“. . . It’s only common sense to ski in Vermont. You may try a few inferior places first, but pretty soon you’ll come to it. It therefore only remains for me to show you how to get the most from your Vermont ski vacation when you finally give in to the inevitable.”- Vermont Life Vol. 13 Iss. 2, “How to get the most from Vermont’s Skiing”

If the purpose of the ski industry’s representation in Vermont Life magazine during the 1940s was justification of the activity and its ascendance in Vermont, the purpose of its representation in the magazine throughout the 1950s was the sport’s outright promotion. Though the magazine dedicates less space per issue to ski-related articles than it does in the 1940s, the articles throughout the 1950s attempt to lure readers from the more populated areas of the northeast to the slopes of Vermont as a nearly year-round vacation destination. The infrastructure and development applauded by the magazine throughout the 1940s was finally being put to use in the fostering of a strong tourist economy in the 1950s.

The first ski industry-related article of the 1950 winter issue, “Why Ski?,” chronicles the week-long all expenses paid trip undertaken by ten northeastern college students who won a Vermont Development Commission essay contest on why they wanted to ski. This article clearly aims to draw more young people to the area to try such a fun and youthful outdoor activity. By the time the subjects of that article were presumably salaried consumers in the major metropolitan areas of the eastern US in 1958, Vermont Life ran “How to Get the Most from Vermont’s Skiing.” This article is the most overtly tourist-oriented promotional piece to that point in the magazine’s history. It details all of the notable ski areas throughout the state, how to get to them for a weekend trip, what types of rates and deals to look for, and even an explanation of the amenities like restaurants and day-care centers available to the traveling family.

Other articles throughout the 1950s, like “Appointment with Champions,” “The Story of Bromley Mountain,” “Dutch Hill: Haven for Trail Skiers,” “Mt. Snow Skiing,” and “Spruce Peak” profile newly developed ski areas that hope to provide accessibility to more novice skiers and newcomers to the sport. These articles treat the development of these areas in a much different manner than the articles of the 1940s, detailing demolition of rock faces, bulldozing of underbrush, and erosion control measures taken to construct ski trails. This is a departure from the idea peddled in the 1940s issues that Vermont was already ideal for ski operations, just underdeveloped and underutilized. In general, the 1950s issues of Vermont Life magazine begin to paint a picture of Vermont as a modern ski destination, no longer a collection of small operations built “by skiers for skiers” but rather a series of vacation areas catering to the modern family man from out of town looking for an all-encompassing winter escape.