<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bmwskier”>I’m sure a big part of the decision making process to allow snowboarders asks the question “How would it benefit the area?” “How much of a revenue stream will it bring in and how much would we lose by doing it?”</blockquote>
How it would hurt financially is a bigger issue in my mind. How many skiers are loyal to MRG that wouldn’t be if the restriction was lifted? Would the increase in boarders offset the decrease in skiers that reject running the area that way? How many shareholders would sell their shares and force Mad River to expense a buyback option?
As a shareholder, I am neutral on the issue. I am sympathetic to the notion that friends cannot ride together if one friend boards instead of skis. I am openly hostile to the awful defense of the ban that boarders would wreck the snow. Good boarders do just fine and bad skiers (there are a lot more of them at MRG than you might think) hacking and side slipping their way down moguls do just as much damage as a bad boarder.
To me it all comes down to the long term viability of the area. I bought my share to help “preserve and protect” which is the mission of the Coop. Eliminating the equipment restriction might be beneficial if it improves revenues. But it could also cripple the area by causing some folks to abandon the area or worse sell shares back to the coop as well. Hard to know which way it would go but I think the ban helps revenues and eliminating it would hurt financially. Just my guess.
Back to the original topic, Ski It if You Can has always been a statement that MRG is a wild mountain different from other areas. It isn’t a statement that MRG is the hardest mountain around nor that you probably can’t ski it because you aren’t good enough. In fact, MRG’s bread and butter are its youth programs which develop the next generation of MRG skiers and keep families coming to the mountain every weekend. It is a great place to learn and develop skiing natural terrain regardless of your level. But without a doubt, the slogan is in reference to challenging terrain.
