Winter Park has always dealt with an unfortunate identity crisis. As a resort that was developed and wholly-owned by the city of Denver until recently, the resort began as an affordable escape for city folk looking to ski. The resort was seen as a less-expensive alternative to other resorts in the area and a quasi-locals-only mountain with an unquestionable Colorado atmosphere and a focus on providing quality skiing without all of the frills. That plan was only bolstered with the introduction of Mary Jane, an experts-only area adjacent to the existing Winter Park resort that was created by Winter Park. The move came in stark contrast to the aforementioned nearby mountains whose leadership was increasingly focused on commercialization. However, while Winter Park may have appealed to its base with the development of Mary Jane, its moves since then have alienated those same fanatics. In the decades since, Winter Park has been bought and has sold by multiple investment firms and has shifted most of its focus from improving its skiing to bolstering its profits while attempting to retain its image as a skiing-oriented resort. The growing divide between the resort and its devoted clientele is emblematic of similar phenomena at other resorts and may provide insights into the future of ski community politics and how such issues can be avoided in the future.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my family, friends, classmates, and fellow skiers and snowboarders from Winter Park for inspiring me to pursue this project.
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