The future of an Arizona ski resort hangs in the balance as its owner fights environmentalists, Native American activists and uranium miners for the right to make snow.
It should be clear sailing for Nora Abbott, owner of Kachina Ski, now that she’s won a lawsuit permitting her to use artificial snowmaking equipment. But minutes after the decision, a mysterious figure slashes Nora’s ankle. Days later, someone pushes her husband, Scott, off a mountainside trail, killing him. Next, Scott’s mistress, Maureen, dies in a car crash. The police suspect Nora, even after an explosion destroys her ski lift and her house is firebombed. Nora enters a shaky partnership with Barrett McCreary, who’s seeking the rights to extract uranium from Kachina. And her stylish mother, Abigail, is ready to forge an even more personal relationship with McCreary. Still, representatives of the local Hopi press on with their media campaign to stop Nora from making snow, and their fears for Mother Earth resonate with local environmentalists. McCreary’s minion Cole Huntsman is strangely protective of Nora, just as her friend Charlie Podanski bristles with concern over Abigail. Will the Hopi, led by a shaky Sioux agitator named Big Elk, stop Kachina Ski, or will Nora succumb to one of the many “accidents” someone has planned for her?
Lots of explosions, fires and crashes, but despite its exotic location, Baker’s debut offers no local color and little suspense.
