Originally Posted by Snowolf

That's actually a pretty decent rate for a resort. Most resorts are typically in the $99 to $150 an hour range. The truly criminal aspect of that is the AASI certified instructor busting his or her ass gets about $12 of that.

Originally Posted by PNWRider

Damn. That really is criminal. Can certified instructors not teach privately-privately? Ie, outside of a resort system?

Originally Posted by Snowolf

On privately owned land I support the land owners rights on this. On public land which the National Forest is, I adamantly oppose this policy. If people pay for a lift ticket or season pass, it is not the Owellian resort's business what arrangements are made between them. I fully understand a resort requiring an active employee to adhere to a non compete clause, but it is bullshit to try to bully independent instructors who are acting as paying customers. These resorts are being subsidized by tax payers to operate on our public lands and they have no ethical right to disallow other small independent operators from conducting business on that land so long as they pay the resort for the services rendered like a lift ticket. I really think this bullshit policy should be challenged in court under the Sherman Anti Trust Act!

These corporate neocapitalist resorts are no better than Wal Mart! They rape the customer economically on everything from a hamburger to the lift ticket to generate massive profits for fat ass share holders who generally never ski or ride at said resort while paying 99% of their workers wages that resemble third world sweat shops. Only a very select few of the top 1% of resort workers make anything close to a livable wage. Hell, most of these usury institutions refuse to pay overtime after 40 hours. To add injury to insult, when an instructor is doing other duties not related to teaching, these mountain sweat shops reduce their pay to minimum wage and then try to weasel out paying for work performed. When called on it, certain ski school directors and supervisors will say, " we don't get paid for everything we do". They would fit right in with Kim Jong Ill of North Korea!

Resorts use a chicken shit loophole in the labor laws to get away with it too. Because the National Forest is administered by the Department of Agriculture, resort workers fall under the farm workers provisions of the US Department of Labor. Resort workers share the same socioeconomic rung on the ladder as our "Southern Citizens" picking our produce in the San Joquin valley of California!

Just another shining example of why I despise American Capitalism and am actively seeking employment in Australia! I am all for free market and true Capitalism but what we have is neither. It is 100% pure corporatism and plutocracy. Whenever I can, I support local mom and pop ski areas rather that these corporate abominations like Intrawest for example.

Originally Posted by Argo

Vail is $650 for all day but you can have up to 5 other people with you if you have a group of friends of the same level..... more like a private tour session.....

If you are an advanced rider just get the 3 day group lesson for $280 and you end up with no one else in your group.

Originally Posted by Snowolf

On privately owned land I support the land owners rights on this. On public land which the National Forest is, I adamantly oppose this policy. If people pay for a lift ticket or season pass, it is not the Owellian resort's business what arrangements are made between them. I fully understand a resort requiring an active employee to adhere to a non compete clause, but it is bullshit to try to bully independent instructors who are acting as paying customers. These resorts are being subsidized by tax payers to operate on our public lands and they have no ethical right to disallow other small independent operators from conducting business on that land so long as they pay the resort for the services rendered like a lift ticket. I really think this bullshit policy should be challenged in court under the Sherman Anti Trust Act!

These corporate neocapitalist resorts are no better than Wal Mart! They rape the customer economically on everything from a hamburger to the lift ticket to generate massive profits for fat ass share holders who generally never ski or ride at said resort while paying 99% of their workers wages that resemble third world sweat shops. Only a very select few of the top 1% of resort workers make anything close to a livable wage. Hell, most of these usury institutions refuse to pay overtime after 40 hours. To add injury to insult, when an instructor is doing other duties not related to teaching, these mountain sweat shops reduce their pay to minimum wage and then try to weasel out paying for work performed. When called on it, certain ski school directors and supervisors will say, " we don't get paid for everything we do". They would fit right in with Kim Jong Ill of North Korea!

Resorts use a chicken shit loophole in the labor laws to get away with it too. Because the National Forest is administered by the Department of Agriculture, resort workers fall under the farm workers provisions of the US Department of Labor. Resort workers share the same socioeconomic rung on the ladder as our "Southern Citizens" picking our produce in the San Joquin valley of California!

Just another shining example of why I despise American Capitalism and am actively seeking employment in Australia! I am all for free market and true Capitalism but what we have is neither. It is 100% pure corporatism and plutocracy. Whenever I can, I support local mom and pop ski areas rather that these corporate abominations like Intrawest for example.