Mad River Glen and the Burton Problem

Three “ski” areas in the country are still ski-only: Snowboards are not allowed. That’s quite a change from the late 1980s.

The three are Alta and Deer Valley, in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont.

Mad River Glen is a co-op, and its members like it just the way it is. That’s fine with me, but a certain snowboard company has encouraged riders to take their equipment to the Glen (and the other holdouts) and ride them. “We’re all about rebellion,” the thinking goes.

I’m not a great fan of the idea–it just strikes me wrong on so many levels–but the marketing director of Mad River Glen isn’t bothered. He belongs to the school of “any publicity is good publicity.”

Martin Griff reports.