For the Love of It

For the Love of It: The Mammoth Legacy of Roma and Dave McCoy traces the lives of Roma and Dave McCoy, visionary founders of world-renowned Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, from their singular childhoods through their eventual building of the first chairlift in the Eastern Sierra. The nostalgic narrative non-fiction book depicts California skiing in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s and illustrates the power of dedication, upbeat attitudes, and teamwork.

Born in 1915 in Southern California, Dave McCoy grew up living in tent camps with his parents while his father built early California roads. During the Depression, Dave's family fell apart and he was sent to live with grandparents at the Wilkeson Coal & Coke Company in Washington. There he learned to fly fish, tie flies, and ski. After graduating from high school, Dave hitchhiked south and settled in Independence, a small town in California's Eastern Sierra where he spent his time riding a Harley Davidson, fly-fishing, skiing with the Eastern Sierra Ski Club, and working for the LADWP, eventually as a hydrographer. In 1941, after being relocated tp Bishop, another small Eastern Sierra town, Dave married Roma Carriere and became the hydrographer at the Long Valley Dam on Crowley Lake. His essential job and a severely broken leg kept him from fighting in WWII. To compensate, he built rope tows to welcome servicemen home from the war, setting the stage to pursue his passion for skiing, building upskis, ski racing, and ski race coaching.

In the 1960s, Dave coached nearly 20 ski racers to Olympic squads, (including Charlotte Zumstein, Jill Kinmont, Linda Meyers, Penny McCoy, Dennis McCoy, Robin Morning, and others) while developing Mammoth Mountain into one of the most successful ski areas in the United States. By the 2000's he had built 26 chairlifts, two gondolas, and several buildings to facilitate skier amenities. With his kind and generous leadership skills and his dedication to having a positive attitude made, Dave pursued his life dreams while his wife Roma, stayed by his side. For the Love of It shares the back story of Dave and Roma's Mammoth legacy.