June Mountain won’t open for winter ski season

June Mountain, the sister resort to Mammoth Mountain that has failed to make a profit in 26 years, is closing for the summer and won’t reopen for the upcoming winter ski season, the resort operator has announced.

In a statement, Rusty Gregory, chairman and chief executive of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, said the closure will give the company time to evaluate how to make the resort popular and profitable.

The company owns both resorts in the Eastern Sierra.

“Cessation of operations will help the company dedicate its focus to a new future for June Mountain,” Gregory said.

Mammoth Mountain, the most popular ski resort for Southern Californians, offers 3,500 acres of skiable area and a summit of 11,053 feet. June Mountain, located about 20 miles north of Mammoth, is known as a less-crowded, family-friendly resort, with about 500 acres of skiable area and a summit of 10,090 feet.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has long had plans to expand June Mountain and add long runs to increase the popularity of the resort.

But the resort operator says the plans were “never realized and June Mountain has, in turn, suffered from an identity crisis that has both stifled its ability to achieve its full potential and required substantial financial subsidy from Mammoth on an annual basis.”

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