Dave McCoy

David "Dave" McCoy (August 24, 1915 – February 8, 2020) was an American skier, ski coach, and businessman who founded the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in 1942. He first settled in the Eastern Sierras of the Inyo National Forest as a teenager and later worked as a hydrographer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. His job required him to ski daily to measure snowpack, which allowed him to identify the Mammoth Mountain area as an ideal location for skiing. He began by installing a rope tow on McGee Mountain in 1938. After snowfall patterns changed in the 1940s, he moved his focus to what eventually became Mammoth Mountain. Despite initial rejections, he obtained a permit from the Forest Service in 1953 and opened the first chairlift in 1955. He also had a career in competitive skiing and coaching. He won state slalom titles in 1937 and 1949 and coached several Olympic medalists and national team members including his children Penny McCoy and Dennis McCoy (alpine skier). He was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. He retired in 2005 after selling his stake in the mountain to Starwood Capital Group.