Happy Independence Day, Skiers

Happy 4th of July, skiers.

It’s true. Pairing Independence Day with skiing is possible—if you live in the right place or don’t mind going on a road trip.

This July, Timberline Lodge, Oregon, is the only North American ski resort operating on the outdoor, lift-accessed side of the equation. Meager patches of high alpine snow present another option, but you’ll have to earn those turns.

If, like most of us, you don’t plan to ski, that’s okay. We do have a humble suggestion, though: Go beyond the manicured lawns, the pavement, and the barbecues—if you’re able. Leave the city. Find a lake. Visit a trailhead. Lay in the sun. Get sunburned. Listen to the birds chirping. Maybe chirp back. Take advantage of the great outdoors today because, as we learned over the past few weeks, they aren’t guaranteed.

For a time, the contentious “Big, Beautiful Bill” included a proposal that put millions of acres of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management holdings up for sale. Would our favorite backcountry spots get turned into luxury condominiums? It wasn’t clear.

Ultimately, the proposal hit a snag and was subsequently scrapped, while other parts of the bill proceeded. Skiers, fishers, hunters, and hikers—to name only a few of the concerned groups—breathed a collective sigh of relief, but the moment was scary. Few things in this life are constant. The promise of public land access in America was one of them. Now, the future feels a bit less certain.

Let’s end on a higher note.

Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, you have a cold beverage in one hand and a hot dog in the other. You’re enjoying yourself. And next ski season, if you don’t mind stretching language just a bit, is right around the corner. New chairlifts are being installed, ski resorts are conducting routine maintenance, and, somewhere up in the sky, Mother Nature is slowly getting ready to produce that weather phenomenon we know and love so much: powder.

No matter how strange things get, there’s always something to look forward to when you’re a skier.

Happy 4th of July from all of us at POWDER. Ski you soon.