It opened to good reviews at the environmentally themed Wild and Scenic Film Festival in California.

The cost of real estate is far from the only issue they discuss as they look at ski areas from coast to coast.

“Environmentally, a lot of damage occurs,” said Sykes. “The effects on wildlife and water are pretty big, and that creates other issues ... air quality, traffic, everything becomes linked.

“As we did the research, we discovered how the communities were affected too. They were losing teachers, losing artisans, losing small and medium-sized businesses that couldn’t compete.”

The film also discusses some success stories. Behind Robert Redford, Sundance, Utah has avoided most commercialization. Aspen has utilized environmentally-friendly green methods at its ski areas.

“We don’t tell you that this is bad and you have to fight these guys,” said Sykes. “We’re just trying to empower you to make an informed decision.”

Which is all a couple of Tupper Lakers want to do.

“It’s just a lot of good information,” said Gillis. “It’s very thought-provoking and timely.”

E-mail Steve Ouellette at: souellette@pressrepublican.com