DOWNHILL RACER –
May 13, 2026 – The drinks we gather around are so often associated with skiing. But alcohol now inhabits a complicated niche in mountain town life. As its often overlooked harms come to light, drinking has evolved from default after-activity fare to something often avoided—its omnipresence in the outdoor culture reexamined and now even criticized. But as a tangible social lubricant in an increasingly isolated world, does alcohol, especially in moderation, still offer us an important, even irreplaceable avenue for connection? It’s not easy to discern if you listen to those who make their living wondering. Just as drinking has come under increased scrutiny, digitization has left us marooned from each other. “When I first took office as Surgeon General in 2014, I didn’t view loneliness as a public health concern. But that was before I embarked on a cross-country listening tour,” former United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote in the introduction to an advisory about American loneliness three years ago. “People began to tell me they felt isolated, invisible, and insignificant,” he continued, later noting that social media, smartphones, virtual reality, remote work, artificial intelligence, and assistive technologies all played a role in people’s isolation. And as ill as this new world order may be for our minds…
