Comments on: Backcountry Skiing News Roundup

By: Lou

Lou — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:04:55 +0000

Greydon, good point about customer service. Also, indeed good to be involved in planning process. Locals here did that by building bandit bicycle trails that got included in the latest USFS Forest Travel Plan. I have to admit that was a surprise! Enviros are livid, to put it mildly. And they have a point when they say “if that’s how we’re going to get new trails, then how does this whole process have any meaning?” As a recreation advocate I’m glad to see new trails by whatever means, but I’d certainly prefer they were created by working within the system — if that was possible. Reality is that getting a new trail built requires immense effort before a shovel even hits the ground. Now we know it’s easier to just go build it then hope it’ll get included in the travel plan. Interesting.

Eric, thanks for the real story. Perhaps you should be writing for Freeskier?

By: Eric T

Eric T — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 02:29:08 +0000

A few of us tried to live and ski in Ogden, before the olympics and after the upgrades in lifts. That lasted one season, we were out of there the last day of skiing. Finding a decent job in that town is nearly impossible if you are not mormon (calling it like it is). Good luck to anyone trying to live and ski there. The resort is okay (short , real short, steeps, otherwise flat as a pancake), the backcountry is okay as well, nothing like the Tetons or Sierras or the Cottonwoods. So, it will be very hard for the city to promote the snow sports side of things in the long run. Also, the air quality in the area is nothing to write home about, unless you like smog.

By: Steve Seckinger

Steve Seckinger — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 00:51:01 +0000

Park City (where I live) has been getting more of the business parts of the industry in the last few years. American Ski Company moved business ops here, Rossi/Quicksilver moved here, and Backcountry.com moved to Park City (from not-very-far-away Heber). I don’t think these have had as much impact though as the dramatic growth in PC as a hotbed for vacation homes.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 00:09:07 +0000

150 yurts and huts…in Montana? I only knew of about 3. Huh. And BCA distributing Rottefella makes total sense. Why split your products around to multiple distributors? Skiing as part of the whole of outdoor recreation might be growing, but isn’t resort skiing a no-growth industry that struggles year after year due to declining participant numbers?

By: Greydon Clark

Greydon Clark — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:33:04 +0000

â€œDear blog readers, do you really care who imports and distributes the gear you buy?â€?

No. But one of Rottefellaâ€™s old distributors was exceptionally LAME on the customer service front, so Iâ€™m glad a solid company like BCA is now involved. I assume Iâ€™ll be able to call them and order some needed parts for my R-8s.

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Also, if you only read Wildsnow.com youâ€™d think 95% of the National Forest system was off-limits to everyone but high level Masons and direct decedents of John Muir. Instead grumbling about the local chapter of the Sierra Club having Congress wrapped around their finger and being able to create Wilderness Areas at will; all of us who enjoy recreating on public land need to get involved the planning process of our local national forest and make sure our interests are represented. More people + better gear = more user conflicts. Itâ€™s time to get past the rhetoric, Lou, be a leader.