards downhill. But it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Federal scientists are investigating whether the deaths of hundreds of trees near a popular recreation area at Mammoth Mountain are due to increased levels of carbon dioxide produced by volcanic activity. The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service said they have found no indication of a hazard to public health and are uncertain whether the high gas level is a sign of increasing volcanic activity within the mountain.

U.S. tourism from abroad is up About 3.4 million international visitors traveled to the United States in January, an increase of 10% over January 2009, the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries reported. It marks the fourth straight month of increases in U.S. arrivals. While here, those foreign visitors spent $10.3 billion in January, slightly down over the year before. January also marks the 15th consecutive month in which U.S. travel and tourism-related exports were lower than when compared with the same period of the previous year.