“Throughout the history of Burke, there are moments of robust optimism running headfirst into the harshness of fiscal reality…Bankruptcies and various ownership changes have scarred the area’s history since it opened in 1955 – the most recent investment scandal only the most high profile of them all.” – Vermont Life Vol. 72 Iss. 2, “Restart”

As Vermont Life magazine entered its final decade in the 2010’s, they continued their coverage of skiing and the ski industry throughout the state, albeit at a slower pace than in the past. Although the Winter issues of the magazine continued to feature articles about the ski industry, there were less overall articles published this decade. There was a running theme throughout the decade about the commercialized and corporate nature of ski resorts throughout the state. Even if Vermont Life chose to not make this theme the main focus of their pieces, it was still an important aspect in all of them.

In one of Vermont Life’s last issues, the magazine published an article, “Restart,” about two different yet very important stories about Burke Mountain Resort in the Northeast Kingdom. Several months earlier, the owners of Burke were charged with securities fraud and were supposedly operating a Ponzi scheme. Apparently the $200 million the owners had collected to fund a new hotel, tennis facility, aquatic center, along with general on-mountain improvements, had been mishandled and the new infrastructure was still missing.

On the other hand, Burke Mountain Academy, which is just down the road from the mountain, raised $3 million to build a state-of-the-art indoor training facility and gym for the 65 students there. The amount of money flowing into and out of the Burke Mountain Resort area shows just how commercialized skiing has become. Skiing has been put in the center of financial scandals, and also has academies dedicated to the sport that have no problem raising several million dollars quickly. Although Vermont Life doesn’t focus on the financial aspect of these stories, both of them ultimately revolve around it. This goes to show just how important commercialism is to the ski industry in the present day.