Skico says: S’not worth changing

ASPEN The name Kleenex Corner won’t be discarded like a used tissue after all.The Aspen Skiing Co. decided Monday to reverse an earlier decision to drop the name of the historic spot on Aspen Mountain as part of an environmental initiative, said Auden Schendler, the Skico’s executive director of community and environmental responsibility.Numerous old-timers complained about the intention to change the name, Schendler said. Kleenex Corner is the left turn skiers and riders make at the end of the Spar catwalk. The name apparently dates back to the 1950s, but the origins are a bit fuzzy, according to Skico spokesman Jeff Hanle.The name was going to fall victim to the Skico’s boycott of products affiliated with Kimberly-Clark. A broad environmental coalition targeted the company because of its alleged use of virgin fiber and fiber from endangered forests.The Skico is removing Kimberly-Clark products, which include Kleenex tissues, at its hotels, restaurants and skier operations.”In addition, we are eliminating printed reference to a famous location on Aspen Mountain – Kleenex Corner,” Schendler wrote in a March 5 letter to Kimberly-Clark’s top executive.Schendler and Matt Hamilton, manager of community and environmental responsibility, thought a trail sign with the Kleenex Corner name on Aspen Mountain was gone or would be removed before the release of that letter. However, the decision hadn’t been thoroughly discussed within the company, so the sign didn’t come down, Schendler said.Old-timers protested the elimination of the Kleenex Corner name after The Aspen Times reported it last week. Schendler went to Skico President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Kaplan for direction on how to proceed. Kaplan decided changing the name of Kleenex Corner is “not what’s going to get our point across” with the boycott of Kimberly-Clark, Hanle said.So the trail sign will stay up, and the Kleenex Corner name will remain on future trail maps. The Skico still hopes to help force Kimberly-Clark to adopt different environmental policies.Scott Condon’s e-mail address is scondon@aspentimes.com