Panty tree
{{Short description|Tree adorned with women's underwear, commonly found below ski lifts}}
A panty tree (or bra tree or bra/panty tree) is a tree underneath a ski lift decorated with bras, panties, and Mardi Gras beads cast off by skiers riding the chair lift.
History
An experienced ski patroller in Aspen, Colorado, has claimed that the first panty tree was under the Bell Mountain ski lift at Aspen Mountain in the early 1980s.{{cite news|last1=Lutz|first1=Catherine|title=Whats in that tree?|url=http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20050205/MOUNTAIN02/50204025|accessdate=11 February 2015|publisher=The Aspen Times|date=February 5, 2005|archive-date=March 9, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309014100/http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20050205/MOUNTAIN02/50204025|url-status=live}} A discussion in 2006 in the letters pages of the Skiing Heritage journal said "it is believed" that the practice might have begun in the late 1950s.{{cite journal|title=Panty Tree?|journal=Skiing Heritage Journal|date=Dec 2007|volume=19|issue=4|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U1gEAAAAMBAJ&q=mardi%20gras%20ski%20tree&pg=PA6|accessdate=11 February 2015}} This panty tree was soon copied at nearby Vail Ski Resort and then numerous other ski areas across North America.{{cite news|last1=Kidd|first1=Kenneth|title=What is the origin of Collingwood's Blue Mountain bra tree?|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/14/what_is_the_origin_of_collingwoods_blue_mountain_bra_tree.html|accessdate=11 February 2015|agency=TheStar.com|publisher=Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.|date=January 14, 2012|archive-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223234534/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/14/what_is_the_origin_of_collingwoods_blue_mountain_bra_tree.html|url-status=live}}
The first panty tree in Vail was found chopped down one morning in 1997, but skiers picked another tree to continue the tradition.[https://www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-valley-voices-the-saga-of-the-panty-tree/ Vail Valley Voices: The saga of the panty tree] Vail Daily, 2011-01-21. This second tree was used in a 2005 liqueur company advertisement, which stated, "You just recognized a pair of panties in the Sun Down Bowl tree...The conversation is waiting." In 2010, this tree was also chopped down to make way for a new ski lift.{{cite journal|title=Ode to the Panty Tree|journal=Skiing|date=January 21, 2009|url=http://www.skinet.com/skiing/fondue-party/ski-culture/2009/01/ode-to-the-panty-tree|archive-date=February 20, 2015|access-date=February 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220012445/http://www.skinet.com/skiing/fondue-party/ski-culture/2009/01/ode-to-the-panty-tree?|url-status=usurped}}{{cite news|title=Vail's 'Panty Tree' To Be Cut Down For New Lift|url=http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/vail-s-panty-tree-to-be-cut-down-for-new-lift|agency=7 News Denver|publisher=ABC|date=April 22, 2010|archive-date=February 23, 2015|access-date=February 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223234657/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/vail-s-panty-tree-to-be-cut-down-for-new-lift|url-status=live}}
In 2012, a male grooming product company ran an advertising campaign on ski lifts across Canada that stated, "Please Feed the Bra Tree."{{cite news|last1=Maloney|first1=Val|title=Spotted! Axe takes to the slopes|url=http://mediaincanada.com/2012/02/29/axe-takes-to-the-slopes/|accessdate=11 February 2015|publisher=Media in Canada|date=February 29, 2012|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212055/http://mediaincanada.com/2012/02/29/axe-takes-to-the-slopes/|url-status=live}}
Several popular Canadian ski resorts have also ended up with bra trees, including Banff Sunshine Village,{{cite web |title=Photo: "The Bra Tree - Sunshine" |url=https://www.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g154910-d155184-i42177783-Sunshine_Village-Banff_National_Park_Alberta.html |website=Trip Advisor Canada |accessdate=21 January 2019 |archive-date=22 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122094603/https://www.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g154910-d155184-i42177783-Sunshine_Village-Banff_National_Park_Alberta.html |url-status=live }} Lake Louise Ski Resort,{{cite web |last1=Predham |first1=Bruce |title=Rick Donates to the Bra Tree at Lake Louise |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyo3Jgm50_Y |website=Youtube |date=18 February 2012 |accessdate=21 January 2019}} and Camp Fortune, amongst many others.