From my perspective, I favor the back country experience offered by hut trips far more than the Ski Resort Experience. This favoritism has only increased now that it has been announced that resorts such as Steamboat Springs will be performing pat downs of skiers before entering the ski lifts.
The Denver Post is reporting that several Colorado Ski Areas are now beginning to perform T.S.A. pat downs of skiers before the skiers can use the ski lifts. According to the article, you will find uniformed police at several Colorado ski resorts that will require skiers to "unzip, de-layer, and turn out their pockets," Bastone writes. "Like travelers at Denver International Airport, these would-be gondola riders must run through a gauntlet of security checkpoints before taking to the skies."
I am sure this is mostly an issue with Skiers bringing illegal drugs and alcohol onto the resort, and I am sure there are situations where this is justified - like when you have probable cause. Also, skiers are using their facilities, so the resorts have the right to perform this type of search (although I think there is valid claims to the fact that most resorts operate on Federal Property, not private land).
But as a skier, where one of the main drivers is the sense of Freedom you get while skiing, why would you give up that feeling? More importantly, why would you pay $100.00 to lose that freedom? Is waiting in lift lines really that worth it? I think not. Personally, I will always feel a stronger sense of Freedom, as well as greater sense of Safety sharing a hut with strangers (even if they carry up alcohol) than I will ever feel after being searched by the police before I go skiing at a resort.
Read the entire article at the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_16763476
The Denver Post is reporting that several Colorado Ski Areas are now beginning to perform T.S.A. pat downs of skiers before the skiers can use the ski lifts. According to the article, you will find uniformed police at several Colorado ski resorts that will require skiers to "unzip, de-layer, and turn out their pockets," Bastone writes. "Like travelers at Denver International Airport, these would-be gondola riders must run through a gauntlet of security checkpoints before taking to the skies."
I am sure this is mostly an issue with Skiers bringing illegal drugs and alcohol onto the resort, and I am sure there are situations where this is justified - like when you have probable cause. Also, skiers are using their facilities, so the resorts have the right to perform this type of search (although I think there is valid claims to the fact that most resorts operate on Federal Property, not private land).
But as a skier, where one of the main drivers is the sense of Freedom you get while skiing, why would you give up that feeling? More importantly, why would you pay $100.00 to lose that freedom? Is waiting in lift lines really that worth it? I think not. Personally, I will always feel a stronger sense of Freedom, as well as greater sense of Safety sharing a hut with strangers (even if they carry up alcohol) than I will ever feel after being searched by the police before I go skiing at a resort.
Read the entire article at the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_16763476
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