Ski Resorts’ Busy Summertime

Posted by Mitch Kaplan Jun 1, 2006

My dog, age 14, died a few weeks back. Her passing was sad, but it caused a vivid "summer at ski resorts" image to jump to mind.

Location: the Bear Mountain parking lot at Killington in Vermont. The time: midsummer. Along with the kids - then ages 12 and 14 - we'd brought the dog - a year old - up to central Vermont for a week's holiday, staying at a friend's ski house.

It was hot. Seeking an escape from the bickering kids, Penny, the pup and I ventured over to Killington to hike. We picked the remote Bear Mountain section so we could let the pup run. She ran indeed.

No sooner was she was out of the car, when a bird caught her eye. Or maybe her nose. She was off in a flash. Poor dog. This was a ground-nesting bird. It knew exactly what it was doing. It flew just above and beyond her reach and led her a merry chase all around that huge, empty, dirt-surfaced parking lot.

The perimeter probably measured half a mile. The dog chased the bird in that circle for a good ten minutes. Then she dropped, thirsty and completely winded.

The reason this comes to mind is this: back then, thirteen years ago, it wasn't unusual to stop by a major ski area in mid-summer and find nobody there but ground-nesting birds, bugs and other local fauna. A dog could run to her heart's content and not worry about upsetting people or avoiding cars or startling hikers.

No so today. Ski resorts are lively places in summer. On its media website page for "ski area programs and contacts," the National Ski Areas Association lists resorts that offer alpine slides, amusement parks, golf, mountain biking, tennis, water slides and the ubiquitous "other summer activities," which can include everything from disk golf and zip lines to concerts and weddings.

Witness some of these offerings: Summer Sports at Eastern US Ski Resorts; Summer at Rocky Mountains Ski Resorts; Summer at Far West Ski Resorts.

I wonder if any of them offer bird chasing for dogs.