Free Republic

Visitors can expect the following arrangements for the opening weekend: All skiing and riding operations will be centered around Main Lodge — Canyon Lodge and The Mill will remain closed. Mammoth Mountain will operate Broadway Express (1), the lower Panorama Gondola to McCoy, and Face Lift Express (3), offering access to Broadway, Saddle Bowl and Times Square for skiing and riding. The Panorama Gondola will run to the summit for Scenic Rides exclusively on Fridays through Sundays. Chairlifts will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. There will be no beginner terrain available during this initial period. Mammoth Unbound will...

The lifts at Mammoth Mountain in California will stop spinning Sunday after an incredible season spanning 275 days — the second-longest ski season in the resort's recorded history — and nearly 900 inches of record-breaking snowfall. Tucked into the Eastern Sierra Mountains, Mammoth is California's highest ski resort at just over 11,000 feet. And though it's not unusual for the mountain to stay open into late spring, a nine-month season stretching into August has only happened two other times in the resort's 70-year history. "This year on July 4th, almost the entire upper mountain was open. It was basically full...

Around noon, the mountain’s ski patrol responded to a report of an unconscious male skier who had been found upside down in deep snow near where the Redwing and Hully Gully trails intersect, according to a Friday statement from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. The location is near Chair 8 out of Canyon Lodge. Other resort guests were already working to dig the skier out of the snow when the patrol arrived. They began CPR and also used an automated external defibrillator on the down skier because he didn’t have a pulse, according to the statement from the mountain. The skier...

An avalanche at Mammoth Mountain early Saturday forced the closure of the popular ski area and triggered search and rescue efforts, officials said. There were no reports of serious injuries or missing people, but emergency crews were activated, officials said.{snip} "Shortly before the slide, that area was very crowded," Maynard said. "Essentially, the top of the mountain came loose in a major avalanche."{snip} "We hiked about 15 minutes to the parking lot, where local emergency mayhem had broken out," Williams said. "There were people trying to get out any way they could; some were waiting for buses, others were sharing...

Since Tuesday, 26 to 48 inches of fresh snow had fallen, with the deepest totals at the summit. Plows were working furiously to keep lots and streets clear. Normal resort operations could be affected as personnel struggle to deal with the snow.

MAMMOTH LAKES – The Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, a longtime winter playground for Southern California residents, says it will sell a controlling interest to a private investment firm. The $365 million acquisition will be made by Starwood Capital Groups, led by luxury hotel mogul Barry S. Sternlicht. The move is expected to give the resort an upscale character, unlike the raw, unpolished style developed by founder and co-owner Dave McCoy. The deal will give Starwood 70 percent control and the right to operate 4,000 acres of ski terrain at Mammoth and June mountains and allow for some development. The land...