My idea of a good ski run consists of several qualities, mix em and
match em. First, wicked steeps. Honestly, if the snow is good, the steeper the better. Let me cut some sweet turns,
carve some deep powder, and slip through a chute into an open bowl. Then, there is nothing quite like tearing down a
long, straight run and trying to hit 50 mph as your boards shimmy and tears beads up in your eyes. Second, I like
bumps. Make them steep, too, what the heck. And make them consistent. Give me a gaping field of curvy, well-shaped
bumps that looks like a million VW bugs buried in a terrible storm. This is what conditions should always be
like.
But that is, alas, one man’s opinion. Turns out that baby boomers…you know, the graying, card-carrying AARP types we
call mom and dad…turns out they are getting too old for this type of terrain, and so
some ski
areas are making changes to accommodate their weakened knees and sore backs. Some areas, it turns out, are grooming
a lot more, and getting rid of the very qualities that make a ski area worth skiing.
Should we stand for this? I mean, don’t the aging get enough as it is? 15 percent discounts at the movie theater and
special plates at Dennys? Why turn the mountain over to them as well, cater to their feeble bodies and weakening minds?
Dunno. Seems a crime to me. To wreck a perfectly good ski area for a bunch of fogies.