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Show B-17 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 8-10, 2004 MOUNTAIN TOWN N EWS A Roundup of Hews from other Western ski MIKE BECK Whistler film festival looks to define its niche NELSON, B.C. - After the presBy ALLEN BEST idential election, thousands of Record guest writer Americans - including many from WHISTLER. B.C. - The mountain towns - began muttering Whistler Film Feslival is going into about moving to Canada, much like its fourth year this December, and draft resisters had in the 1960s. It such descriptions as a "fledgling turns out that Nelson, B.C. a mounSundance" are heing heard, lliis tain town halfway between Calgary idea of "'Sundance of the North" lias and Vancouver, has the highest a sexy sound, hut is it realistic? asks number of draft resislers. Pique newsmagazine. Now. those resisters have become Like Park City, where the a new center of controversy. Isaac Sundance festival is held. Whistlers Romano, a peace activist who status as a mountain resort alone moved to Nelson several years ago, makes it draw for film buffs. But befriended several of the resisters beyond that, the newspaper finds and decided they deserved recognievidence that the Whistler event is tion. "Among the right wing in the U.S.. they arc often stereotyped as still trying lo figure out its niche. One idea is that Whistler needs cowards," he told The New YoA to. concentrate on the small films. Times "It broke my heart to have to Lots of good films seem lo drop see this kind o\~ ridicule to a populathrough the cracks at Toronto's tion thai has contributed so much" esteemed film feslival. As such. to Canada's tolerance and creativity. Whistler could become a leading Romano then announced his place for independent Canadian idea of building a large bronze monfilms to be discovered, just as ument in the form of a man and a American filmmakers Qucntin woman greeted by a Canadian with Tarantino ("Reservoir Dogs") and outstretched arms. He expected Steven Soderbergh ("sex lies and only a local ripple, but instead, the videotape") were discovered at news spread into the United Slates. Sundance. The Veterans of Foreign Wars was Ultimately, however, some think outraged. A radio station in Whistler should not hope to become Spokane, Wash., located three hours Sundance. "It's bursting at the away, called for a boycott. Some seams. Its outgrown the facilities. skiers cancelled trips. It's outgrown the town." says Hie l i n e s reports that Nelson's Maclean's magazine writer Brian D. city government, fearing reduced Johnson, one of Canada's top film tourism, has withdrawn support for critics. funding such a monument. Whistler may instead being emu- Meanwhile, Romano is planning a lating Telluride s film feslival, which war resisters' festival in the summer has been held for the past 31 days on of 2006. lo be called "Our Way Labor Day Weekend. "We want Home Reunion." Whistler to be Sundance in the way The resisters tell of a mixed bag of discoveries, but realistically we in Nelson, a town of 9.000. 'Die know we'll never match it as a mar- largest employer, a paper manufacket," said Bill Evans programming turer, closed in the 1980s, and jobs director for the Whistler event. "If are difficult. On the other hand, the there's a festival we should model community has more yoga instrucourscIves after. iI s more the tors, organic bakers, and acupuncTelluride festival, kind of a 'bou- turists than some large cities. tique' festival. A quieter festival, but Whitewater is the closest ski area, equally esteemed." but there are a number of heli-sking The Telluride festival has man- and cat-skiing operations in the aged to maintain a sense of commu- vicinity nity. Evans notes. Thai sense of community has been pushed into •Tbe many ripples from a new the background at the rock *n' roll airport celebrity zoo that is Sundance. A good festival. Evans adds, is a LUIAN, China - Can there be balancing act. Too much business any doubt about the way thai transand you lose the community, Too portation, even if in the name of ecomuch community and you lose the tourism, can transform a region businesses and hence the industry environmentally and culturally? buzz-generating potential. 'Hie New Yoik limes tells about a recent jump in tourism lo Lijian. •War resisters flocked to China. Until the mid-1990s, this region of the Jade Dragon Snow im town Mountain saw only a trickle of back- packers, those willing to take a three-day bus trip. The trickle became a flood after 1995, when an airport was opened with direct (lights to several Chinese cities. Locals customs have been affected by this influx, says I b e limes. For example, with swelled demand, some of the loads are willing to risk fines to log local forests, so that they can build bigger homes. 'ITie old culture was that only the big trees could ix; cut. and the small ones must be protected. 'Hie 'limes suggested that an eco-lodge that the writer stayed in was exempt from the process of ramped-up consumption. •Ice dfanbers risk all on heavenly kedtmb SILVERTON, Colo. - An icecfimbing route near Silverton is called Stairway to Heaven. It almost became something else recently when, during a heavy snow storm, an avalanche knocked a climber 200 feet down the gully. As a companion went for help. the climber lay huddled in a sleeping bag when a second and then a third avalanche roared down. He was evacuated to safety, reports the SSrerton Standard, but even as rescuers wrapped up their work, another batch of climbers made their way to confront the challenge, and risk, of the ice and unstable snow. •Avon adopts law that Emits light poflntkra AVON. Colo. - Add Avon to the list of towns with an ordinance restricting light pollution. However, it might not be immediately obvious. The new law allows five years for offending fixtures to be modified. Among the most substantial offenders is the town itself, which expects to spend upward of $300,000 over the next several years changing out fixtures on street lights. Unregulated will be light bulbs of 60 watts or less. •Vafl Resorts stock surges based on health of hotels AVON, Colo. - Stock in Vail Resorts has surged in recent weeks based on the likelihood that Vail will sell some of its RockResorts hotels, which arc located from Brcckenridge to Jackson Hole to Lake Tahoe. After three years of dampened business travel, hotels are now doing belter. "It's likely that certain of Vails hotel assets may trade hands at high prices in the coming months," wrote slock analyst Roger Miller of JMP Security. Although Vail has rarely turned a profit since it went public in 1997, earnings this year are projected lo reach $150 million to $160 million. Miller projects the share price, after hovering round the IPO of $16, might hit $28 by the company's year end next summer. It is now at $22. Even the Motley Fool, which earlier this year disparaged the company for ils difficulty in turning a profit, now sint«! its praises, reports the Vafl REALTOR* Park City's Real Estate Expert Experienced Buyer's Representation T Park City's ft I Listing Brokerage Coif & Resort Property Specialist Residential, Condo, Land New Construction Daiy " •Drag use not as open as it was 20 years ago SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. Clearly, drug use is not as open now as it was 20 or even 30 years ago in ski towns. 'JTien, people laid out lines of cocaine on restaurant tables in Winter Park, Breckcnridge, and any number of other mountain towns. In Vail, 20 or more skiers would gather at a time at an onmountain shack to puff pot. They don't any more - gather at one place. But has drug use declined since then? Statistics are scant, perhaps non-existent. What is clear is that attitudes have changed. Until the early 1980s, cops gave drunk-drivers lifts to their homes instead of jail. More recently, the ski companies began making drug tests a prerequisite for employment. In addition, the demographics of ski towns have changed. Instead of being primarily people in their 20s, the median age is now in the 30s, and with plenty of gray hair at the high end. This new demographic dilutes the party scene, and maybe even makes it a minority, notes the Summit Dsfly News. "I believe that in the '70s there was a greater prevalence of drug use per capita because you didn't have the same depth of community structure and involvement that you have now." said Terry Ruckriegle, a district court judge and a Brcckenridge resident for 20 years. • K C I T Y , U T A H 42-1 Main Sircct 645-9555 ^ P U R P L E SAGE 'AMERICAN WESTERS CUISINE' <i3<i Main Strrei 6 5 5 - 9 5 0 ' Buy one entree and receive another of equal or lesser value FREE with this ad. Limit 2 per cable Expires Dec 15th. 2004 " I FEEL LIKE •Bronze eOt nailed at roundabout in Frisco A FISH W I T H WO WATER." FRISCO. Colo. - Roadkill rarely makes the front page of a newspaper. But then, the elk hit by a motorist at the roundabout in Frisco was no ordinarily elk. but instead a -JACOB, AGE 5 ASDIMA Please see Lake Tahoe, B-18 "Who can resist good company, good food -all in the atmosphere of beautiful art ?" The Park Record. Please join usfara [Wty in honor of waiercolor artist Reprints The Park Record introduces its new online photo reprint service c' John Emery Specializing In tromp I'oeil (Fool the _Ej/e)fcart, John brings a vision of our jsfc.; most treasured memories and ij&perierLces with his completely > CLICK....ITS YOURS!! Prints, Mugs, Mousepads, T-shirts, Magnets Mmique artwork. As an American Iwuigibr a good deal of the year in New Zealand, Emery's work is a nd-of influences past and present, from this continent and others. DECEMBER 11th 5:00-8:00PM Goto www.parkrecord. com redstone gallery and select: photo reprints 1678 Redstone center suite 120 Park city 435-575-1000 [f Wine, refreshments and Iwrs d'oenxnrs will be served www.inereiistoneoallery.coin or call for information A 649-9014 Bistro Come Try *0ttr NeWWiniev Menu! As a Thank You to Our Valued Customers - Pinner Only, w ^ Limited.-Time Offer! v • Join us for one of our Signature "Plats de Resistance" and Receive Another at Ec[ual or. Lesser Value • That's RighJI IPs'2 fet bji'*Plafs' de Resistance" Only Order reprints of Park Record photos taken by our award winning staff photographers Scott Sine and Grayson West CcJupon Wren Ordering'1^':- '-I, \y:' -: December \8t 2004. • ""^^£>y^ . - - , . < - > - * - * ! # • • * Main'Si. Park Cily |