1950’s
Dave McCoy
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was founded by Dave McCoy, a hydrographer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. As a member of the Eastern Sierra Ski Club in the 1930s, McCoy noticed that Mammoth Mountain consistently held more snow than other mountains. The Ski Club had a portable rope tow. McCoy bought the rope tow from the club in 1941 and usually kept it at Mammoth.
In 1953, the United States Forest Service awarded a permit to Dave McCoy to operate the ski area. (Wikipedia)
The Warming Hut (Main Lodge)
1954 Marc Zumstein “official self appointed leader of the volunteer ski patrol” made up of a crazy clan of ski fanatics who drove up almost every weekend from the Southern California. (The Mammoth Ski Museum)
Top Chair 1 – 1950’s (photo by Dave McCoy)
1957 – Chair 2 – Riblet Tramway Company. 900/skiers per hour. Length – 4200ft. Vertical – 1000ft. (loading area current location)
1959 – T-Bar 1 – Dopplemayer. 800/skiers per hour. Length – 2500ft. Vertical – 800ft. Located just southwest of the bottom of Chair 1 running up thru the trees on the right side of Fascination.
Early photo of Chair 3 – late 50’s /early 60’s. Notice the Top of the World. (photo from the ski museum)
1956 - USFS requested that Dave McCoy employ at least one full time ski patrolman to supplement his weekend volunteers. That spring while traveling through Colorado to check out Riblet chairlifts, Don Redmon and Bob Buambaugh found a candidate to accommodate the USFS request. Over drinks in a bar in Idaho Springs, after skiing together all day on Loveland pass, Redmon hired Earl Morris to be Mammoth’s first paid patrol leader. Earl quickly gained local notoriety for indulging in his fondness for beer and his passion for reciting poetry at the same time. (The Mammoth Ski Museum)
1955 – Chair 1 – United Tramways – double – 900/skiers per hour. Length – 3700ft. Vertical – 1000ft (current location)
Top of Chair 1 (1957)
T-Bar 1
1959 – Chair 3 – Riblet Tramway Company. 1250/skiers per hour. Length 2800ft. Vertical 1000ft. Ride time 6:00. (current location)
Earl Morris “The Earl of Morris” was my patrol leader. He never skied, drove a Tucker Snow Cat to injured skiers if they could be reached — Dick “Gremlin” Dahlgren.
Opening Day – 1950’s
Thunder Mountain – Fun Race 1950’s.
Thunder Mountain Rope Tow 1959.
Chair One Ramp 1950’s.
Broadway and the Ski School bell -1950’s.
Saturday Main Lodge – 1950’s