| In the early 80s, less than 10% of all ski | | | | represents an almost politically incorrect |
| resorts in the USA permitted access to | | | | discrimination, on a par with sexism and |
| snowboarders. Nowadays, just 4 anti-snowboard | | | | racism, and is something which should have |
| resorts remain. As snowboarding entered the | | | | been stamped out long ago. |
| main stream - going from a renegade fad to | | | | |
| becoming an Olympic sport - resorts across | | | | Indeed, the skier-snowboarder rivalry has for |
| the world have embraced snowboarding | | | | the large part disappeared from the slopes of |
| customers. | | | | the world. Anyone who has spent extended time |
| | | | skiing or snowboarding can tell you that |
| And why not? Skiing was getting stale, and | | | | whatever animosity once existed has long |
| snowboarding was attracting a whole new | | | | since faded, and the only place the feud |
| generation of snow sports enthusiasts who had | | | | still manifests itself is in the pages of |
| no previous interest in the two-plank | | | | tabloid type media which seek to stir up a |
| discipline. The more foresightful ski resorts | | | | story whenever a skier and snowboarder have |
| quickly realised that by promoting | | | | any type of collision on the slope. The truth |
| snowboarding, and building areas called | | | | in these matters is almost always invariably |
| terrain parks which had specially made jumps, | | | | down to fact that one or both were beginners, |
| they could reap the financial rewards. It | | | | rather than having anything to do with their |
| wasn't long before the idea spread to other | | | | chosen snow sport. |
| resorts and people realised that rather than | | | | |
| being a fad to be shunned, snowboarding was a | | | | No one knows how long the slopes, ski chalets |
| cash cow waiting to be milked. | | | | and hotels in Salt Lake City will be waiting |
| | | | for snowboarders to arrive, but for the |
| But Alta, a renowned ski resort in Utah's | | | | foreseeable future, Alta is sticking to its |
| Salt Lake City, remains strongly opposed to | | | | snow guns and remains the last line of |
| the snowboard movement and in doing so, has | | | | defence for die-hard skiers, who still pine |
| become a bone of contention in snowboarding | | | | for the time when the slopes were free of the |
| circles, yet worshipped by many of the older | | | | 'reckless snowboard hoodlum'; the fact that |
| skier generation, in equal zeal. | | | | Alta have just brought out a new |
| Snowboarders' opinions vary from bitterness | | | | "no-snowboarders" t-shirt suggests that the |
| to apathy; some don't care and are happy to | | | | two-planks brigade have no plans to change |
| take their business elsewhere; yet for | | | | their skiers-only policy any time soon. |
| others, Alta's reluctance to modernise, | | | | |