The West has always been a battleground.
In the Old West, it was cowboys versus Indians. In the New West, it was environmentalists against loggers, miners and ranchers. During the past 10 years, a new type of combatants have emerged: snowboarders and skiers.
While peace treaties have calmed open hostilities, ie ... on-mountain fist fights are rare these days, skirmishes still appear. One of the few remaining hot spots is one of North America's premier resorts -- Taos -- one of only four resorts that still bans snowboarders.
Taos, with its steep runs, awesome tree lines, ample snowfall and numerous cliff bands, is world-class snowboarding terrain. But don't expect to be riding there anytime soon.
Management of the family-run Taos Ski Valley are adamant that the resort live up to its name; namely the "ski" part of its moniker.
"It's not that we don't like snowboarders. It's nothing to do with image or bad stuff like that," said Chris Stagg, vice president of marketing at Taos. "We've always hung our hats on a place that's catered to skiers. We plan to keep it that way."
Taos, along with Aspen Mountain, Alta and Deer Valley, is holding out against the snowboarding deluge. And it's doing it proudly. The resort management says since other holdouts such as Keystone and Park City gave in last season, that makes Taos all the more unique -- a true skier's mecca.
"When you have a little ski resort, what can we do to distinguish ourselves against this big, mega resorts? One of the ways to distinguish ourselves and make Taos a place to come is our snowboarding policy," Stagg says.
That kind of thinking infuriates local rippers. While snowboarders in Aspen can't hit Ajax, at least they have nearby Snowmass and Aspen Highlands to satiate their powder needs. Same with Utah riders; Alta is off-limits, but riders stream to the steeps of Snowbird, Brighton and other top-notch mountains.
That's not the case in New Mexico, where Taos is the grand-daddy of all the state's resorts. At 1,100 acres, Taos is the largest of New Mexico's resorts. It's also the highest, receives the best snow and has the best terrain.
What's a frustrated rider to do? In the case of a few vigilantes, strap on hybrid snowboard that splits into skis, skin up the mountain, lock them together and turn it into an instant snowboard -- ride until the snow pigs track you down.
Snowboarders at a nearby shop, however, are taking a more pro-active stand.
Michael Johnstone, co-owner of Experience Snowboards in nearby Angel Fire, has started a campaign to "Free Taos" and open the resort up to snowboarders.
"It's the same as like not allowing a black person on a golf course. We feel it's discrimination," Johnstone says. "It's on public land. We feel we have a right to snowboard there. We just want our equal rights."
Since moving to New Mexico from Seattle a few years ago, not being able to ride at Taos has slowly been eating at Johnstone. It's just not fair when the best mountain within hundreds of miles is closed just because the owners of a mountain say so, he says.
"It's the only real premier resort in New Mexico that has the real good steep runs. It's right on western side of the highest point of New Mexico. It has the vertical and gets the great snow," Johnstone says. "I know a lot more snowboarders would come to New Mexico if they could ride there."
Inspired by activists fighting for a "Free Tibet," Johnstone and a few buddies printed up some "Free Taos" stickers and started a campaign to give snowboarders equal access to the mountain.
"We printed up 1,200 stickers two years ago. We tell people to call or write, to tell them they want to snowboard. I think eventually they will change because families will stop coming because someone in their family wants to ride," Johnstone says. "It's going to take more than just one person to change their minds. It's going to take a lot of people."
That issue is what eventually will likely change the minds of management. Last year, when Keystone and Park City dropped their ropes to snowboarders, both resorts posted record years. Snowboarders flocked to the resorts to check out the virgin terrain.
But Taos' Stagg says the no-snowboard policy could help just as much as hurt.
"We probably lose some business in the short-term, but we feel it's a wash. We figure we get just as many skiers coming here because there's no snowboarding as we lose," Stagg says. "We get 10-1 comments with people saying we're happy that you don't have snowboarding. With the people that are here, they overwhelmingly like the policy."
But what about the ones that are staying away? Again, Stagg says the ski company isn't too worried about that.
"We're not one of these big, mega resorts, obsessing on bottom-lines. We've always been a family-run place, we've done things our way. If you don't like it, you can always go somewhere else," Stagg says.
For Johnstone, life as a lonely campaigner isn't all that bad. Until Taos is open to the masses, he gets off by riding at Angel Fire and other New Mexico resorts.
"It's not that big of a deal. We just want to be able to ride at Taos. It's the best around and the whole scene would really take off if we could get in there," he says.
Until then, the battle lines are drawn. |
