The cultural struggle was essentially over by the time snowboarding made its way onto the majority of American ski slopes. In less than ten years, what had begun as an unwanted intrusion into ski culture in the early 1980s—boards prohibited, lift tickets refused, and snowboarders sent to secondary slopes if allowed at all—became fully accepted at practically every resort in the nation. According to Smithsonian coverage of the time, the diplomatic effort that paved the way was meticulous, patient, and ultimately successful. Nearly everywhere. After considering that consensus, three American mountains refused to back down. They are still in possession of it.
Alta Ski Area is located in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, approximately 40 minutes southeast of Salt Lake City. One of the most prestigious mountains in American skiing, it attracts serious skiers who want to ski without the distractions of terrain parks and the larger snowboarding culture that has influenced the design and atmosphere of most major resorts.
Due to the resort’s location on U.S. Forest Service land, there have been legal challenges claiming that a private operator cannot discriminate against a group of visitors on public territory. One case was heard in court, dismissed, and then appealed. Alta stayed ski-only the entire time. The mountain’s regular visitors, who make reservations early each season to ride the Wildcat lift and discuss the powder conditions on Alf’s High Rustler, typically view the provision as a benefit rather than a limitation. That feature might be the product exactly as the director of communications at Deer Valley proposed.
Important Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Alta Ski Area | altaskiarea.com — Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah; Wasatch Mountains; skier-only since the resort’s founding; sits on U.S. Forest Service land |
| Deer Valley Resort | Park City, Utah — opened 1981; ski-only from day one; described by communications director Emily Summers as a top reason guests choose the resort; 2,026 acres of groomed terrain |
| Mad River Glen | Fayston, Vermont — cooperatively owned since 1995; originally allowed snowboarding (one of the first U.S. resorts to do so, circa 1986); banned in 1991–1992 season due to safety issues on the historic 1948 single chair; ban upheld by 75% of cooperative members in a 1995 vote |
| Total U.S. Resorts Banning Snowboarding | Three — the only three remaining on the continent |
| Legal Challenge | A group sued Alta on the grounds that the ban violated federal non-discrimination law (resort sits on U.S. Forest land); case was dismissed; appeal followed |
| Mad River Glen’s Single Chair | The 1948 vintage single-chair lift — snowboarders exiting the lift caused it to derail from its sheave wheels; the safety problem triggered the original ban |
| Deer Valley Survey Data | Resort’s own guest surveys consistently identify the ski-only policy as the number one reason guests choose Deer Valley over other Utah resorts |
| Nearby Alternatives | Alta — Snowbird next door; Deer Valley — Park City Mountain Resort adjacent; Mad River Glen — Sugarbush nearby |
| Snowboarders in U.S. | Approximately eight million active snowboarders in the United States as of recent seasons |
Another type of ski-only resort is Deer Valley. Deer Valley promotes itself as something more akin to five-star hotel management applied to a mountain, whereas Alta tends toward the hardcore, the terrain-obsessed, and the individuals who get up before dawn to be first in the lift line. Every morning when you arrive at the parking lot, a valet picks up your skis. The grooming is flawless. The service approach is attentive in the same way that high-end hospitality is attentive—the little things are consistently and dependably completed.
According to Deer Valley’s director of communications, who spoke with Powder magazine, the resort regularly surveys its visitors, and the ski-only policy is the main factor that draws them in. Not the landscape. It’s not the snow. the lack of snowboards. It’s difficult to say if that’s a reflection of a specific type of skier who finds significance in the distinction or a compliment to the policy’s actual impact on the skiing experience, but Deer Valley has created a brand around it and doesn’t seem to have any plans to change.
Of the three, Mad River Glen in Vermont has had the most difficult relationship with snowboards throughout history. Around 1986, when many resorts were still prohibiting snowboarding, it was actually one of the first ski areas in the nation to permit it. The 1991 ban was mechanical rather than ideological. A relic from a time before doubles and quads were common, the resort’s iconic lift is a 1948 vintage device that lifts one passenger at a time up the mountain in total seclusion. The lift was derailing from its sheave wheels because snowboarders had to push off the seat in order to evacuate the single chair.
The exit technique needed for snowboarding could not be securely accommodated by the single chair. When Mad River Glen changed to cooperative ownership in 1995, the members voted 75 to 25 percent to maintain the full mountain prohibition because to the lift issue. According to the co-op’s bylaws, changing the policy requires a two-thirds supermajority, and no such vote has even approached passing. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that a mountain whose snowboard ban is directly related to one very particular, very ancient piece of equipment has been upheld by decades of member votes unrelated to the one chair.
The philosophical and legal arguments surrounding these three resorts have consistently remained fascinating but have never been settled. The public character of the area takes precedence over the operator’s private character, according to Alta’s detractors, who contend that a resort operating on federal forest land cannot limit access based on equipment choice. There has been disagreement between Alta and the courts that considered the matter.
Operating on private property, Deer Valley and Mad River Glen do not have a comparable legal argument. The resorts have refused to take seriously the larger cultural question of whether the restrictions uphold an antiquated prejudice against a sport that is now completely popular and practiced by about eight million Americans as justification for making any changes. They contend that their visitors have often cast ballots using their wallets. As the generation of skiers who grew up with snowboards as the adversary aging out of the market, it is still uncertain if this will continue to be the case.
