Can June Mountain Be Saved?

Last week’s news about the abrupt closure of June Mountain Resort has taken the quaint village to the streets. The shocking devastation to close the year-round resort is immediately affecting not only the 300+ residents of June Lake, but thousands of skiers and snowboarders hoping to do something about it. Summer operations are the majority of the town’s lake tourism to make enough cash until the winter — if closed altogether, June Lake residents will have to pray for an angel to save the resort, and try not to panic about loosing their homes along with their income.

A petition has been made on Change.org by local resident Karral Spitznagel against the June Mountain closure, to be sent to Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory. It is currently just 300 signatures short of their 1,500 goal. Sign the petition and learn more.

The petition asks the community to speak out about their frustration, and considering the small scale of the June Lakes town, help will be needed from outside in order to fund the resort and restart the lifts.

“Please re-open June Mountain immediately,” the letter reads. “The closing of this mountain eliminates a vital year round resource of income for several families in the near by area… When times are tough, a community should pull together to see it through and not turn it’s back on loved ones.”

Shannon Marie Quirk ( More Posts)

Shannon Marie Quirk is an editor, writer, photographer and graphic designer for The Ski Channel.

Snowboarding means everything to this Lake Tahoe local, often found chasing down endless winters deep in Los Andes Mountain region backcountry of Patagonia during the summertime. She is no stranger to the Mammoth Mountain Superpipe, where she took 1st place in Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe for SCCSC league, 1st in Women’s Snowboard Freestyle for the 2009 season, and 5th in Slopestyle at USCSA Nationals placing 8th overall for the women. A passion for photography channels her athleticism towards a career path as a sports journalist, supported by Bachelor of Arts degrees from UCLA in English and Spanish literature. Also a passionate surfer, this gal can’t stay far from a board as she shreds the hemispheres guided by mother nature’s weather patterns.