Park City's Philanthropic Skiing

Woodward Park City’s ‘Play Forever Fridays’—a series of events linking discounted lift tickets with local non-profits—is less a cultural moment and more a perfectly orchestrated exercise in social responsibility. One observes a distinct, if predictable, alignment of Park City’s charitable inclinations and its recreational habits. The December installment, featuring the Utah Avalanche Center and Carry On Foundation, was…efficient. Certainly, the Utah Avalanche Center’s beacon practice felt strategically timed, aimed at mitigating liability as much as promoting safety among those venturing beyond groomed runs. Carry On, with its skateboarding-as-therapy approach, is undeniably clever, though one suspects the mental health benefits are less about the sport itself and more about the Instagrammable optics. The pairings – the established with the emerging – felt almost…curated. A clever way to maintain control of the narrative, and the donor list. The effort to draw in new audiences with reduced pricing is admirable, though frankly, those who require a discount are rarely the target demographic. Still, linking the tickets to causes like the WILS Foundation and Live Like Sam demonstrates a level of community engagement one rarely sees outside of election years. The whole affair is…well-managed. It’s not glamorous, it’s not exciting, but it is… effective.