[LiquidSky]

>When skiing in the US, people see it as an opportunity to use a hobby to gain an advantage, to network, to talk business, to flaunt, to compare, to use an escape as a entrance.

I'd like to see any evidence of this because this has not been my experience at all, ever. I've skied all my life, just went with my family over the holidays, and neither we nor anyone we met, or anyone I've ever met on ski trips, was doing it for any reason other than fun.

>why else would a ski lodge need a boardroom?

Just because a venue has the capacity to host business events does not mean that that is its sole or main purpose. The obvious answer is that offering this amenity gives the lodge the option of attracting corporate clients in addition to its normal patrons.

This is like saying because the Tour de France exists no one in France bikes recreationally.