LAST CHAIR

Last Lift

Welcome Back Breck

by Dori Welch

The lure of the mountains is real and hits people at various stages of life. Freedom, daring adventures, beauty, and rugged challenges bring a special kind of person to the elevations high in the Rockies. A blustery day invites the test of cold weather equipment versus discouraging attitudes, and the triumphant enjoyment of outdoor activities in all conditions is a reward versus punishment. Sitting with feet propped by the evening fire has a satisfying feel after braving the elements to slice a turn in the fresh, fluffy powder. There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.

People who find this lifestyle appealing tend to discover it on their own, away from their roots, striking out on an independent experience often in the tender years right after leaving home. Strong bonds form between the people who find themselves in mountain communities, facing the same struggles and initial loneliness as their new coworker or internet-stranger-turned-roommate. Holidays are celebrated with these instant close friends. Going home is not an option during the busiest seasons of the ski resorts and is likely out of budget, anyway.

Not everyone plans to stay. Arriving in the mountains to enjoy a winter before starting a 'real world' career is a popular move. Sometimes it turns out as well as fostering a dog you don’t plan to keep. Plenty of 20+ year mountain dwellers share the same story, “I came for a season and never left.”

However, hard seasonal work, sparse housing, high costs of living, and fighting the weather for the majority of the year do drive people to seek an easier and more conventional way of life. Where does that leave the ones who stay? Missing the good friends, they cultivated these fast and strong bonds with.

Mountain resort communities are transient by nature, which can perpetuate feelings of isolation for those who make their lives in them. Fostering friendships that function like family only to lose physical closeness when someone moves away is a painful and common phenomenon. One mountain resident described his ever-evolving socialization; “I had friends I sat across the table from at all major holidays, the ones I hit the mountain with in the winter and traveled to the desert with in the spring. The majority of them ended up moving to places with more job opportunities in specialized fields, and more bang for their buck in real estate. I got so tired of feeling the loss when a friend left, I started to remain reserved with people until they seemed more committed to staying. I even made a rule not to count them in as close 'family' until they bought a house here, but even then, it is not a guarantee they will stay. Most of my friends where I grew up are now close to home, and my family is still there. Even though it sounds enticing, and I even moved home once, I still don’t have as much in common with those old friends as I do with the type of people who seek out a life here.”

Technology, social media, and smartphones have made it easier to maintain long-distance friendships after people have left. Another resident indicated the friendships she made in the mountains remain like a family bond, even though they have spread across the country. They stay in touch almost daily, 20 years later, via a group chat. Still, it is just not quite the same.

Nevertheless, there is an undeniable bind that weaves through the community, connecting the people who stick it out for the long term. The degree of separation is small within the core, and meeting someone new includes determining common comrades. Familiar faces and names turn into people to have honest conversations with, and the latticework of mountain town bonds grows with each chat.

As it is with life, the cycle continues with each new season bringing a group of bright-eyed mountain town fledglings. The lure of the mountains has called, and ready or not, they are stumbling into a journey of discovering the peaks and valleys of mountain living and bonding with the people who will help them navigate it. Most importantly, wherever they end up and when, this season will be one giant step in getting to know someone essential - themselves.