87. Ski Areas

When you hit the slopes, you might not be thinking about water rights, controlled avalanches, and liability insurance — but someone has to. Zachary Crockett shreds the pow.

SOURCES:Andrew Gast, general manager of Mt. Ashland Ski Area.Rob Goodell, chief operating officer at Loveland Ski Area.RESOURCES:"State of the U.S. Ski Industry" (National Ski Areas Association, 2024)."U.S. Ski Resorts in Operation During 2023/24 Season" (National Ski Areas Association, 2024)."Snowmaking 101" (Snow State).Loveland Ski Area.Mt. Ashland Ski Area.EXTRAS:"What it Takes to Run a Nonprofit Ski Hill," by Lily Ritter (Ski, 2020).

Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.

To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

• No. of episodes: 119
• Latest episode: 2025-07-28
• Business

Where can you listen?