Where
It Began
Raised near the headwaters of the Colorado River, I have watched my once sleepy mountain home town evolve into a world-class resort destination, bringing both prosperity and profound environmental costs. That tension drives my work. I am an associate professor at Colorado State University, where I study the American West, its public lands, its tourist industry, and the ongoing struggles over its landscapes.
BOOKS
I am the author of two books. The first, Colorado Powder Keg: Ski Resorts and the Modern Environmental Movement, traces the history of the Colorado ski industry and the conflicts over its environmental impacts. Re-released in 2024 with a new prologue, the book received the International Ski History Association's 2013 Ullr Award and was named a finalist for the Western Writers of America's 2013 Spur Award.
My second book, The Mountains Are Calling: Tourists and the Unmaking of Yosemite National Park, explores the environmental consequences of the park’s rising tourist numbers. Centering the lived experiences of park visitors, innkeepers, soldiers, rangers, climbers, concessioners, administrators, and Indigenous people, the book tells a more complete story of Yosemite's history and tourism's environmental costs.
BEYOND BOOKS,
... my writing includes academic and popular articles on topics ranging from the history of condominiums in ski resorts to the management of national parks. My work has attracted the attention of journalists. I have commented on issues ranging from the current economics of the ski industry to privatization of the National Park System in outlets as varied as the Wall Street Journal, the Salt Lake Tribune, Outside Magazine, NPR, and was featured in a Rocky Mountain PBS documentary on the 1976 Denver Winter Olympic Games that never happened.