The ski area is mainly frequented by skiers from Southern California. From Los Angeles, California, the drive northward, up the Owens Valley on US Highway 395 to Mammoth is shorter than to the Lake Tahoe area resorts, which are more accessible to San Francisco, California area residents.
Mammoth was founded by Dave McCoy, a hydrographer for the Los Angeles District of Water and Power [1]. 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 McCoy to operate the ski area. The first ski lift was built in 1955. McCoy sold 33% of interest in the ski area to Intrawest in 1996
As recently as the 1980s, senior citizens (those over age 65) could ski Mammoth for free.