“We’re losing the best lift-assisted backcountry skiing in California [June Mountain]. Four thousand feet of couloirs, bowls, techy alpine faces, and some of the finest north-facing old-growth powder skiing in the land. An hour and half skin from the top of Lift Seven puts you on top of Pete’s Dream, a 4,000-foot fall line fantasy run with powder spines and massive exposure. Put a number on that. What’s a Granite Canyon or Bear Creek worth, but with better snow, better tree skiing, no access issues, and nobody dropping in on top of you?” – Jaded Local/Powder Magazine’s: “June Gloom”
June Mountain in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevadas has been open every season for the past 50 years… until this year. June has been a staple for the local ski & snowboard community and for the 17 hotels and 8 restaurants that depend on it to bring in seasonal business.
June provides incredible backcountry access to big mountain terrain while at the same time offering state of the art terrain park options. Both the Ski Mountaineering Race Series and the Grenade Games (park competition) have been held at the versatile June Mountain. Of course, all this is happening “on the side.” June Mountain’s day job is being a family-friendly ski resort.
June Mountain is slated to re-open next winter after being closed for the entire 2012/13 winter season. Mammoth Mountain owns June Mountain and made the decision to close the ski area this year to save money. June Mountain has been about $1.5 million in the red for years…
Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory understands how tough closing June was on the local community and he’s ready to commit to making June better than ever:
“Gregory, appearing at a jam-packed Mono County Board of Supervisors meeting in Bridgeport on Tuesday, April 9, made three major promises: to open June Mountain next ski season and keep it open until Easter, weather permitting; to build a new lift to replace the antiquated J1 up the face of the mountain, and to commit to snowmaking, including drilling new wells, if needed.” – Mammoth Times
“My decision has created a tremendous amount of hardship,” he said, referring to the closure of June Mountain Ski Area this winter. “I don’t want to go through it again. People think I have a thick skin. I don’t. I have a very thin skin.” – Rusty Gregory/Mammoth Times
“I don’t ever want to repeat what happened last June again. I think about this a lot. I do not expect your trust, just because I say something. Nothing is real until we do it.” – Rusty Gregory/Mammoth Times
It appears that Mammoth is ready to bring June Mountain back into the limelight of the Eastern Sierra economy and June deserves it.
WHY JUNE MOUNTAIN IS AWESOME
– First, just look at the photos in this post for proof of awesomeness…
– “Some of the sickest easy access backcountry terrain in California: The Negatives, 3D Chute, Dream Mountain, Hemlock Ridge, Fern Lake Grotto, Four Seasons, Carson Bowl, Devil’s Slide, Pete’s Dream…” – Jaded Local
– Pro level terrain parks
– “4,000-foot fall line fantasy run with powder spines and massive exposure” – Jaded Local
– Provides frightening easy access to very big mountain terrain
– Great family ski resort and a good option when Mammoth is crowded or closed due to high winds
June is off the beaten path, but it’s a path worth traveling. June’s combination of mind-boggling backcountry terrain, family-friendly ski resort, and park-mecca makes it one of the most versatile ski resorts in North America. Having it closed last year was heart-wrenching. Knowing that it will be open again next year has many a ski heart singing.
JUNE MOUNTAIN FACTS:
– Opened in 1962
– Bought by Mammoth in 1996
– 7 Lifts
– Killer backcountry ski/board access from the resort
– Top elevation = 10,090 feet
– Bottom elevation = 7,545 feet
– Vertical drop = 2,590 feet
I LEARNED TO SKI AT JUNE WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD. ITS AN AMAZING PLACE AND THERES NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THE OWERS WILL CONTINUE MAKING IT A GREAT FAMILY SKI RESORT..
haven’t tried Petes Dream but Bear Creek in CO was my best powder
run ever !
Beyond awesome!
Petes dream looks like a nightmare. Sick terrain
June, baby!
June rocks. This is all true. Great news.
I’d say don’t tell anyone, but that didn’t work and ended in it being closed. So yeah, tell everyone. June is sick.