Political Discussions No Longer Allowed

[Greg]

Hello all - I've thought long and hard about this, but I've made the decision to no longer allow political discussions on these forums, effective immediately. Usually these types of threads turn into either long circular discussions that go nowhere until the next political thread is started, or they turn into personal flame wars. I don't think either is of any benefit to AlpineZone.com and this great community. Let's now focus on what we do best - discussing Northeast skiing/riding and hiking/backpacking.

A few different solutions have been suggested in the past; one being a dedicated private political forum. Initially, I strongly supported this idea, but after much thought, I now don't think it will relieve the personal attack problem as such animosity will likely spill over to the other forums. Other proposed solutions were to make this Miscellaneous forum private or remove it entirely, but I'm not in favor of either of these solutions. I feel the camaraderie we have here is very special and I also feel that this Miscellaneous forum helps to facilitate it. It's always interesting to read off-topic posts from fellow local snow sports and hiking enthusiasts. Unfortunately, politics is one topic that is such an emotional one that some members simply cannot debate it in the civil, mature and respectful manner found in most other threads here.

Therefore, effective immediately and until further notice, political posts will not be allowed anywhere on the AlpineZone.com Forums. Any political topic that is started will be immediately deleted. Any thread that degenerates into a political debate will result in either the political posts within the thread being deleted, or if all other points regarding the initial topic have been made, the thread may be locked. The moderators will be allowed to use their discretion regarding such situations. Therefore, we reserve the right to edit or delete any topic containing a political post at any time.

Obviously, this action will not be popular with all members, but unfortunately something drastic must be done. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to Email me directly at contact@alpinezone.com or send me a private message. Thank you for taking the time to read this announcement.