I can recognize a lot of what I see in this article. My husband and I, and our friends, are largely the rich tourists, although not to the extent of those who own mansions that are only lit two weeks a year. The point of lack of mental health care facilities makes sense - these are very small communities when it comes to permanent residents - and isn't something I would have ever considered.
I'm acutely aware of the disparity. I consider the ski instructors and other locals I've met to be friends. These are people who have lived in or near Breckenridge for decades. On the other hand, I sometimes wonder how much of that apparent friendship is client relationship building on the part of these instructors. And it's weird paying to ski with friends - although I've skied with them in their free time, too. In any case, it's a weird dynamic. Anyway, I've been able to see some of the difficulties, although of course I haven't walked in their shoes, so maybe I shouldn't even be posting.
My main insight is through ski instructors. I have a friend who's aging and had both an injury and a major relationship rupture in quick succession, and it's hard on him. He sees some of our instructors who are rich dilettantes who do this for fun in the winter, and is frustrated when they get groups. They don't even need the money. For them, it's a journey of personal development and fun; for him, it's his only means of support.
Most of the male instructors I know work *hard* jobs in the summer, all doing some sort of construction. These are men in their 50s, sometimes 60s. Medical insurance is a big issue.
And these are all the success stories - the people who've built tenure, work most days they want to in the winter, get paid a fairly high hourly rate, and sometimes even get to ski the best terrain the mountain has to offer - although just as often, they are on the bunny hill, so you have to like that, or you're going to have a hard time.
The hard-partying deal is no joke. These instructors are at a bar every night, and I think at least part of it is that client relationship building. Most make a point of telling their clients they'll be at the Quandry or whatever after they leave the locker room. One of my instructor friends quit drinking this winter, and it's obvious that he struggles between participating in the main social outlet, and not wanting to be in that environment. That being said, they're all out of the bar by 8pm - no one I know parties all that late. We have to be up to ski in the morning.
One of my friends is just philosophical about it. She says she gets to live in the place other people only see on vacations. We all make choices. When I told her about a mutual friend who's frustrated because she had to move back to the east coast for her job, well, as my instructor friend said, it's a choice. I have no doubt that if she weren't ski instructing, she'd be equally successful in whatever field she chose.