The epic degradation of skiing in Colorado (and of I-70, too)

“Epic Pass will welcome Telluride next winter,” Jan. 30 news story.

According to your article about Telluride joining the Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass consortium, “Skiers and snowboarders notched yet another victory.” No, they didn’t. The only victorious ones are Vail’s coffers. As the industry inexorably becomes corporatized, the skiing-riding experience has degraded epically due to teeming masses swarming the hills. That’s music to corporate poohbahs’ ears; for them, it’s a numbers game. Pack them in so that they’ll drop big dollars on lodging, lessons, food and beverage. I witnessed that firsthand when an employee of Winter Park.

The toll it is taking stretches beyond the slopes to the environment and to Interstate 70, which is de facto part of the Vail Resort and Alterra infrastructures. Exacerbating the situation, the Colorado Department of Transportation has joined the gaming with its intention of ever-widening the I-70 corridor, as if that will solve the problem.

Nearly 50 years ago, former Gov. Richard Lamm led the resistance to the 1976 Olympics to prevent what is incrementally happening now. Perhaps we can entice Lamm out for one last charge or, perhaps, a new Lamm will arise from the millennials. One can hope. Send letters of 150 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 800, Denver, CO, 80202. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1331.