3 things that annoy me about snowboarders.
October 8, 2004
17 posts
13 users
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1. Getting off the lift with a pack of them in all their un- synchronized glory (although their baggy clothes do help cushion the fall)
2. When they perform a sit-in in the middle of a slope form a virtual blockade
3.When you arrive at the slope after a night of fresh snowfall only to see the boarding scraping every last bit of powder off the the sides expposing yesterdays packed ice.
hey dont get on lifts with snowboarders no one is forcing you TO
If people would read there Responsibility CODE!!!! noone would be BLOCKING in the middle of the trail. KNOW THE CODE!
If you would get to the mountain early on a Pow Pow day you wouldnt have to whine about the lack of powder. YOU SNOOZE U LOSE!
As a boarder only I have to say some of those things are more steriotypical of a few 'kiddie' boarders or those who are a few and ruin it for many. I myself despise those people too who sit in the middle of a slope to restrap a binding or what not. Personally when I have to do that I'll make my way to the very far side of a trail where i'm in no ones way to do whatever I need to do.
As for getting on and off the lifts that is truely an artform for skiiers AND boarders alike. I've had more trouble getting off lifts on skis than I ever have with a board. So when I'm riding with someone I always make sure on the ride up I know what direction they are going so I can go opposite and really be mannerly about it.
Please make sure you aren't commenting on steriotypes of a few rather than the majority.
4 When they make giant sweeping turns that take up the entire slope on a crowded day and cut off 10 people each pass
Cliff, chill this was suppose to be meant in good humor. Apologies to all who take offense
Making your way to the side... I like to ride the side. How many countless skiers and boarders do I have to weave around? People, don't stop on the extreme edge of the trail! Stop about 3/4 over.
First off: I am a skier .. never boarded in my life and probably never will.
That said; I think Myrto might be a bit more forgiving in several respects:
1. Getting off the lift with a hunk of slippery fiberglass stuck to one foot does put a boarder at a disadvantage. Think about it .. wanna try getting off the lift with only one ski? I think the average skier would be just as clumsy if not a total disaster in the same situation.
2. I agree the slope sit-ins do cause traffic jams. As pointed out above, know the code, if you don't you shouldn't be on the slopes. It might help if the courtesy patrollers got a bit firmer with these kids and suggested ticket clipping if they are caught a 2nd time. And it is a kid thing .. you don't see serious boarders doing that. Maybe it would carry more weight if _real_ boarders would talk to these kids and tell them in a friendly way that is way not kool to cause traffic jams.
Or you can look at it this way; the boarder bodies offer a good opportunity for practicing fine carving control. Just consider them chunky slalom poles.
3. Yup I agree ... get up early ... we do and always have a couple of really nice runs before the snow plows (translation: newbie boarders) arrive. Again this is just experience. A lot of these kids think that snow boarding is skate boarding transferred to snow and that they are so cool they don't need any lessons. Ya gotta live with it, or if you have a kid who boards make sure he/she has lessons and learns to do it right.
There is nothing more awesome than to see an expert boarder doing the blacks .. the power and grace just take your breath away. Oh wait .. I take that back; the only thing more beautiful to watch is a top telemarker doing the same thing; turns me positively green with envy!
The one thing I do get snarky about is dangerous riders whether they be skiers or boarders. That is why I wear a helmet. After getting taken out twice by out of control boarders I decided that since I can't change them I need to protect myself.
A lot had already been said here. First off, I'm a skier but my buddy rides a board. The one question that I have is why do resorts force the boarder to be put at a distinct disadvantage on the lift by requiring the rear foot to be un-strapped?
It seems like if they simply put some rails to push off from in the lift line, both feet could be left in and getting off would be much easier.
-Warren-
I'm a beginner boarder but I still really don't see why getting off the lift is such a big deal. If you keep your free foot on the stomp pad, and let the lift give you a little push when you get off it's a piece of cake. I think boarders have to unstrap one foot to keep from taking up to much space on the lift. But having rails in the lift lines would be nice.
I mentioned to a stranger I met on a lift that I was new to snowboarding once and he explained to me in detail how to get off. He then proceeded to bust the second he got off, got up quickly and then got clocked in the back of the head by the lift. Took him and the board comletely off the ground. You see some pretty good stuff when you ski at Winterplace.
Quote:
A lot had already been said here. First off, I'm a skier but my buddy rides a board. The one question that I have is why do resorts force the boarder to be put at a distinct disadvantage on the lift by requiring the rear foot to be un-strapped?
-Warren-
So that the board doesn't interfere with other lift passengers when the boarder is seated.
Roundtop, for one, has the rails (on the "minuteman"? lift)
Comprex,
Yea, You're right. I was too focused on the unloading. I watched my friend bust at Whistler when there was nothing but blue ice at the top of a lift (and it had a good hill to it!
). Since his back foot was unstrapped he had a hard time trying to turn and avoid things like trees, etc.
-Warren-
Getting off lifts with a board gets real tricky on a six pack or aven a 4. Your room to maneuvre is limited. The other killer is when people fall coming off the lift and just sit there.
As regards getting taken out by out of control boarders, just as easy to get taken out by out of control skiiers. Face facts, we ride the Mid East, the hills are small the crowds are big and you will have traffic. Learn to cope or just don't bother
Getting off a lift onto a lumpy rock solid mound of ice is about as much fun as you can have in a day.
Three things I hate about skiiers
1. Non stop whinging about boarders
2. Copying carving technology from boards and not saying thanks
3. wedging the half pipe, GET OUT!
FOR SCOTT,
A glitch?? The parent DCSKI discussion site shows that a Murphy made a post on this thread at 0800 on 7 October, but the last viewable thread is on October 6th. What gives?
Thanks, The Colonel
I misspoke in previous note...I could not find the Oct 7 8:00am post in the three things that annoy me about skiers thread, not the "...annoy me about snowboarders" thread.
The Colonel
Well i freeski so i spend alot of time with snowbaorders in the pakr and there not that bad except for the litte kids who dont take a lessons and try doing all this advanced stuf becuase they think there so badass but most snowboarders are cool.
This is a family site so please watch your language and comments. Suggesting that skiing on a snowboarding only trail is a positive thing to do, especially if not caught, is the wrong advice to give DCSki readers, especially young and new sliders.
Hopefully you will get lots of advice about where to ski in this area.
The Colonel
Seco
(Replying to the subject, not any individual.) I ski a lot and snowboard some. Having come to the latter in my late 50s it was quite a revelation. I am having fun with it but am not going to make a lot of progress unless I devote a whole season to it, which is not likely until I retire because I'm having too much fun with tele and backcountry.
When learning a new snow sliding technique, you tend to use more of the width of the slope with big looping turns. This means people hit you, because most of them are too into their own experience to realize, or make allowances for the fact that your rhythym, pace, and slope use are not what they were expecting. This is not your fault, it is theirs; the first rule of the Responsibility Code is that you are responsible for safely avoiding the skiers/riders in front of you. But that is not much comfort when you are being hit fairly regularly. So it is important to take your technique to the point where you can stay in the fall line in control, using a smaller swath, and matching the pace of the other users of the slope. Not saying that one should always ski/ride this way, but it is important to be able to do it if the situation calls for it. I had this experience when learning tele, as well.
The other big difference with riding is that it is very difficult, except in powder or deep soft corn, to stand stationary and rest while upright. This leads to riders sitting on the slope, backs to the oncoming traffic, which they cannot see. Compound this with sitting in the middle of the slope side by side with a half dozen buddies and you have a potentially very dangerous situation. Doing this on the rim of the half pipe while waiting your turn is OK, but it is not OK on a regular slope or trail. I was taught to stop at the edge of the trail, in a spot clearly visible from above, on the toe side edge, then kneel to rest, so that I can look uphill at the oncoming traffic. From this position it is easy to quickly get up and move to either side or slip down a bit if someone loses it above you. I don't understand why all riders don't kneel at the edge of the trail when resting. Perhaps it's to keep their knees from getting cold or bruised. I wear my tele kneepads when riding. You can buy a pair at any home depot for ~ $10. And wear a helmet, whatever tool you ride.
