Nice hype, but why be unrealistic? That’s like saying Mt. Hood wants to be the next Everest. There’s not going to be a “next Whistler” anywhere — just a lot more bike parks at ski areas.

The question is how much the opening of all these mini-Whistlers at Northstar (Tahoe), Stevens Pass (WA), Timberline and elsewhere will actually affect Whistler, which suffered a big draw-down in international and U.S. clientele last season and whose bankruptcy got a lot of attention on the eve of the Olympics.