Why are Ski Resorts so liberal?

[mileslunn]

It seems in Mountain West, any county with a major ski resort votes massively Democrat.  GOP as recently as 2000 were competitive in them, but seems since 2004 have really shifted left and vote more like large cities than rural areas?  I get they would be more liberal than a typical small town but I figure many living there are quite wealthy and while many wealthy since Trump have shifted away from GOP, still some will stay as like his economic policies.  So any reason why so liberal?

[Sumner 1868]

I don't know, but it seems the trend of college-educated liberals and skiing started in Aspen when Pitkin County voted for McGovern in 1972. John Anderson also did really well in ski areas in 1980.

[Skill and Chance]

1. Climate change is extremely salient, and in this industry, the working class and the upper class are in alignment on it.

2. Tends to be a magnet for not just rich people, but rich people with a lot of free time.  Heirs are much more Dem than the 1st generation wealthy.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

[Skill and Chance]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Retirees.  They are attracted to the other types of resorts but generally find it difficult to ski.  Also the climate change angle doesn't apply, at least not as directly.

[mileslunn]

Some seaside are liberal.  Along Oregon coast, towns like Florence, Astoria, and seaside are quite touristy and go Democrat.  Even in Charleston and Savannah areas, the islands despite being over 90% white only barely went Republican which is unusual outside urban cores and college towns in Deep South.  Now true in Florida, go GOP but mostly conservative retirees.  Jersey Shore is another seaside that tends to GOP so they are sort of a mix, while ski resorts pretty much universally liberal.  You have to go across Atlantic to Alps to find ski resorts where right wing parties do well, but different parties, different culture, and different systems so not totally comparable. 

[Pres Mike]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Beaches are much more friendly to the middle and working class people. Rent a cabin in Gatlinburg and going on a tour of the smokey mountains is more likely to attract conservative families

[Crumpets]

One is that skiing tends to be (although not 100%) a young person's sport, and young people skew democrat.

From a 100% subjective personal anecdote standpoint, I also tend to think of skiing as a very culturally secular sport; I am an avid skier who has known many other skiers, and I don't know if I've ever met a religious person who skis in the US. And granted, I didn't grow up in a very religious area, but skiers I think also tend to be very... idk if "granola" is the right word. But if they have a place in their heart for some sort of higher power, it has (again, going only by my own personal experience) usually taken the form of some sort of "mother nature"/"appreciation for the awesome grandeur of the Earth" flavor to it.

And just to be extremely clear, I'm sure there are many people of all sorts of religious faiths who ski. It's just a trend I've noticed with a fairly decent sample size of specifically Washington State skiers.

[TML]

It should be noted that even in counties which don't vote Democratic overall, the places containing ski resorts tend to be "blue islands" within seas of red. Examples of such places include Red Lodge & Whitefish, MT, where Democratic candidates won these cities despite losing the counties containing them (Carbon & Flathead).

[ReaganLimbaugh]

The Super Rich elitists are usually liberal (Ted Turner)

[Mr. Illini]

I would think most people that own homes near ski resorts have them as second homes and probably don’t vote there.

On the other hand, people who work in the ski industry are largely ski bums that thumbed their noses at the 9-5. Very left wing demo.

[TransfemmeGoreVidal]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Maybe ski resorts are more likely to have a unionized workforce?

[pbrower2a]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Skiing is attracts cosmopolitan, educated, high-income people as participants. Ski-resort employees are typically similar.

Other resorts are more culturally accessible. Gambling, amusement parks, and country music are low end, and anyone can go to the beach.
 

[Mr. Illini]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Skiing is attracts cosmopolitan, educated, high-income people as participants. Ski-resort employees are typically similar.

Other resorts are more culturally accessible. Gambling, amusement parks, and country music are low end, and anyone can go to the beach.
 

Also the beach towns that attract a similar crowd vote the same way. Thinking of Martha’s Vineyard and the rest of the Cape.

[Alcibiades]

As others have mentioned, Democratic strength essentially comes from a combination of affluent liberals attracted by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the resorts, and the workers, who are usually young people with something of a countercultural streak (similar to the classic Democratic group found in lots of big cities of young service workers, often well-educated but low-earning).

The interesting question, though, is why this seems to be something of an exclusively (North) American phenomenon. Certainly I know that in Switzerland, ski resorts often don't vote any differently from other rural conservative villages.

[Joe Republic]

You generally need to be fit and healthy to ski, and skew younger.  You don't find too many elderly lardasses on the slopes.

[ctherainbow]

I live in a north end Poconos county (Susquehanna), and we vote like 32D-68R on a good day, but our one township that contains a ski resort (Elk Mountain) is purple, and keeps edging closer and closer to flipping.  A lot of urban transplants who lived in cities but wanted to get closer to nature as they aged and/or started a family, have moved out here, and the workforce at the ski area does also skew younger and hippier.  Plus there is flight of poorer Republican residents as their property values and thus taxes go up, and also they just want to get away from the "goddamn city liberals ruining our hometown".

[Vosem]

As others have mentioned, Democratic strength essentially comes from a combination of affluent liberals attracted by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the resorts, and the workers, who are usually young people with something of a countercultural streak (similar to the classic Democratic group found in lots of big cities of young service workers, often well-educated but low-earning).

The interesting question, though, is why this seems to be something of an exclusively (North) American phenomenon. Certainly I know that in Switzerland, ski resorts often don't vote any differently from other rural conservative villages.

Do people that work at ski resorts in Switzerland tend to have a different demographic profile than people that live in surrounding rural villages, though? In America this phenomenon is basically explained by "working at a ski resort" being an aspirational goal for a particular sort of young unambitious person (stereotypically from a very wealthy background), but I think that's a peculiarly American cultural thing. Outside of the US it's hard for me to think of resorts doing this -- I think in Alberta the Banff area has only really started trending leftwards in the mid-2010s or so, with the federal district still being quite safely Conservative but the NDP winning Banff--Kananaskis at the provincial level in a bit of a shock gain in 2023. We have Canadian map posters who might know more, though.

[mileslunn]

As others have mentioned, Democratic strength essentially comes from a combination of affluent liberals attracted by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the resorts, and the workers, who are usually young people with something of a countercultural streak (similar to the classic Democratic group found in lots of big cities of young service workers, often well-educated but low-earning).

The interesting question, though, is why this seems to be something of an exclusively (North) American phenomenon. Certainly I know that in Switzerland, ski resorts often don't vote any differently from other rural conservative villages.

Do people that work at ski resorts in Switzerland tend to have a different demographic profile than people that live in surrounding rural villages, though? In America this phenomenon is basically explained by "working at a ski resort" being an aspirational goal for a particular sort of young unambitious person (stereotypically from a very wealthy background), but I think that's a peculiarly American cultural thing. Outside of the US it's hard for me to think of resorts doing this -- I think in Alberta the Banff area has only really started trending leftwards in the mid-2010s or so, with the federal district still being quite safely Conservative but the NDP winning Banff--Kananaskis at the provincial level in a bit of a shock gain in 2023. We have Canadian map posters who might know more, though.

Cannot speak about Europe, but in Canada shift to left happened around same time as US although found style of conservatism matters more in Canada.  Looking at major ones

Whistler - Tories have long done horrible here even when they win the riding.  Ironically enough BC Liberals were still competitive or winning there until recently so suggests fiscally conservative without the culture wars may work as GOP in 20th century did reasonably well in ski resorts and its more this century they have really swung left.

Sun Peaks Resort - Only one poll (our term for precincts) but went Liberal in 2019 but Conservative in 2021 and Erin O'Toole was more like your Kasich type Republican, quite moderate.

Banff & Jasper - Conservatives haven't win latter in over 20 years while former only win federally if strong splits on left.  Usually get around 1/3 of popular vote which is actually not too far off what GOP gets in some ski resorts although does worse in some.  Ridings go Conservative as only around 5% of voters live in those areas. 

Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario - Is more liberal than riding as whole but still often goes Conservative however municipality includes some other towns and farms not connected with resort.

Mont Tremblant, Quebec - Votes Liberal even though riding usually goes Bloc Quebecois.

As for staff, a high percentage are actually Australian as unlike US but like most Western countries, Canada has a working holiday visa where individuals between 18-30 or 18-35 depending on country we have agreement with can come and live and work in Canada for up to 2 years.  This visa is popular amongst Aussies and they usually go for ski resorts while I found Irish and British tend to move to the cities.  So as such wouldn't be able to vote in Canadian elections.  Likewise in case of Whistler, Blue Mountain, and Mont Tremblant, many homes are secondary residents of people that live in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal so would vote there.  Banff despite closeness to Calgary would have those with second homes living in Canmore (where Tories also struggle too) as Banff is in National Park and only those employed there or who were at time of retirement are permitted to reside inside park. 

[Senator Incitatus]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Skiing is attracts cosmopolitan, educated, high-income people as participants. Ski-resort employees are typically similar.

Other resorts are more culturally accessible. Gambling, amusement parks, and country music are low end, and anyone can go to the beach.
 

Also the beach towns that attract a similar crowd vote the same way. Thinking of Martha’s Vineyard and the rest of the Cape.

Fair enough on the Vineyard, though I expect this may be changing among the year-rounders and the population is small enough to be unpredictable.

But the Cape as a whole is more Republican than the rest of Massachusetts and pretty much always has been. Provincetown is an exception for obvious reasons but is only one town. The Cape is essentially the outer Long Island of Massachusetts, politically, and Provincetown is Fire Island.

[Progressive Pessimist]

The Super Rich elitists are usually liberal (Ted Turner)

What about "billionaire" Trump? Sheldon Adelson? The Koch brothers? Richard Murdock? Vince McMahon? Steve Wynn? Herman Cain? Foster Friess? Peter Thiel? Elon Musk? The Mercers?

[mileslunn]

The interesting question is why other sorts of resort towns aren't liberal like ski resorts.  Like, most beach towns vote quite Republican and even inland resort towns like Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri.

Skiing is attracts cosmopolitan, educated, high-income people as participants. Ski-resort employees are typically similar.

Other resorts are more culturally accessible. Gambling, amusement parks, and country music are low end, and anyone can go to the beach.
 

Also the beach towns that attract a similar crowd vote the same way. Thinking of Martha’s Vineyard and the rest of the Cape.

Fair enough on the Vineyard, though I expect this may be changing among the year-rounders and the population is small enough to be unpredictable.

But the Cape as a whole is more Republican than the rest of Massachusetts and pretty much always has been. Provincetown is an exception for obvious reasons but is only one town. The Cape is essentially the outer Long Island of Massachusetts, politically, and Provincetown is Fire Island.

GOP support if you look by town mostly in western part of Barnstable County which is more a mix of smaller cities and exurbs of Boston.  Eastern parts not just Provincetown but other communities went heavily Democrat.  Block Island in Rhode Island another solid Democrat where Biden got over 75% while on West Coast, Bainbridge Island and Vashon Island in Washington state were over 80% Democrat and San Juan Islands also over 70% Democrat. 

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

Skiing is good for liberals