Is this the Golden Age?

[graham418]

As I was just replying to @bbinder 's thread, Help me obsess, I started thinking. One day, will we look back at this point in time and reminisce that this was the Golden Age of Skiing?
We ski on fantastic equipments, arguably the best ever, wear the most technologically advanced clothing. We go on amazing ski vacations, or technology has allowed us to live and work where we play.
Ski technique has evolved to a point where you wonder , will or can it get any better ? Snow making and lifts are the best ever .
Is this it? is this peak skiing? Climate change will bring change to our sport, along with other factors such as the loss of cheap airfare.
I don't want to be the downer at the party, but is this as good is it gets?
Oh, and we get to discuss all this on a great forum

 

[Paul Lutes]

Is it better than the past? Mostly yes; is it better than the future? Who knows?

 

[KingGrump]

I am still stuck in the good old days.

 

[David]

No. The golden age is sadly long gone.

 

[CalG]

I've got some nice memories that I am sure will not be repeated.

It's a population issue.

No matter where you go, there you are.

 

[SSSdave]

No, not even close although skiing gear has never been better, the effort to gain modest skiing skills has never been easier, and ski resorts, especially large ones have much more to offer. With the rise of snowboarding, then cable tv, then the Internet, and rise of gasoline transportation costs, media pays much less attention to our sport.

Today costs for a day of skiing are multiple times more expensive. Back then one was not stuck on just skiing season pass resorts due to high walk up lift ticket prices.. The Golden Age was before the early 90s, when ski bums could still park in resort lots, when one turned on the TV during winter and would find at least one of the 3 network channels with ski racing on Saturday mid day, when lift lines were full of people like one sees in Hot Dog, when resort towns still had at least a few cheap places to lodge, when resorts didn't groom every possibly medium gradient slope where moguls form, when one could eat lunch for 2 or 3 bucks, when after ski days restaurants and bars were full of people with rock music everywhere, and people actually were actually dancing.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Thinking every generation assumes their's is/was/will be the best. The Vikings that planted corn in Greenland in 1350 AD thought that global warming was really cool. The lst skier on metal skis thought it will never get better than this. The plastic boot, parabolic ski, ski wax, a binding that actually released were all generational motivators for the thought, "...it will never get any better..." and then it did. History repeats itself

 

[Bad Bob]

For those late teens to late 20's these are their good old days.

Least personal responsibility overall best physical condition, fewest nagging injuries. Old enough to know better but young enough not to care too much. For many the kid thing hasn't started. Enjoy them those that are there.

 

[Ken_R]

As I was just replying to @bbinder 's thread, Help me obsess, I started thinking. One day, will we look back at this point in time and reminisce that this was the Golden Age of Skiing?
We ski on fantastic equipments, arguably the best ever, wear the most technologically advanced clothing. We go on amazing ski vacations, or technology has allowed us to live and work where we play.
Ski technique has evolved to a point where you wonder , will or can it get any better ? Snow making and lifts are the best ever .
Is this it? is this peak skiing? Climate change will bring change to our sport, along with other factors such as the loss of cheap airfare.
I don't want to be the downer at the party, but is this as good is it gets?
Oh, and we get to discuss all this on a great forum

The gear is WORLDS better now but the overall experience I dont know. Crowds are crazy and attitude on the hill is at an all time high. Costs are insane as well.

 

[Eagle93]

Skiing today is very good.. but I miss the lift prices, lower crowds, and ambiance if you will, of the 90s. My first trips out west in 94 or so, I recall stopping at King Soopers in Denver and buying Winter Park lift tickets for something like $33, and you could rent a decent ski condo that would sleep 6-8 people for $100 or maybe $150 even during the holidays.

Much different today with lift tickets at my local bump/hill in MN costing about $50, lift out west in excess of $100 a day and ski condos, well you can find some decent rates on VRBO and the like. Thank goodness my income is much higher than it was in the 90s, but a good part of the market is getting priced out of the sport.

I'm starting to sound my parents now though - "I remember when gas cost $0.25 per gallon.."

 

[Tom Co.]

In the glory days before fat skis and snowboards we had powder days not powder hour and that was on the weekends.

 

[DoryBreaux]

I don't think there ever was or ever will be a golden age of skiing. Maybe a golden age of gear, or a golden age of conditions (probably way back when the Chinese were using 16 foot wooden planks and a paddle/rudder), or a golden age of culture (which I really don't think we've seen yet), but I really don't think the stars will ever align to create a true "golden age of skiing" as a whole.

 

[Philpug]

IMHO the 70's were the golden age for the sport, it is when skiing grew into a lifestyle, freestyle was still free, the sport still had style, ski areas were everywhere and lift tickets were cheap. With that said, I would rather ski today than then. Passes are inexpensive for what you have access to, the gear is eons better than it has ever been and we have the best ski site and community on the planet.

 

[Phelmut]

Not sure. Have fun and get some.

 

[Eleeski]

Hell yes!

Life's good! Was good before and will be good after. All golden.

I'm going to enjoy it.

Eric

 

[David]

I think the golden age was from WWII to the 60's when there was something romantic about skiing. It seemed like it was an every man thing, Hollywood was on board, skiing was setting the tone for clothing styles (even for city folk) and local hills were poping up everywhere. My own metropolitan area once had 7 areas with lifts and now we have 2. Sure the runs are prepared better and equipment is so much easier but most people don't even think about spending a day outside in the winter or even trying to ski anymore.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Eagle, lift tic were $33.00. When I started Wed were $2.00 for a lift ticket an $2.00 for a lesson at Soda Springs. AND, if you want ambience in skiing don't move to Northern Idaho as it is really crowded here. This pic taken of partner and my tracks on a crowded day 1030am Lookout Pass.

 

[mdf]

Day tickets have gone up... $ 33 in 1994 is equivalent to $57 today, so they are about twice as much.
But season passes have gone down. I think I paid around $800 for a Killington season pass in 1982 or 83, which is equivalent to $2096 today. But a K unlimited season pass (early purchase) is $939, about half. Not to mention Ikon or MCP.

Airfare has gone up some in the last few years, but it is still cheaper (relatively) than it was in the 1980's.

Housing costs have gotten way out of whack with what is sustainable, but that is bigger than skiing. When the people who make things run (whether ski lift ops or school teachers) can't afford to live a reasonable distance from where they work, there is a systematic problem. (Not one I know the answer to, by the way.)

 

[SecretAgentMan]

No. The Golden Age of skiing is 1971-1975. Skiing was a niche sport and you were a cool dude who skied at Bridger Bowl with other cool dudes. You ate a sandwich and drank a beer for lunch in your car while you listened to "The Girl From Ipanema" on the radio by Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto.

Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes ahhh

 

[x10003q]

IMHO the 70's were the golden age for the sport, it is when skiing grew into a lifestyle, freestyle was still free, the sport still had style, ski areas were everywhere and lift tickets were cheap. With that said, I would rather ski today than then. Passes are inexpensive for what you have access to, the gear is eons better than it has ever been and we have the best ski site and community on the planet.

This is a great post, but you forgot the insane lift lines. A 30-45 minute wait on a main double chairlift was common on weekends during the 1970s. The only relief was skiing an odd, out of the way lift (I am sure you remember the Hunter racing chair) or going to an area with weak snowmaking - something else that sucked in the 1970s. Now there are high capacity lifts and 100% snowmaking at most major Eastern areas. Lift lines max out on a normal midwinter weekend at 10 minutes on main lifts, plus it no longer takes 20 minutes to get to the top, either, as the longer lifts have been replaced by detachables. This has contributed to more crowding on the slopes and trails getting skied off earlier in the day. It has also turned powder days on the weekends into powder minutes. But it is still better today as I would rather be skiing than standing in a lift line.