This article captured a bunch of my thoughts about this stuff and it feels like the Cyps Conditions thread is getting derailed by this conversation - maybe it needs a home of its own.
How do the local mountains justify all that infrastructure for 2-3 months of business? Why not find a way to make bikes work - that would offer 9+ months of steady revenue? Is it because they're in parks? It can't be just about infrastructure because they have snowmaking equipment and snow machines and other expensive winter stuff they could go without if they were bike parks. They would need to convert their lifts, invest in some trailbuilding machinery and hire a trail crew. Seems like for most of the rest they could leverage existing stuff.
Does the Coast Gravity Park establish a test case?
Imagine a future where the local mountains provided a network of lift-accessed riding like how it is in France? Create trails and bridges to link the different areas together? Or something. I've heard some lamenting around how mountain bike tourism bypasses Vancouver altogether to hit the more visitor-friendly riding in Squamish and the bike park in Whistler.
I'm curious to hear all the why and why nots around these questions. Surely this is a conversation the local mountains are already having.
There's nothing better than an Orangina after cheating death with Digger.