Letter: A desperate developer?
Jeff Gorsuch’s recent letter to the editor in the Aspen Daily News (“Gorsuch Haus embraces vision of Aspen’s founders,” June 18) implies that, although Aspen won hosting the World Cup finals for 2017, Aspen will lose the World Cup going forward unless the city approves his large, on-the-slope hotel. One can only stand in awe of Gorsuch’s imagination!
It is true that replacing Lift 1A will probably be an FIS requirement going forward.
But tying the World Cup races to the proposed Gorsuch Haus hotel really isn’t an FIS requirement at all and never has been!
Should Aspen Skiing Co. build a new lift? Of course, if it wants to remove an identified block to its eligibility to hold World Cup races beyond 2017! Skico has said that it wants to see further development around the base first. Perhaps it hasn’t looked around recently.
There is arguably more development going on around the base of 1A than anywhere else in town! For example, Dancing Bear’s second phase has just been completed. The One Aspen housing development has been under construction for the past year. And the Lift One Lodge has its approvals in place. If that isn’t development, I don’t know what is!
No one should forget that the biggest economic beneficiary of having the World Cup continue to come to Aspen is not the town. It is Skico itself. The enormous worldwide media coverage of ski racing has marketing value that paid advertising can’t come close to.
To imply that the Crowns can’t afford a new lift on their own is laughable. And they don’t need an oversized hotel defacing the slope to make it happen!
Alex Biel
Aspen
