Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012 - (Page 38)
▼▼▼▼▼
D AV E M c C OY
Founder, Mammoth Mountain
David Krupp, Los Angles Council Past President, tracks down Dave in his workshop in Bishop to present the 2011Snowsports Builders Award on June 18. The Snowsports Builder Award is tendered for indelible contribution to the development of snowsports. Dave could not make it to the 2011 FWSA Convention.
photo: Cindy Krupp
Dave McCoy was born in Los Angeles on August 24, 1915 to William Thomas McCoy and Edna Rachel Metcalf. Until the age of six, Dave lived a quiet life in El Segundo, California where his father worked in an oil refinery. His next nine years were spent traveling throughout California with his parents, living in various towns along California’s Highway 99 while his father worked as a highway construction contractor. In 1928, when Dave was twelve years old, his mother took him to Independence, California, a small town south of Bishop, for a visit. He instantly fell in love with the area and decided this was the place he wanted to settle. After graduating as valedictorian of his class in the eighth grade, Dave moved to the state of Washington to live with his grandparents. During this time, he often worked with his grandfather who was a supervisor in a coal mine. During his high school years, Dave traveled between California and Washington doing odd jobs to support himself while attending school in both locations. He worked on pig farms, grocery stores, grape vineyards and a variety of other places. It was during his time in Washington that Dave was introduced to skiing by a group of Norwegian ski jumpers. Their motto was, “Just point 'em down the hill and ride!" Dave took every opportunity to hike up White Pass Mountain and ski straight down as fast as possible. His love affair with skiing had begun.
ally marry. “I was working as a soda jerk when the Bishop Cheerleaders stopped in on their way to Lone Pine to a game. I took one look at this girl and knew she was something special. I didn’t even get to ask her name." Roma recalls telling her sister, “One day I'm going to get a date with that guy." It wasn’t until two years later when Dave was living in Bishop that he was introduced to Roma. In those days, Dave and a friend would tie their skis to the back of a motorcycle and take off for the mountains. As fate would have it, Dave’s friend had a sister, and when he finally introduced Dave to her, she happened to be the Bishop cheerleader he had seen two years earlier. At the time, Roma was living with her grandmother and aunt, and was working to help support them. Dave and Roma dated for four years before they were married. The couple has since raised six children. In March of 1937, Dave was asked to go to work for the Department of Water and Power (DWP) as a hydrographer. The job required collecting and interpreting data from snow surveys to predict future water supplies for Los Angeles. Dave’s extensive ski experience coupled with a strong work ethic allowed him to excel in his position at the DWP where he remained for 18 years. Dave’s passion for the sport led him to skiing pioneers Tex Cushin and Corty Hill at McGee Mountain. As a member of the Eastern Sierra Ski Club, Dave helped keep the cable-sling lift maintained and running. Dave and two friends from the DWP, Sam Griggs and Ben Boyd, built the first portable rope tow in the Eastern Sierra. They took a Model “A" Ford truck, pulled the drive wheel off, locked the brake, jacked up the rear end and ran a rope up the mountain to a pulley. This “portable" rope tow allowed the club to ski anywhere in the valley from Independence to Bridgeport searching for hidden stashes of powder. In 1941, Dave obtained a roving permit for his own portable rope tow. The Eastern Sierra Ski Club began losing interest in running their own lifts and agreed to sell their portable rope tow to Dave for $85. To raise funds for the equipment, he tried to borrow the money against his HarleyDavidson motorcycle but the bank refused his loan. Upon leaving the bank, the secretary was able to convince them that Dave was a good risk. Little did the bank know that the kind-hearted secretary was also Dave’s soon to be wife, Roma Carriere. His extensive knowledge of snow pack and snowmelt gleaned from his hydrography job enabled Dave to set up his lift where the snow was the best. When the weather would allow it and the roads were clear, he took his portable rope tow to Mammoth Mountain. Dave and his
friends were skiing at Mammoth on December 7, 1941 when news of the bombing on Pearl Harbor reached Mammoth. The skiers packed up the rope tow and loaded it into the truck. Skiing essentially came to a halt in the Eastern Sierra and Dave considered joining the Navy with his friends even though his hydrographer position exempted him from service. Ultimately, a ski injury would take the decision out of his hands. Dave’s love of skiing led to an interest in competitive ski racing. During the late 30’s he emerged as a top competitor and was something of a local racing hero. In April of 1942, Dave made a spur of the moment decision to drive to Sugar Bowl, California to compete in the state championships. During the race he took a nasty fall, shattering the bones in his left leg. The doctors counted over 38 fractures and wanted to amputate, but Dave would not allow it. It took almost four years for Dave to rehabilitate his leg. Although he still walks with a slight limp, he continues to lead a very active lifestyle. Eventually Dave returned to his surveyor job and resumed operation of his roving rope tow. The majority of the time the rope tow was stationed at Mammoth Mountain. The Main Lodge’s
Dave McCoy was instrumental in developing Mammoth Mountain into a world class destination ski and summer resort.
photo courtesy of Mammoth Mountain
38 Far West Skier’s Guide 2O11 - 2O12 / See the Digital Edition of the Far West Skier’s Guide at www.fwsa.org.
http://www.fwsa.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
Contents
The Premiere Digital Edition of the Far West Skier’s Guide Well Received
Board of Directors, Trustees
President’s Message: FWSA Offers Many Benefits, Trips & Activities
FWSA Committee Chairmen and Other Representatives
National Ski Council Federation Serves Councils & Clubs Nationwide
Far West Members Prepare for Winter, 2012
Council Information
Communications: The Key to Success!
Building Your Snowsports Program
FWSA Individual Membership Form
Order Form / Far West Skier’s Guide
FWSA Travel Program
FWRA Board of Directors
FWRA Program
FWRA Silent Auction Donors
FWRA League Race Chairs
FWRA Race Schedule
Race Trophies
FWSA Athletic Scholarship Program
Far West Ski Foundation Objectives
FWSA 2011 Convention
FWSA 2011 Convention Sponsors
Silent Auction & Travel Expo Participants - 2011
Travel Expo/Silent Auction Milestones
Convention Door Prize Donors
2011 Councils’ Man & Woman of the Year
FWSA Service Award Winners
FWSA Safety Person of the Year
FWSA Western Ski Heritage Award
FWSA Club and Council History Recognition
FWSA Snowsports Builder Awards
Charities & Our Communities
2012 FWSA Convention - Ogden, Utah
FWSA Plans Future Conventions
Public Affairs - 2011 Update
Bernd Ritschel & The Bavarian Alps
Lodging Guide
FWSA Council & Club Information
Clubs, Councils & Families Come Together
Regional Ski Shows
Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com