For nearly every family vacation I've been on as long as I can remember, my family has taken the 2 hour flight out to Jackson Hole Wyoming, where we ski, raft, hike, fish, eat, and be merry. The story goes that my Dad took a business trip out there once and loved the place, and as a result of countless trips out to Wyoming, my brothers and I have fell in love with it as well. Pictured above is Jackon's main street, complete with the world famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, and at the bottom is one of the areas many iconic views of the Teton Mountains. Anyway over the past 9 or 10 years we've been travleing out there, I've noticed a dramatic change in the atmosphere of the town and ski resort. Prices of lift tickets, parking, food, nearly everything has increased and the place is catering more to tourists and less to locals and loyal visitors every year. The moment that this idea for a blog post came to me was when my family was pulling up to the parking lot in our rental car. The price for parking close to the mountain was 12 bucks, and what my dad said intrigued me, he said, "I remember when parking was free if you had 5 people in your car." The lady just smiled and gave my dad his change. And in the locker room I overheard a group of locals talking about the very same issue. Allegedly back in the day, if you bought a lift ticket and a six pack of beer and you knew someone who knew someone you'd get a free ticket no problem. Nowadays, its about $90 for a full day all mountain pass. Another noticeable change in the area is the food. When we first started skiing there, the only food right on the mountain was a bagel shop called Bridger Bagels with no more than a half dozen tables. Now, Cafe 6311 charges 6 dollars for a bagel with cream cheese. It's ridiculous, I understand that they're trying to make money... but it seems they're trying to nickel and dime you at every turn. Another long winded example would be the rental shop, though I have my own gear and no longer rent we all used to. And our first winter the man who helped us out was named Albi Miller, and he was from Winnetka also. He and my dad hit it off and enjoyed chatting, and when it was time to ring us up, we got 6 pairs of skis, boots, and poles for the price of one. Sadly, there is no longer an "Albi Discount", partly because he's long gone, but partly because I know that would never fly now. Its really sad, my favorite place in the world is slowly becoming the next vail and its hard to watch.
It is disappointing to see the commercialization of these places, that are very few in number yet widely loved by the masses. It's surprising that the resort believes that they will sell a bagel with cream cheese for $6. Despite the apparent recession, people today are still spending money over the holiday season to get away. Jackson hole resorts, have realized the demand for the "merriness" that skiing, rafting, and hiking bring to tourists. They have greedily taken advantage of them.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I really liked your finishing line about Vail, as my family has a timeshare there that we visit every few years. We have been looking to sell it for a long time, as we rarely use it, but there is one thing that keeps us coming back. My family is not exactly outdoorsy (I was the only person in my family who skied for more than one day over winter break). My family likes the fact that there is so much more than skiing to do.
ReplyDeleteI think most Americans are like my family, lazy and in need of creature comforts. Because of this, America is one big tourist attraction when you think about. Go to Monticello and there is a gift shop. Go to Nasa head quarters, more gift shops. Lets be honest, too, Vail is not short of any gift shops.
I think Americans will always prefer fake "outdoors" or history or space exploration, because we are too lazy and stupid to seek out the real thing. That said, fake outdoors does not come cheap, not only are the real skiers pushed out, but us fake skiers pay a lot of money to ski in Vail. A lift ticket is $97, a normal condo is worth well over a million dollars. Whether my dad spent all day at the Wine and Fine Liquor shop (selling a construct btw) or my sisters were shopping and hanging out at Starbucks, I kept wondering why people payed so much to not ski... its is a brand that Vail has constructed for itself.
By the way, after reading this, it made my family sound ridiculously rich. We own a timeshare in "the cheapest building in Vail" and only went out for meals twice. My dad bought stuff in the clearance section from the wine store and I don't think my sisters bought anything that was uber expensive.
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