CALL ME SNAKE

A friend and local blogger and all-around fount of information directed me to a recent post written by an editor at Ski Magazine about the phenomenon of draping trees at ski areas with women’s undergarments. (Coincidentally, he’s the same member of the intelligentsia who told me about “manscaping,” which I’ve since renamed “the manly trim.”) I’ve known about this for many decades, having made many trips up a chairlift at Vail (#5) which evidently is famous for this. But my daughters and I just saw this–pants and bras hanging from trees–in Vermont a few weeks ago, so it is not strictly a Rocky Mountain thing. I’ve never understood who does this sort of thing, or why, and was looking for some answers in the report by the Ski Magazine editor. Unfortunately, I learned very little from his account. The best he had to offer was this: “Skiers love panties.”

I still didn’t get it until my friend (the knowledgeable one) put it this way: “I think the explanation is that people (and by ‘people,’ I mean men), want to announce to the world that they are getting laid. Even when they aren’t. And somehow throwing underwear on a tree sends that message.

I know you’ve got pretty high standards as far as what gets into your blog, so I won’t be hurt if I don’t read about it.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes the standards at CALL ME SNAKE could not be higher. Yet I am always willing to make exceptions for friends, especially those who know a thing or two.