page_title: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
section_title: Changes and re-development
hierarchical_section_title: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area / History / Changes and re-development
caption_attribution_description: English: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area's out of bounds hole in the wall.
context_page_description: Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort in the western United States, located in eastern California along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest.
  Mammoth has more than 3,500 acres of ski-able terrain, serviced by 28 lifts. The area has 3,100 ft of vertical, rising to an elevation of 11,059 ft, and enjoys a long ski season. The resort was founded in 1953 by Dave McCoy and, from 2005 to 2017, was owned by the Starwood Capital Group.
  In 2017, Mammoth Resorts announced its sale by Starwood to a partnership of Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners, later named Alterra Mountain Company.
context_section_description: Before and during the changes of ownership, the ski area underwent major changes. The resort went from 16 chairs in the 1980s to 23 today. A new gondola was built that ends at a visitor center at 11,053 feet (3,369 m). The visitor center has telescopes and historical displays.
  Almost all the old, slow, double chair lifts were replaced with high-speed quad, and six-seater lifts, traveling at around 1000 feet per minute. For these modernizations, the resort is a longtime customer to the Doppelmayr group.  Several old lifts were also removed. The Mid-Chalet, which once had picnic tables on its roof, was completely remodeled in the early 2000s, renamed McCoy Station, and now features gourmet foods and a cafeteria. Large vintage photos of McCoy and his family can be found hanging from the ceiling there. The Mill Cafe, a small rustic bar and snack area was added in the early 2000s.
  In 2011, Chair 5 was chosen to be upgraded for the 2011-2012 season.  Chair 5 was upgraded from a Yan-fixed three person chair to a Doppelmayr high speed quad.  The ride time is reported to be half as long, and the capacity was increased from 1800 an hour to an estimated 2400 people an hour.  In line with tradition, the chair was also given a new name: High Five Express.
  Mammoth Mountain is also the owner of the June Mountain ski area in the small Mono County town of June Lake, California.  On June 21, 2012, the CEO of Mammoth Mountain announced that they are closing June Mountain for the 2012-2013 season, after more than 50 years of operations. June Mountain reopened for the 2013-2014 ski season.
  As of 2018, a zip-line is under construction. Once complete, it will be the steepest in North America. It goes from the top of the mountain near the upper gondola to the bottom near Main Lodge, with a stop near the top of Chair 1.
caption: Hole in the Wall backcountry ski attraction
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