After reading the Pulitzer winning ‘Snowfall’ last week, I was surfing some travel news, perhaps subconsciously hoping I could be out on the ski slopes rather than reading a political science textbook, and an article on avalanche safety caught my eye. Sighting all of the injuries and fatalities in both backcountry and in-bound avalanches throughout the past decade, they mentioned an Incident that occurred at the Taos ski resort in New Mexico just last month. This brought me to a separate piece on the history and development of Taos, where two young skiers were killed in an In-bound avalanche this January.
Taos Had History and Mystique, but Few Skiers. Can a New Owner Change That?
Reluctantly clicking on this article, half expecting an ad campaign for another high-class resort, this piece went into how long and personal the history of this mountain really is, and how, under new ownership, it really is on its way to revolutionizing the world of big-mountain skiing, while still keeping its roots.
The article opens with a quote from one of the long time regulars of the mountain and ski patrol member, Dave Hahn. After being asked what he thought when he heard the owner was selling the place, Hahn responded, Light heartedly “That’s funny, a lot of us thought we owned it.” Within the first paragraph of the article you understand how deep of a connection many people had with the mountain, and how important it was to the writer to get that point across. Shortly after the writer mentions the history of the mountain and the allure of the desert-like scenery surrounding it. After knowing the property was sold, hearing a ‘Mom and Pop’ history behind the mountain, mixed with a beautiful description of the surrounding nature will give any ski loving reading a familiar anxiety about what its new, corporate buyer may have in store.
After being sold to international real-estate mogul, Louis Bacon, the resort took on 300 million dollars’ worth of renovations. From a new monstrous base hotel, to a controversial ski lift taking skiers up to the dangerous terrain where the fatal avalanche occurred. Mentioned later in the article was a long time trust between Bacon and former owner Mickey Blake. The Blake family new that Bacon was interested, and in their words saying “He’s headed in the direction we wanted to go.” This does ease some of the initial resentment toward the new corporate ownership. What immediately got me on the website ready to book my trip to Taos, however, was hearing that once under the new ownership Taos was active seeking an B-corp badge.
To become a certified B-corporation you must, in their words “meet the highest standard of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability”. For a business that size to earn this certification, it means millions of dollars a year must be spent in reducing the environmental impact or your business, providing strong benefits and high wages to employees, and making charitable donations in the community.
To see a place like Taos be bought out and turned into a large cooperation-style mountain is never initially heartwarming, but knowing it’s in good hands and growing as a conscious sustainable business that gives back to the community and the environment can really restore one’s faith in a growing corporate world.
Diary of a Fourth Year Junior 