Making Meaning Out of Mountains

Mountains bear the imprint of human activity. Scars from logging andsurface mining sit alongside national parks and ski lodges. Althoughthe environmental effects of extractive industries are well known,skiing is more likely to bring to mind images of luxury, wealth, andhealth.

In Making Meaning out of Mountains, Mark Stoddart draws oninterviews, field observations, and media analysis to reveal themultiple, often conflicting meanings attached to skiing in BritishColumbia. Corporate leaders promote the industry as sustainabledevelopment, while environmentalists and some First Nations argue thatskiing sacrifices wildlife habitats and traditional lands to tourismand corporate gain. Skiers themselves appreciate the opportunity tocommune with nature but are concerned about skiing’senvironmental impact.

This multilayered analysis not only challenges us to reflect moreseriously on skiing’s negative effects, it also brings to lighthow certain groups came to be viewed as the “natural”inhabitants and legitimate managers of mountain environments.