MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. – Before we get to the early snow, the new businesses, the zipping skiers and beaming boarders at Mammoth Lakes, let's remember how bad things have been this year for this corner of the Eastern Sierra.

First, Mother Nature delivered scant snow in the 2011-12 season, driving tourism down just as the larger economy seemed to be recovering.

Then in June, management at Mammoth Mountain, the resort that dominates the town, trimmed staff, cut salaries and announced the shuttering of its June Mountain ski operation – a painful blow to the tiny mountain community of June Lake, 20 miles north of Mammoth.