Powder Burn: Arson, Money, and Mystery on Vail Mountain

In October, 1998 an arson caused 12 million in damage at Vail, the country's largest ski area. A shadowy radical environmental group called the Earth Liberation Front claimed credit for what the FBI called the costliest act of ecoterrorism in U.S. history. But as it turns out, credible suspects were everywhere, since Vail was owned by a New York investment firm that had alienated a wide swath of Colorado's high country residents.Who couldn't have done this? wondered a local sheriff's investigator. More than a clever whodunit, Powder Burn scrapes away the glitz of America's premier ski destination to reveal a cautionary tale about runaway opulance and rapid change in the New West. As the Denver Post put it, Vail is a microcosm of the disputes over growth raging across the Rockies, and Glick's take on the fire helps to fan the flames.

Packed with odd characters and paranoia, with beautiful mountains and despicable actions, Powder Burn is about corporate greed, the environment, a small town and a mysterious unsolved crime. As Vail celebrates its fortieth anniversary with a full season of hoopla and self-promotion, this book makes compelling reading for skiers, true crime enthusiasts, or anyone interested in the environmental, social, and political issues raised by the evolution of the new West.

Author: Daniel Glick
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 01/07/2003
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.26h x 5.48w x 0.82d
ISBN: 9781586481643


Review Citation(s):
Kliatt 05/01/2003 pg. 36

About the Author
Daniel Glick worked for Newsweek for more than twelve years, as a Washington correspondent and as a special correspondent roving the Rocky Mountain West. He has also written for Rolling Stone, the Washington Post Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Men's Journal and numerous other publications, and is the author of Monkey Dancing: A Father, Two Kids, And A Journey To The Ends Of The Earth and Powder Burn: Arson, Money, and Mystery on Vail Mountain. Having traveled widely and lived on four continents, Glick now lives in Colorado with his two children.