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Tuesday, 26 September 2006 14:47 |
| | Jeremy Morrison |
It is a call to arms ÇƒÓ er, I mean, skis. It is a call to the common folk (who live in high-end resort communities) to stand up and put a stop to the Disney-ization of mountain towns across America.
In his book "Downhill Slide: Why the Corporate Ski Industry is Bad for Skiing, Ski Towns, and the Environment," author Hal Clifford argues that large-scale ski developments are wreaking havoc on cozy, snow-covered communities.
Sketching out the history of American skiing ÇƒÓ from its humble beginnings to the modern mega-experience ÇƒÓ Clifford shows how the pursuit of the almighty corporate dollar has forsaken the purity of the sport.
Not
all that long ago, ski towns were bastions of free spirits choosing to
drop out of mainstream society in favor of living on the cheap, logging
100-plus days on the slopes and swapping stories around the bar.
This was not a
glamorous existence in the traditional sense. To that end, a term was
coined for these types ÇƒÓ ski bum. Nowadays, the ski bum had better be
able to pony up $90 for a lift ticket, as well as foot the bill for
some of the highest living expenses in the country.
 Formerly an
editor of SKI Magazine, Clifford sets out to bite the hand that fed him
as he explores the reasons for such an extreme change in dynamics. The
primary culprit: corporations. When publicly traded corporations took
the reigns of the ski industry during the 1990s, the sportës soul began
to slip. No longer were ski towns seen as a virtual vortex for the
bums, but rather a neglected money-making opportunity.
To research his
book, Clifford entrenched himself inside the belly of the beast. In
this instance, the beast wears a fleece sweater vest and sports a
perfect tan. The beast is at the behest of such mountain developers as
Intrawest, American Skiing and Vail Resorts. The beast canët understand
why increased developments are anything but advantageous.
These
corporations, Clifford argues, are less interested in the actual sport
of skiing and place the utmost importance on making money on the
sportës peripherals. After all, a person can ski for the price of a
lift ticket. While the ticketës price tag is no small amount, it pales
in comparison to the money to be made throughout the rest of the
skierës day at the mountain. The author visits marketing executives who
gleefully explain studies designed to separate the consumer from their
money.
And what does
one get for the money? Apparently, a bland experience. Basing their
model on such successful chains as McDonaldës, marketing executives
explain to Clifford how patrons prefer more of the same. Under this
thinking, a skier feels more comfortable if a resort resembles every
other resort. They know what to expect. They know exactly where to
spend their money.
But the actual
ski hill, Clifford explains, is only the tip of the fiscal iceberg. The
real money is in real estate. Multimillion-dollar second homes and
slope-side condominiums are selling faster than they are built.
How have such
changes affected ski towns? Clifford demonstrates how the population,
the environment and very essence of such towns have taken a back seat.
Because of the high-end housing and cost of living, locals are often sent packing for cheaper locales.
Even the
resortsë backbone ÇƒÓ the service level employees ÇƒÓ are faced with hour
commutes because they could never afford to live in such a winter
wonderland.
The environment
too has suffered. In an effort to boast more terrain and more real
estate, ski corporations pay no heed to ecological concerns.
Clifford cites
Californiaës Squaw Valley USA ÇƒÓ which apparently would rather pay fines
than adhere to environmental regulations ÇƒÓ and meets with a field
officer for the Colorado Division of Wildlife who details decades worth
of degradation.
The ski corporations accomplish the railroading of environmental laws just like anyone else, with an arsenal of lobbyists.
This
environmental issue wreaks of insult-to-injury injustice for two
reasons: the industryës ever-greening public face, and the fact that
resorts are often allowed ÇƒÓ even encouraged ÇƒÓ to use public lands to
conduct their business.
In contrast to
corporate skiingës harmful effects, Clifford offers a pale alternative.
Instead of enjoying the heated gondolas of the big boys, the author
suggest people travel to smaller, less amenity-oriented ski areas such
as Coloradoës Silverton Mountain.
The information
presented in "Downhill Slide" is heartbreaking, but the cure Clifford
offers is nearly useless. Only the purist will visit mountains such as
Silverton. The family of five with a wad of cash would rather go to
Disneyland than a rustic reminder of yesterdayës skiing.
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