Hell in a Handbasket
Ski-industry marketing can be a real bitch these days. The established patriarchy favors skiing's image as a wholesome, ruddy-faced, family sport. But if the multibillion-dollar snowboard industry--the antithesis of that image--is any indication, the youth have spoken. And "wholesome" is not what they're looking for.
Breckenridge Resort attempted to break the mold with one ad from their latest campaign. Slated to run in youth-oriented rags such as Skateboarder, Freeze, and Snowboarder, the ad featured a picture of jumbled bodies on a dance floor, below the caption, "The hill may dominate you. But the town will still be your bitch." The page landed in the Winter 2002 issue of AXIS before being cancelled by Breckenridge, acting on a firm request from town mayor Sam Mamula. "Once word got out, we heard from several different groups who found the ad demeaning," says Mamula. "The response came from across the board."