MMSA opens early … sends out some season passes late
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MMSA Public Relations Manager Lauren Burke, who was live streaming opening day on Periscope, and Direct Marketing Manager Molly Holmes. -
Sheriff Ingrid Braun. -
Left to right: Quan Ha, of Orange, Bobby Barcelona, Newport Beach, Frank Knab, Mammoth Lakes, and Jessee Bojorquez, Yorba Linda, got first chair at MMSA’s Opening Day on Thursday, Nov. 5. For more about these riders and opening day. Photos courtesy: Pellegrini.
Excited skiers and snowboarders lined up on Thursday, Nov. 5 for Mammoth Mountain’s opening day, which was moved forward due to an early winter storm that could be a harbinger of this season’s prayed-for “Godzilla El Niño.”
Frank Knab, one of Mammoth’s sponsored riders, camped out in a North Face four season tent in front of the opening gates in order to get first chair. “It was just me and twelve Heinekens,” he said, adding that he ended up sharing a few leftover beers with some penguin-suited riders from Southern California, who had arrived at 6:30 a.m. to get in line behind Knab.
A few locals were grumbling over the fact that MMSA did not mail out season passes, many of which were paid for last spring, in time for the revised opening date. “It’s not fair that second homeowners have their passes and we don’t,” said one local, who wished not to be named. James Smith, of Oceanside, was one of the first in line on Thursday morning and said that his pass, which he had purchased last spring, had arrived in his Southern California mailbox on Monday, Nov. 2.
“We apologize for the inconvenience to the approximately 25 percent of passholders that didn’t receive their pass prior to our early opening day,” said MMSA’s Joani Lynch in an e-mail to The Sheet. “But we will take care of everyone who wants to get on the hill before their pass arrives. Passholders can head to the Main Lodge ticket window to receive their temporary pass to start skiing or riding.”
In the past, MMSA has reloaded passes electronically. This year they chose to issue new passes to all of their customers. Many locals were frustrated that they had to stand in yet another line to get back on the mountain.
“I guess this is the new controversy,” said Mark L., a Mammoth resident who only wanted to give the first initial of his last name. Mark said that he also hadn’t received his pass as of opening day, which was moved forward from its previous date of Nov. 11 due to the storm. “I called last night, the queue on the phone was probably fifteen minutes,” he said. However, “everybody was really pleasant. They said that the ticket office would be open by 8 a.m. or probably sooner.”
When The Sheet arrived at Main Lodge at 7:30 a.m., the ticket office was already open and people were lined up for their temporary passes. “It wasn’t really that inconvenient,” said Mark, “and they had coffee.”
