You don’t need to visit the mountains to understand the passion Coloradans feel for the sports of skiing and snowboarding. All you really need to do is talk to skiers and snowboarders about a few of their favorite hot topics.
Better yet, write a story about them, and they’ll talk to you.
Such was the case last week after I published a piece on the changing face of skiing and the reinvention efforts by state resorts as the bread-and-butter baby- boomer market continues to gray. The story served its purpose in terms of stimulating discussion on a subject significant to the state’s signature industry. It’s evident that a good chunk of the current skiing population is well on its way over the hill. But the debate I’m hearing seems concentrated as much on how to replace those aging skiers as whether they should be replaced at all.
Truth be told, the story that ran was not the piece I originally set out to write. The initial inspiration for tackling the topic came about as an observation of the apparent generation gap prevalent at places like Keystone as older, more conservative skiers were forced to share limited terrain options with brash youth in the season’s early stages.
The term “Skittle Thugs,” allegedly coined by a Breckenridge ski patroller, is my current favorite used to describe the latest era of impetuous hotshots thrashing the slopes in bright, candy-colored clothing. And although this generation of daredevils ultimately may not differ much from the hotdogger demographic that preceded it, there is clearly a sense of entitlement and an associated lack of courtesy on the slopes perhaps perpetuated by the resorts’ desire to attract their business.
Evidently the sentiment was shared by more than a few readers who commented on the hazards of overcrowded slopes and debated the merits of “Your Responsibility Code” that many skiers and snowboarders apparently remain unfamiliar with. Among the responsibilities that should need no debate: Always remain in control, and the people below you always have the right of way. Anyone who can’t manage those two basics is a hazard to himself and others.
But while reckless hooligans may be driving some snow riders into early retirement, the thing that weighs heaviest on their minds is clearly the price of riding a chairlift. How can resorts expect young skiers to take up the sport at a price of nearly $90 for a lift ticket, they ask?
The short answer is: They can’t, and they don’t. And the reason the story didn’t go into great detail on the subject is simply that the cost of skiing is cheaper now than it has been in at least a decade.
Skiers have only themselves to blame if they didn’t take advantage of the Rocky Mountain Super Pass deals offered at Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Steamboat for less than the cost of a round- trip airline ticket to many less- worthy vacation destinations. The same can be said for Vail Resorts’ Colorado Card offering a full season of skiing in Summit County, plus 10 trips to the other side of Vail Pass. For a slight upgrade, they throw in unrestricted skiing at Vail and Beaver Creek on the Epic Pass.
As for the youth, well, there’s always Colorado Ski Country USA’s Passport Programs, offering fifth-graders 63 days of skiing for free and sixth-graders 84 days for 99 bucks. (Vail offers a similar program as well). And for parents, the $10 Gems Card offers ridiculous discounts at many of the state’s smaller ski areas.
So, while I believe it’s true the resorts share some of the blame for the problems inherent to the industry of skiing, at least an equal portion falls upon the skiers themselves, who all too often blithely fall lock step into routine. Given the many opportunities to ski and snowboard throughout Colorado, I believe it’s every rider’s responsibility to examine what they realistically expect to take from the experience before filing a complaint.
For some, it’s the social aspects of resort skiing, the chance to meet like- minded individuals on the lift or in the lodge. Others are entirely opposite, heading out in search of the isolation and escape offered only in an alpine environment. As one reader pointed out: “It’s a big, hilly state. (You) might as well ski down all of the slopes, and not just a select few of them.”
Fitness, family time and fresh air are all reasonable excuses for taking up the sport, but skiers don’t need lavish megaresorts to acquire any of those things, too often pointing at the Vails and Aspens of the industry as excuses for dropping out.
There are plenty of places like Eldora and Loveland offering easy access and quality skiing at reasonable rates, or simply take it upon yourself to take up a new challenge and learn some backcountry basics, seek and explore.
For me, the challenge of skiing has always been a major part of the appeal. Just like living in the mountains itself, the whole “if it was easy, everyone would be doing it” notion was always an attraction. And ultimately, I’ve never believed skiing was a sport intended for the masses.
Yet, somehow the masses have discovered it, and they continue to pursue it by the millions in Colorado alone. They’ve been willing to work a little harder, maybe pay a little more, because, for whatever reason, they decided it was worth it.
So, whether or not today’s skiers believe it’s important for resorts to replace those on the brink of retirement, it’s likely to happen one way or another. The best you can hope is that a positive example still counts for something. Then take responsibility for yourself.
