Resort Expansion

[JTG]

Sea to Sky Gondola Vandalized for Second Time

An investigation by the Canadian Mounted Police is ongoing

www.powder.com

Wow. I wonder if hiring guards posted along the gondola line year round would be cheaper than paying upwards of $10m a year to repair the damage from this eco-terrorism?

 

[MC2]

This forum sucks now.

I would comment on this thread (where people have made blatantly political posts like “drill baby drill”), but I would probably be suspended from posting like I am in the off topic section.

I guess I’ll just go back to ignoring this whole shitshow.

 

[JTG]

This forum sucks now.....I guess I’ll just go back to ignoring this whole shitshow.

Oh, no.....

.....please don’t.
?

 

[MC2]

Actually, JTG, your posts haven’t been the worst in this latest-in-a-never ending-series-of-old-guys-bitching-about-bullshit thread.

only person in here making any sense at all is this “Epicone” guy.

 

[Epicone]

Thanks, Mc2, unless of course I missed your sarcasm,lol

 

[x10003q]

I agree. The writer is extremely biased. There is not a word in favor of the ski industry throughout the entire book. That said, I think it would be hard to find an unbiased piece. Most of what I found that is pro-development sounds more like marketing material produced by the NSAA. It would be hard to find someone who writes from both angles. From an environmental perspective, I think the evidence is there. Ski areas are environmentally destructive.

Ski areas are destructive when only compared to not touching the land. Ski areas are not more destructive when compared to mining and lumbering or other full time extraction businesses. Ski areas are used for about 140 days/year with the bulk of the usage on 10 weekends and a few other holidays. We also need to remember that ski area acreage is about a pinhead of natural areas. The 6 million acre Adirondack Park has probably less than 3000 acres of lift served skiing or less than .0005%. There is an awful lot of scrutiny for very little land under AP rules. Recreation jobs are one way for the residents who live in the AP to remain living in the AP.

The book also gives some good information on the economic effects on small communities too. In a nutshell, part-time residents don't add much to the community, and the jobs that are created are not very secure. An example was given of people who commute over an hour to Vail in order to clean toilets.

I disagree about the part time residents statement. Part time residents pay property tax, in many cases at higher rates than locals, and barely need or use municipal services.

The job situation can be uneven, especially for seasonal businesses. But what are the other options? No ski area means zero jobs.
The worker housing issue is a problem in certain areas. Ski areas have tried to accommodate workers with housing, but it is not always so easy to provide housing. This is one area that can use some work.

I'm familiar with Act 250, but don't know the ins and outs. My buddy manages the state parks up in the North East Kingdom. He says it can be a pain in the ass for most development anywhere in the state.

If there was no Act 250, do think those community areas would have stayed in business?

A huge wave of ski areas closed in the late 1960s/ early 1970s. There were many factors involved - a couple of bad snow seasons, the gas crisis, higher insurance rates, but Vermont still got more snow that surrounding states. A small ski area would have to fight through the onerous permitting process of Act 250 and still get shot down. Extra delays to get a system approved would cause financing issues as another season or two without snowmaking to go by and cut into earnings (and skiing is a crap business). Small areas mostly did not have the financial ability to withstand the delays.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Recreation jobs are one way for the residents who live in the AP to remain living in the AP.

You can't live off of what those jobs pay. That's why logging and mining will forever be part of the Adirondacks, just the way it started.

 

[MC2]

Thanks, Mc2, unless of course I missed your sarcasm,lol

No, I appreciate your “cut through the bullshit” style

 

[MC2]

You can't live off of what those jobs pay. That's why logging and mining will forever be part of the Adirondacks, just the way it started.

See, this is bullshit. More political commentary disguised as “telling it like it is anti-environmentalism”. But if I say the obvious solution to this “problem”, then I’d be getting political and be prevented from posting.

 

[JTG]

A conversation with yourself.....now THAT’S the way to go deep cover!