I’ve been pleading for our industry to give small ski areas a chance for a lot of years now.

This year, with border restrictions and quarantine rules and case counts, local ski hills have frequently been highlighted as a great answer to folks looking to get out on the snow as much as possible.

Yet, many in our ranks are still refusing to give them a fair shake even while they nod in agreement to the benefits of these hills.

This is a great year to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

Let me be clear (and more direct).

Whether you’re a GM or a twice-a-year skier from Boston, cozy feelings about the virtues of smaller resorts do not pay the bills. There is no magic machine that coverts nostalgic memories into cash. Just learning to ski at a resort and then never going back doesn’t help them stay afloat.

If you’re looking for some variety this year and the usual suspects are too far away, my plea with you is simple: ski the resorts in your state.

ALL of them.

If you’ve only got, say, 20 out of 30, make it 100%. Visit the local hills, ride the old double chairs, gives yourself a chance to fall in love with a simpler, slower style of skiing. Don’t brush it off as an imperfect alterative to the real deal, embrace the difference as another great way to ski.

Give your inner skier a chance to fall in love with small skiing.

And maybe, just maybe, you will.

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