Dear HCN,
In its single-minded
pursuit of ever-increasing profits and greater market share, it
seems Vail has finally stirred some resistance from folks not
overly concerned with such niceties as the legality of their
actions, and who exhibit a downright healthy disdain for the
property of large corporations. Well, God bless the Earth
Liberation Front! The pious outpourings of shock and anger from the
tourism and ski industries are to be expected, but the expressions
of disapproval from the mainstream environmental groups seem a bit
strained. They need to distance themselves from these acts to
maintain their respectability, especially a venerable old dinosaur
like the Sierra Club, no matter what spark of joy some of them, as
individuals, might feel in their hearts and share in private. Of
course, there are political realities at work, and maybe these
fires weren’t the wisest acts. But then again, who really knows? A
little sabotage against the corporate state and in defense of
wilderness is a healthy thing. It adds spice to the political stew
and lifts the spirits of those of us who value solitude, simplicity
and wild places over the noisy clamor of industrial
recreation.
Vail Resorts will press forward with
its plans to expand into the Two Elk Creek area. And, ironically,
this bloated monster crouching in the mountains above Gore Creek
and the Eagle River, sucking in money and increasing the wealth of
the already wealthy while giving back low-wage jobs, unaffordable
housing, pollution and habitat fragmentation, will spin this
sabotage to elicit maximum sympathy.
Now, I’m
not opposed to skiing. I’ve spent countless days in the
backcountry, sleeping in snow caves or tents, making tracks far
from the sounds of civilization. I’ve skied and enjoyed many of
Colorado’s small resorts: Eldora, Loveland, Monarch, Purgatory.
It’s really a matter of scale. The Vails and Aspens of the world
are the Wal-Marts and Home Depots of the ski world: Big machines
for funneling capital into the hands of a wealthy few in exchange
for low-wage jobs, habitat destruction and huge increases in
demands on existing infrastructure that lower the quality of life
for almost all who live in the community. Meanwhile, the money goes
elsewhere, out of the area, out of state, maybe even out of the
country. The modern colonialism: Smile while you say “Would you
like fries with that?” and make your $7/hour; be grateful for
whatever job you have while you’re making the treacherous
one-hour-each-way-when-the-weather-is-good commute from Leadville
to Vail.
The small resorts generally keep more
of the wealth within the community, and contribute positively to
the lives of residents. It is this type of development that should
be encouraged; any further growth of the big gorillas of the
industry should be discouraged in every way
possible.
I can only imagine that the ghost of
Ed Abbey is looking down on this little act of protest from the
canyon and rimrock, scorpion- and rattlesnake-infested heaven I
hope he’s living in, and smiling while he drinks his whiskey and
eats his beans around the celestial campfire.
Michael E. Adams
Lafayette,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Three cheers for the arsonists at Vail.
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