A disappointing winter at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, thanks largely to meager early- and mid-season snowfall, has led to the firing of 75 permanent employees.
Sierra Wave on Wednesday reported that layoffs were underway this week, citing Facebook posts and phone calls made by employees to the media. A Mammoth spokeswoman on Thursday confirmed the number of layoffs.
Last week, Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory told Sierra Wave that skier visits were down 36% and revenue had dropped 30% from early projections. The 30% revenue drop represents about $22 million from Mammoth's $140 million annual revenue.
The layoffs were preceded by salary cuts -- Gregory cut his own pay by 15% -- and a reduction of hours for some employees. The decline in visitation undoubtedly has hurt businesses throughout Mammoth Lakes, and skyrocketing gas prices are likely to keep visitation down for the remainder of the winter-spring season.
News of the layoffs comes amid storms that have deposited more than two feet of fresh powder onto Mammoth's slopes, bolstering the resort's base depth to 3-5 feet.
Last year Mammoth received a record 668.5 inches of snow, or nearly 56 feet. Through February of this year, Mammoth had received 149 inches, or a little more than 12 feet.
Gregory cut his 400k slary by 15%?? The layoffs had to do with tenured employees that were all making a decent wage and had healthcare benefits.
Posted by: drp | Mar 01, 2012 at 11:18 AM