TRAILBLAZERS :: PAUL MATHEWS
MOUNTAIN BLUEPRINTS
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For 50 years, Paul Mathews and Ecosign have helped mountain resorts across continents and generations evolve and endure.
(before the construction of the Eisenhow- er Tunnel), and there was a little rope tow behind the county courthouse in down- town Breckenridge. It’s still there. It only ran on weekends, and they had the kids all sidestep down to pack the snow on the slope—so, I guess I was a groomer at a young age. I’ve always loved skiing. It’s been in my blood for 78 years now. The fresh air. All of it. What inspired you to start Ecosign? I graduated from university in 1974. I couldn’t get a job, so I bought a business license for a dollar and got it started. That was over 1,000 projects ago. What sparked your vision as a teenager to become a ski area designer? I was skiing at Whistler Mountain, and they were just making a mess of the ski runs, cutting and leaving stumps two meters high. It wasn’t … planned . It made no sense to me. So, I thought I should study and learn about nature—the birds, bees, and trees—and study hydrology,
and learn how to build responsible, sus- tainable ski runs and ski resorts. I also saw that there’s a long system you’ve got to go through to go skiing: You’ve got to get there, find parking, find the place you’re staying or booting up. So, I knew I wanted to learn how to create a whole resort. Describe your views on resort planning and environmental sustainability. If you’re going to do a development, nature is going to pay a price. I guess the question is: What kind of price? What we like to do, when we start a new resort, for example, is document all the natural resources—water, wetland, habitat for species—and then we just basically try to avoid those areas. We won’t touch them. We are also very big proponents of having a high-density central area that is within walking and skiing distance of the lifts. That reduces all the transportation requirements. Like at Whistler now—we have about 70,000 total beds, and about half of the guest beds are ski in/ski out. That means you don’t need a car here.
BY MOIRA MCCARTHY
Paul Mathews launched Ecosign in 1975 with a one-dollar business license and an idea: that ski resorts could be designed using a comprehensive and systematic process. Fifty years and more than 1,000 projects later, his firm has helped shape mountain re- sort development across 46 coun- tries, from British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb to Sochi, Russia. Ecosign celebrated its 50th anniver- sary this year. To ensure its longevity into the future, Mathews transitioned the firm to employee ownership, remain- ing at the helm as chairman and CEO. As he contemplates retirement, SAM spoke with Mathews about his early days, his design philosophy, and the future of ski resort planning. You learned to ski as a young kid on a rope tow in Breckenridge, Colo. Why do you think the sport stuck? Well, first, I was doing it with my fami- ly. We had to go up over Loveland Pass
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