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Shiny magenta bras, metallic Mardi Gras beads in green, silver, and purple. Black lace panties and dowdy white underwear. Visit nearly any ski resort in the United States, and a handful in Canada, and you’ll see a tree decorated with colorful undergarments, its branches holding both natural white snow and a smattering of women’s lingerie.
At Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont, the main bra tree is along the Bluebird chairlift, but other trees near the snowboarder’s freestyle park are also dressed with beads and bras. I’ve never actually seen anyone in action, though I’ve mused about the logistics—and risk of frost bite—of removing one’s bra while riding up a chair lift.
But of course, adding to the 50-year-old tradition requires planning ahead, premeditation on the part of participants looking to add a piece of tawdry or stylish flair to a ski resort’s unofficial designated bra tree.