When Dave McCoy celebrated his 100th birthday
in August, he only had to look at the many photos of Mammoth Mountain lining the office walls at his Californian home to remind him of everything he has achieved during his full and eventful lifetime.
The photos bear witness to the remarkable story of a living legend without whose drive and determination Mammoth, as it is today, might not exist.
Dave’s achievements include opening Mammoth to skiing in 1941 before getting a permit for a permanent ski location there in 1948, allowing him to bring Alpine skiing to southern Californians.
In later years, he launched his Mammoth Lakes Foundation, helping the town grow around the resort.
Luckily for the millions of people who have enjoyed skiing and snowboarding there over the last 60+ years, he ignored the advice of locals who warned him the location was ‘too high, too windy, and too steep’.
Dave first saw Mammoth’s potential aged 21, while working as hydrographer. In 1935, he and some friends built his first rope tow out of an old truck frame and engine to haul skiers uphill; later, he even sold his beloved Harley-Davidson to raise funds for equipment.
Today, Mammoth Mountain is a sprawling resort that draws 1.3 million skiers and snowboarders annually, with outdoor adventurers and mountain bikers doubling that figure in summer.
Over the years, Dave declined many offers to work on other resorts for big money. “I was working to make things good at Mammoth Mountain,” he told his local paper, The Press
Enterprise.
“I always looked at how tomorrow would be better. I never worried about money.”
Dave last put on his Salomon skis 10 years ago, but his unbridled enthusiasm for new projects continues. This year, after eight years of research, he licensed his latest venture, a new vehicle that runs on solar power.
There’s no doubt that Dave’s adventurous spirit combined with his vision has had spectacular results, but for him it’s fun, not business, that lies at the heart of his achievements – and his long life.
“Everyone has a different life, but longevity happens because you do something fun,” Dave said.
“I just wish I had a hundred more years. There are a hundred more things I want to do.”
Happy birthday Dave!

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MAMMOTH TIMELINE

1941 – Dave McCoy obtains a roving permit for his own portable rope tow.
1953 – Forest Service awards Dave the permanent permit to operate at Mammoth Mountain free of charge on the condition he begins developing the
mountain. Dave opens lifts to public as official ski resort. First Main Lodge opens, nicknamed ‘The Pit’.
1955 – Thanksgiving Day, Firstchair lift (Chair 1) opens at
Mammoth.
1957 – Chair 2 installed.
1959 – Chair 3 installed plus a T-Bar 1 Doppelmayer
1962 – Chair 4, T-Bar 2
1964 – Chair 5
1965 – Chair 6
1966 – Lower Gondola built and installed.
1967 – Upper Gondola installed.
1969 – Chairs 7, 8, and 9 go into operation
1969 – The Great Snow of ‘69’ hits the Sierra and Mammoth is buried under 25 feet of snow.
Tunnels had to be dug down from the surface to chair lifts
and lodge entrances.
1970 – Chair 10
1972 – Chairs 11, 12, 13, and 14
1973 – Canyon Lodge built
1975 – Chairs 15 and 16
1979 – Chairs 17, 18, and 19
1980 – Chairs 20 and 21, ticket office at chair 15
1981 – Main Lodge Remodel, 4th Floor Addition
1982 – Chairs 22 and 23, Mid-Chalet remodel
1984 – Chair 7 turned into triple chair
1985 – Chair 24 and 25; Building at Chair 4
1986 – Purchase of June Mountain.
1988 – Chair 26 is built and Chair 1 becomes
detachable high-speed quad lift.
1988 – Mammoth Mountain allows snowboarding on all slopes.
1990 – Bronze Woolly given to Dave McCoy on his 75th birthday
1991 – Snowmaking installed
1994 – Chair 27 built and Chair 16 becomes
detachable high-speed quad lift.
1994 – Longest season so far at Mammoth Mountain. Open
from 8 October to August 13.
1996 – Dave teams up with Intrawest.
1997 – The Mill Café opens at bottom of Chair 2
2000 – Little Eagle tent warming hut installed; Mid-Chalet remodelled and named
McCoy Station
2000 – Mammoth builds the world’s largest snow cone weighing
4,640 pounds with 71 gallonsof syrup which gets them into
Guinness World Records.
2001 – The Village, Mountain Center andVillage Gondola officially open.
2005 – Dave sells Mammoth Mountain toStarwood Capital Group, LLC. Top ofthe Sierra Interpretive Center opens
on the summit.
2007 – Cloud Nine Express, Mammoth’s second six-pack chairlift, replaces
Chair 9.
2010 – Snowiest season on record with 668 inches (55 feet). Ski area stays open until the 4 July.
2013 –60th anniversary celebrations.
2014 – Despite lack of natural snow, Mammoth’s snowmaking enabled the area to open with top to bottom skiing
in December and the entire mountain by February.

2015 – Founder of Mammoth Mountain, Dave
McCoy celebrates his 100th birthday.

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