A Clash of Cultures
Abstract
The clash of cultures between skiers and snowboarders has brought about many new problems to the United States ski-industry. Resorts and local skiing mountains have to start looking at ways to maintain stability within the industry while not altering the sense of freedom that both skiers and snowboarders obtain from their activities.
Introduction
The United States ski-industry has begun to see an increase in popularity in general, but there have been some negatives. James C. Makens writes about the quarrel between skiers and snowboarders in many aspects, but focuses mainly on the challenge that ski resorts and the ski-industry have to face. The article written by Makens entitled, "A Ski-industry challenge," explains the main points of conflict between these similar activities and the lifestyles that surround them.
The basis of this article is to bring attention to a changing market that must be attended to soon or else the whole ski-industry and related industries will be affected. The solution to this problem is subjective, but Makens believes that "fear-reducing strategies" will help ease the culture clash. By reducing the fear that currently occurs between skiers and snowboarders, then each side will be able to understand each other’s culture better and be able to live and play harmoniously.
Results
Makens makes some very important points in the article stating how each activity has it’s own culture and lifestyle to it, thereby creating a collision of ideals and attitudes. There is a definite clash between reasoning behind each activity. Makens claims that most skiers are concerned about "alpine pleasure," which is the enjoyment of the natural environment and the tranquility of the surroundings. On the other hand, also discussed in the article is that snowboarders focus more on the "adrenaline rush" of their activity by desiring more extreme situations, equipment, and overall speed.
There is the "fear factor" that Makens claims to be one of the major reasons why skiers and snowboarders do not meld well. Each activity has its own style to it, but because of the change in attitude and the increase of slope velocity through technological advances, collisions no matter what form have become feared. Even though collisions have always occurred, they are often nowadays seen as being intentionally caused by one-side acting out of release of constraints.
Makens also states that corporations in the ski-industry do not believe that fear is the major concern, but that "hassle, cost, and competition" are the majority of challenges to skier retention (Makens, 2001). Separation of skiers and snowboarders was a possible solution for resorts to construct and implement. There is statistical data that promotes "segmentation and physical separation of downhill snowsport participants" (Makens, 2001). This idea lacks the reasoning behind the entire ski-industry’s basis of existence. People choose to ski and snowboard because of [next page]