Aspen can be a ski town even without the Pandora expansion. Modern skiers love side-country skiing! They will always go just out of the boundaries of a ski area. If the ski area is enlarged, then the side country is pushed further into the backcountry.
In the case of the Aspen Skiing Co.’s Pandora expansion, “side-country seekers” will be skiing more exposed and dangerous terrain, and they will be encroaching on pristine and valuable elk habitat and forced to exit out through private property. There are many reasons why the current natural side country works for those who ski it; let’s not change it.
Please, come to the Pitkin County commissioners meeting on the afternoon of July 24, speak at public comment, and show the commissioners you care. Encourage them to vote “no” on the Pandora expansion on Aspen Mountain. Pandora expansion is not needed for Aspen to be a ski town.
Pierre Wille
Aspen