It's important to be aware of what is happening in other ski towns, particularly in Colorado and Utah. A group of local planners and residents recently traveled to Aspen to study the town and the Roaring Fork Valley. The Industry and amenities-seeking homeowners have irrevocably changed the landscape from wild lands to cities in the mountains. The ski complexes that lie along the Interstate 70 route between Denver and Aspen are enormous. When they're full, they count hundreds of thousands of visitors and residents.
Houses blanket the hillsides.
The 2002 Olympics venues are changing the face of Park City, Utah. It's no condo complex. It is a village on the order of Whistler, B.C., complete with retail operations. Compared to all this, the Wood River Valley is a sleepy little backwater. Our towns look quaint and small, and have a wild feel that similar towns in Colorado lost long ago.