Skiing Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Skiing The sport of skiing is dated back nearly 4,500 years. It began as a hunting technique for hunters in the Artic Rim tracking down game. Soon after, the Viking King Harald, in Iceland, used skiing not just for hunting, but for pleasure as well. The sport soon became competitive in racing, and wagers were placed on it. From here the sport spread across forty countries making it one of the fastest growing sports of the time (International Skiing History Association, 2004). It soon caught the attention of the local people of Flagstaff, Arizona. Lying on ancient volcanic ruins, the Flagstaff community began skiing the hills of Snowbowl in 1938 (International Skiing History Association, 2004). The Snowbowl ski area is made of up the extinct volcano, which is more than three million years old. Snowbowl is located in the highest mountains of Arizona, with a summit of 12,633 feet. In 1979, the mountain of Snowbowl was finally approved for additional construction of the ski area, expanding it a nd adding new features (The Sedona Dream Maker, 2003-2005). The Hopi and Navajo Tribes opposed this decision immensely for the sake of their heritage and beliefs lying on this very mountain. But, the Forest Service decided to go forth with it because they agreed to let the mountain have multiple uses, such as the recreation they were approving. Presently, the ski area has up to 30,000 to 180,000 visitors a year depending on the snowfall, according to Christopher McLeod for High Country News, September 11, 2000. With the technology of snowmaking now, the area is prone to expansion with the vicinity growing with each year. Last year Snowbowl ski area was open for a total of four days in the season of 2003-2004. This hurt the area immensely... ...r. â€Å"Sacred Land Film Project.† High Country News 11 Sept. 2000 McLeod, Christopher. â€Å"About the Project.† Sacred Land Film Project. 1999-2004 http://www.sacredland.org/historical_sites_pages/sfpeaks.html. Rayner, Lisa. â€Å"Save The Peaks.† Flagstaff Tea Party. 2002 http://www.flagteaparty.org/Publications/Headlines/Pages/2002/July_2002/July02 hub.html. USDA Forest Service. Arizona Snowbowl Upgrade Proposed Action. United States Department of Agriculture and Coconino National Forest Proposed Conf., Sept. 2002, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2002. USDA Forest Service Coconino National Forest. â€Å"Arizona Snowbowl Improvement Draft Environmental Impact.† Coconino National Forest. Tuesday, 26 Oct. 2004 http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/nepa/index.shtml. Winkelsten, Phil. â€Å"Local Attractions.† Sedona Dream Maker. 2003-2005 http://www.sedonadreammaker.com/sedona_attract.html.