Here's a fun way to spend those idle hours at the computer: looking at web sites about lost ski areas.
Seriously. In this world of mega-resorts and high speed lifts, there are a lot of ski areas that're no longer around. Skiing's a tough business, and for whatever reason, some areas just couldn't make it.
Weeds grow on the slopes. Rust accumulates on the chair lift towers.
It's pretty sad, when you think about it. But by going to these web sites, you can get a sense of skiing as it was years ago. Hey, you may have even skied at one of these places. In that case, prepare yourself for a trip down memory lane:
New England Lost Ski Areas: 573 lost ski areas in New England and 61 elsewhere
Colorado's Lost Ski Areas: 140 dormant ski areas
Mid-Atlantic Lost Ski Areas: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina; 34 dormant areas
Lost Ski Areas of Washington: 47 lost areas
Alaska's Lost Ski Areas: 96 lost areas
Lost New Mexico Ski Areas: 8 lost areas
Just totaled it up -- that's 959 areas right there. Wow. Imagine if only a fraction of these opened again!
While we're in a historical mode, here's another great site: Teachski.com. It's a historical look at skiing through photos, trail maps, brochures, booklets, and other memorabilia. Check it out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
In addition to looking at the "lost" ski area sites, you may like to take a hike of them. Some of the older areas look as though the owner just left, leaving much of the old lifts intact. There are some interesting contraptions that were used for lifts out there rusting. http://teachski.com/Areas/gaplift3_small.jpg
Post a Comment