Crown dynasty steps on the little man

Dear Editor:

Regarding the Crown’s Skiing Company ownership, some happy ski instructors, some unhappy ski instructors.

It’s one thing for some of the ski instructors to be satisfied with their personal wages. I taught skiing at the Highlands for Fred Iselin. I had Fred give every dime I made to Aspen’s School for the Deaf, but some of the ski instructors should look further than the nose on their face when it comes to their employer.

The Crowns are a family worth over 4 billion dollars – Chicago real estate, shares of General Dynamics and owning all four ski areas doesn’t seem to be enough. They own the Little Nell Hotel and recently purchased the Limelight, a huge hotel, and how about all their holdings in Snowmass? They have a dozen or more restaurants, ski and ski rental shops and many other holdings. They are a conglomerate almost impossible to compete with.

If you, Mister Ski Instructor or your children or your grandchildren ever want to own a ski shop, start a small hotel, or maybe a restaurant, you will not be able to do so, because the Crown’s have such a monopoly in Aspen. You will not be able to give all the special packages that come with their hotel rooms for ski tickets, ski equipment and rentals, food discounts, etc.. It is not only unfair what the Crowns are doing, it should not be legal. Think further than your present job today.

I’ve skied here since 1958 and guess what, the mountains were here then, put here by God, not the Crowns. I cannot imagine anyone who skied before the Crowns came to Aspen saying that the skiing is more fun now than then. I have skied at many ski areas around the country, some are run better that the Aspen Skiing Co., some are not.

Lester Crown, this is wrong, shame on you! You don’t seem to care about Aspen’s smaller business people.

I have done all right in business starting from a 46 cents an hour carpenter apprentice in 1951, and I have no problem with someone trying to make money, but you, Mr. Crown, are hurting small business people.

I would like to see people have the chance to go into the businesses that the Crowns are now monopolizing.

Thomas Daly

Aspen