Downhill slide : why the corporate ski industry is bad for skiing, ski towns, and the environment

In this impassioned expos?, lifelong skier Hal Clifford reveals how publicly traded corporations gained control of America's most popular winter sport during the 1990s, and how they are gutting ski towns, the natural environment, and skiing itself in a largely futile search for short-term profits.Chronicling the collision between Wall Street's demand for unceasing revenue growth and the fragile natural and social environments of small mountain communities, Clifford shows how the modern ski industry promotes its product as environmentally friendly--even invoking the words and emblems of such environmental icons as Ansel Adams and John Muir--while at the same time creating urban-style problems for mountain villages. He also uncovers the ways in which resorts are carefully engineered to separate visitors from their money, much like theme parks.Clifford suggests an alternative to this bleak picture in the return-to-the-roots movement that is now beginning to find its voice in American ski towns from Mammoth Lakes, California, to Stowe, Vermont. He relates the stories of creative business people who are shifting control of the ski business back to the communities that host it.Hard-hitting and carefully researched, Downhill Slide is indispensable reading for anyone who lives in, visits, or cares about what is happening to America's alpine communities. In this impassioned expose, lifelong skier Hal Clifford reveals how publicly traded corporations gained control of America's most popular winter sport during the 1990s and how they are gutting ski towns, the natural environment, and skiing itself in a largely futile search for short-term profits. Chronicling the collision between Wall Street's demand for unceasing revenue growth and the fragile natural and social environments of small mountain communities, Clifford shows how the modern ski industry promotes its product as environmentally friendly -- even invoking the words and emblems of such environmental icons as Ansel Adams and John Muir -- while at the same time creating urban-style problems for mountain villages. He also uncovers the ways in which resorts, much like theme parks, are carefully engineered to separate visitors from their money. Clifford suggests an alteranative to this bleak picture in the return-to-the-roots movement that is now beginning to find its voice in American ski towns from Mammoth Lakes, California, to Stowe, Vermont. He relates the stories of creative business people who are shifting control of the ski business back to the communities that host it.Hard-hitting and carefully researched, Downhill Slide is indispensable reading for anyone who lives in, visits, or cares about what is happening to America's alpine communities. "In this expose, lifelong skier Hal Clifford reveals how publicly traded corporations gained control of America's most popular winter sport during the 1990s and how they are gutting ski towns, the natural environment, and skiing itself in a largely futile search for short-term profits.". "Chronicling the collision between Wall Street's demand for unceasing revenue growth and the fragile natural and social environments of small mountain communities, Clifford shows how the modern ski industry promotes its product as environmentally friendly - even invoking the words and emblems of such environmental icons as Ansel Adams and John Muir - while at the same time creating urban-style problems for mountain villages. He also uncovers the ways in which resorts, much like theme parks, are carefully engineered to separate visitors from their money." "Clifford suggests an alternative to this bleak picture in the return-to-the-roots movement that is now beginning to find its voice in American ski towns from Mammoth Lakes, California, to Stowe, Vermont. He relates the stories of creative business people who are shifting control of the ski business back to the communities that host it."--BOOK JACKET. In this impassioned expose, lifelong skier Hal Clifford reveals how publicly traded corporations gained control of Americas most popular winter sport during the 1990s, and how their greed is gutting ski towns, the natural environment, and skiing itself. Chronicling the collision between Wall Streets demand for unceasing revenue growth and the fragile natural and social environments of small mountain communities, Clifford shows how the modern ski industry promotes its product as environmentally friendly, while at the same time creating urban-style problems for mountain villages. He suggests an alternative to this bleak picture in the return-to-the-roots movement that is now beginning to find its voice in many American ski towns, and he relates stories of creative business people who are shifting control of the ski business back to the communities that host it. Hard-hitting and carefully researched, Downhill Slide is indispensable reading for anyone who lives in, visits, or cares about what is happening to Americas alpine communities. Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1. From Rope Tows to Real Estate......Page 22 2. Skiing’s Self-Defeating Arms Race......Page 37 3. Wall Street Comes to the Mountain......Page 55 4. What Is Land For? A Theological Schism......Page 82 5. Selling the New Resort......Page 107 6. Potemkin Villages and Emerald Cities......Page 125 7. Smokey the Bear, the Ski Industry’s Best Friend......Page 148 8. Resort Roadkill: The Environmental Price Tag......Page 178 9. Commuters or Communities?......Page 207 10. Back to the Future......Page 235 Notes......Page 260 Index......Page 286 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 14 1. From Rope Tows to Real Estate 22 2. Skiing’s Self-Defeating Arms Race 37 3. Wall Street Comes to the Mountain 55 4. What Is Land For? A Theological Schism 82 5. Selling the New Resort 107 6. Potemkin Villages and Emerald Cities 125 7. Smokey the Bear, the Ski Industry’s Best Friend 148 8. Resort Roadkill: The Environmental Price Tag 178 9. Commuters or Communities? 207 10. Back to the Future 235 Notes 260 Index 286 ISBN-13:,9781578051021 Sierra Club Books