美国国家公共电台 NPR Crowds Linger On The Slopes With Cheaper Ski Pass — But Locals Aren't Happy

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Skiing's long been an expensive sport. It's not uncommon¹ for a lift ticket to set you back upwards² of $200 a day. While the price of day passes has been rising, the industry has been embracing new multi-resort season passes that are cheaper than ever. They've proven to be popular but also controversial, as Ben Bergman reports.

BEN BERGMAN, BYLINE³: On a recent 50-degree bluebird day at Big Bear Mountain outside Los Angeles, skiers in short sleeves flew down the mountain. Then it was time to party at the base with loud music, beer and bragging⁵ about how many days they've skied. Here's Daniella Gogatz.

DANIELLA GOGATZ: At least over 10.

BERGMAN: Impressive until you talk to Ken⁶ Ryan. For him, this is...

KEN RYAN: Day 31.

BERGMAN: Ryan is able to afford to ski for a month because he bought something called the Ikon Pass, which was just introduced this season. It's priced starting at around $600 and includes access to dozens of resorts, including some of the most famous mountains in the world.

RYAN: It's costing me about, so far, 20 bucks⁷ a day or less at this point.

BERGMAN: Ikon and its main competitor, Epic⁸, have made it possible to ski for an entire season for what you could spend on a three-day lift ticket as long as you commit early. What's wrong with that? Well, plenty according to some locals who complain the passes are destroying the character of their beloved mountains. Matt Maydick lives in Carbondale, Colo., right outside Aspen.

MATT MAYDICK: We're seeing longer lift lines, more people on the hill. But whenever you're waiting in one of those lines, you'll always hear some local quip about, you know, the Ikon passholders.

BERGMAN: Not only because they make it too crowded but also that they're in over their heads on the mountain. In short, they don't deserve to be skiing Aspen's pristine⁹ powder. And there's been even more hostility¹⁰ in Jackson Hole. When Joe Cascia of New Jersey¹¹ visited recently, he encountered a local who griped about Ikon passholders not spending enough at local restaurants, for being cheap.

JOE CASCIA: I'm not too sure why he would have saw that as a negative because I think everybody should be trying to save money.

BERGMAN: Cascia's girlfriend usually proudly displays her Ikon Pass on her helmet. At Jackson Hole...

CASCIA: I even told her, as a guy, you might want to put that in your pocket here because it just didn't feel 100 percent welcome.

BERGMAN: Resorts, on the other hand, are embracing the passes. Taylor Middleton, the head of Big Sky Resort in Montana, penned an open editorial to local residents ordering them to be nicer.

TAYLOR MIDDLETON: There's a little heat in the community.

BERGMAN: In fact, Ikon passholders only account for a small increase in the number of visitors. The biggest reason for the crowds - well, according to Middleton, it's this year's great snow.

MIDDLETON: I think the Ikon Pass is somewhat unfairly blamed by some.

BERGMAN: Like it or not, the pass is here to stay says its chief marketer, Erik Forsell of Alterra.

ERIK FORSELL: We definitely launched with the idea of disrupting in a positive way the ski industry. And we did.

BERGMAN: Forsell says resorts like locking in guaranteed revenue in case of a bad snow year. Next season's pass just went on sale, and one skier⁴ from Salt Lake City commented on the Facebook announcement you have ruined skiing. Please stop. For NPR News, I'm Ben Bergman.

(SOUNDBITE OF MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD'S "SUGAR CRAFT")

1 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

2 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 skier   

n.滑雪运动员

参考例句：

• She is a skier who is unafraid of danger.她是一名敢于冒险的滑雪者。
• The skier skimmed across the snow.滑雪者飞快地滑过雪地。

5 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句

6 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

7 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

9 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

10 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

11 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。