Vail Entryway Plan Gets Rocky Reception

A landslide of opposition has prompted town officials to drop plans for a $50,000 artificial rock to mark a new entryway to the ski resort.

The fake rock was to have been the centerpiece of a monument that would greet visitors and describe the resort’s role as host of the 1989 World Alpine Skiing Championships.

The town had approved making a “rock” of fiberglass-reinforced concrete after architects said a real one would be too hard to find and too difficult to move from its natural setting.

But the Vail Town Council gave up the idea this week after receiving numerous calls, letters and a petition opposing the plan for the Rocky Mountain resort.

Opponents were concerned that it would add to the community’s image as a “plastic Bavaria.”

“Image has a lot to do with what we’re all about,” Vail Councilman Kent Rose said. “We’ve been fighting plastic-image comments for years, and then we do the thing with the rock.”