By Bob Goligoski, Correspondent

Good news for California skiers. June Mountain, which was closed last season, will re-open for the 2013-2014 season. That’s according to Rusty Gregory, CEO of nearby Mammoth Mountain which owns and operates June.

Gregory made his comments last week during an interview at the annual meeting of the North American Snowsports Journalist Association which was held at Mammoth. The 2011 – 2012 season was a rough one for Mammoth as guest visits dwindled to about 850,000. That resulted in cost-cutting measures which included letting go about 75 employees at Mammoth and closing June Mountain.

He stressed that this year has been more successful for Mammoth which expects to record about 1.1 million skier-snowboarder visits before its announced closing date of Memorial Day. A resort spokesman said if conditions permit, Mammoth may open after Memorial Day.

Gregory noted that a major, new $6 million chairlift will be erected at June as soon as all the required U.S. Forest Service permits are obtained.

During the interview, he observed that the “whole basis of pricing in the winter resort industry has changed.” Consequently, Mammoth will be moving more strongly into “dynamic pricing,” the industry buzz word for charging less for lift tickets when demand is low and charging more when demand is high.

Mammoth’s walk-in ticket price for adults was set consistently at $99 during the curent season.

If Mammoth continues to draw large crowds – it attracts about 24,000 skiers and snowboarders on its busiest days – it will start work on replacing some of the aging lodges and other structures at the base of the mountain, said Gregory.