For the Love of It

The Mammoth Legacy of Roma and Dave McCoy

By: Robin Morning

Narrated by: Katarina Ewerlöf, Monroe Clark McBride, Penny McCoy, Robin Morning

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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 2000s 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Robin Morning (P)2023 Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC

A love story

The Roma and Dave legacy is a big picture love story told from many perspectives and comes alive in the excellent voices that express welcomed nuances that kept me eager to hear the story unfold.

Great accounting of Eastern Sierra ski history

My husband and I started listening to this book recently. We listen while driving distances. We are a little more than halfway through and cannot "put it down". The story is about Dave and Roma McCoy, a couple that started their lives together with very little other than their love for each other. Both of them were without their parents during the formative years and were raised by their grandparents. In spite of all the adversity of their youth, they became the American dream. Through hard work, determination, and great sacrifices, they overcame adversity and created one of the greatest and largest Alpine ski resorts of the Eastern Sierra's - Mammoth Mountain. This story also brilliantly covers the amazing history of Alpine skiing in the U.S. and the Eastern Sierras from the early 1900's through the turn of the century. It is well worth taking the time "read"! Well done, Robin!