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White Gold: Snowmaking, Resort Growth, and Skier Experience in the U.S. East, 1945–1971.

Authors :
Ritner, Jesse H.
Source :
International Journal of the History of Sport; Jan2022, Vol. 39 Issue 1, p111-125, 15p
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

This article argues that the introduction of snowmaking to the American ski industry following World War II provided the necessary conditions for resort growth, in the process changing the sport of skiing. Using methods from histories of environmental technology, the article highlights the relationship between weather, natural snow, and artificial snow. First, it brings together scientific literature on weather and historical periodicals to contend that winters in the northeast have always lacked the type of consistent annual snowfall needed to build a dependable ski industry. Snowmaking provided reliability, but in the process, it remade the economic model of skiing. Second, using a diverse mix of periodicals, ski literature, and oral histories it interrogates how skiers experienced this new type of artificial snow, contending that artificial snow changed the sport in ways people perceived as both good and bad. Finally, it suggests that histories of technology and sports can benefit from exploring how new technologies change the environments in which sports are played. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
09523367
Volume :
39
Issue :
1
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
International Journal of the History of Sport
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
156653403
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2021.1928082