Mountains of Money By Richard Markosian
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or better or for worse, our beloved ski resorts are full of high-speed quads, trams and gondolas. They race skiers atop mountains in less than half the time of the old rope tows or clunky, slow regular chair lifts. But there is just one downside ... Powder days have become powder mornings or even powder hours. With a huge abundance of skiers on the mountains (thanks to the quads), powder in bowls, cirques and gulches can be shredded so quickly that all freshies disappear literally within hours. And things are about to get worse. For just $69, in addition to the regular cost of a day pass, Snowbird has introduced the “Express Lane”. Snowbird is now allowing wealthy skiers a chance to skip the lines. Regular all-day tickets now cost upwards of $150, so for a
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mere $220, you too can join the downhill elite! But again there is a downside. Sadly, skiing at the best Utah resorts is becoming no longer viable for middle-class families, but is becoming much more of a sport for the wealthy or the single middle class who don’t have a problem eating an exclusive diet of Top Ramen. “The meek shall inherit the earth” isn’t applicable at the resorts. The powder pigs are no longer hippies or ski bums, but the wealthy. Those in the middle-class, or those who want to eat real food are allotted to finding their freshies in the backcountry. And backcountry skiing is now booming. But there is yet another downside. Last year was the deadliest year on record for backcountry deaths.
