Why are there no snowboarder only mountains?

dlague said:

But don't all the smart skiers on this board do that also? Yes, use the chairs man!

Are there any mountains that skiers consider "skier unfriendly" because there are a lot of stairs in the base facilities? Going up the stairs no problem. Going down the stairs is not a deterrent. Going down stairs in a park equals fun!

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exactly and exactly. So why are people so perplexed about snowboarding?

jimk said:

There was a park only place like this near Denver called Echo Mtn, allowed both skiers and boarders. I think it operated from about 2006-2011? It went out of business. Not sure why.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_Mountain_Park

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They got bought out by a ski club that focuses on racing. So it's still open but privite...

http://frontrangeskiclub.com/

Cannonball said:

exactly and exactly. So why are people so perplexed about snowboarding?

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Not really sure - Cannonball as you know my son snowboards so I see what he is capable of. He can hit anything we challenge him with. Yes, run-outs suck for sure for anyone! When I skate on a run out I pick up hitchhikers and tow them. But others just unbuckle and then move on. Everyone survives!

RENO said:

I do most of my snowboarding at Killington and don't have a problem with any of the terrain. I don't even remember traversing much at all?

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Yeah. I guess I was thinking more of the really long flat trails at Killington and how on a sticky snow day they must be even worse for a boarder than a skier.

Cannonball said:

Yes and no. The run-outs at the bottom of Burke's East Bowl kind of suck. But last time I was there it was the 2 skiers I was with that through in the towel before I did. Same for the run-outs from the far boundaries of Wildcat, Jay, etc. But whatever, it's not a big deal, it's well worth it. Some more spread out mountains like Sunday River, Killington, Whistler, etc are a drag if you aren't smart about planning your day and your runs. But don't all the smart skiers on this board do that also? Who wants to waste time traversing all day on any equipment. If you are smart, cognizant, informed you can make any layout work just fine.

Are there any mountains that skiers consider "skier unfriendly" because there are a lot of stairs in the base facilities? I know I hate walking stairs in my ski boots.

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I know this comes across as wimpy or lazy, and may serve as a useful way to cull out the weak ;-) , but...

-Walking from old Mansfield Base Lodge up the steep hill to Forerunner Quad ain't no fun, even worse is the long gradual hill to Stowe gondi :-(
-Every skier hates the mid-mtn restaurant or base lodge designed with a steep walk downstairs to restrooms. Almost every place has a version of this. Snowbasin, UT has solved the problem in a cool if decadent way. They have elevators between floors in their fancy base lodge.
-I'm an old fart and have to admit the escalators around the base village at Beaver Creek, CO connecting the ticket office to chair lifts are pretty dang handy. They also have one or two magic carpets that serve strictly as skier/people movers from one part of the base area to another with no vertical rise.
-On the other hand, a lot of resorts out west are not too friendly to "day" skiers/boarders. Require shuttle bus ride from satellite parking lot, then a trudge through base village and sometimes it's hard to find an indoor public place to boot-up. Some places don't really have the equivalent of an Eastern base lodge.

jimk said:

Yeah. I guess I was thinking more of the really long flat trails at Killington and how on a sticky snow day they must be even worse for a boarder than a skier.



I know this comes across as wimpy or lazy, and may serve as a useful way to cull out the weak ;-) , but...

-Walking from old Mansfield Base Lodge up the steep hill to Forerunner Quad ain't no fun, even worse is the long gradual hill to Stowe gondi :-(
-Every skier hates the mid-mtn restaurant or base lodge designed with a steep walk downstairs to restrooms. Almost every place has a version of this. Snowbasin, UT has solved the problem in a cool if decadent way. They have elevators between floors in their fancy base lodge.
-I'm an old fart and have to admit the escalators around the base village at Beaver Creek, CO connecting the ticket office to chair lifts are pretty dang handy. They also have one or two magic carpets that serve strictly as skier/people movers from one part of the base area to another with no vertical rise.
-On the other hand, a lot of resorts out west are not too friendly to "day" skiers/boarders. Require shuttle bus ride from satellite parking lot, then a trudge through base village and sometimes it's hard to find an indoor public place to boot-up. Some places don't really have the equivalent of an Eastern base lodge.

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Exactly why you need to plan your lift connections. If you do it right it is not a problem at all. We skied/snowboarded there last year and always planned our exit strategy.

jimk said:

There was a park only place like this near Denver called Echo Mtn, allowed both skiers and boarders. I think it operated from about 2006-2011? It went out of business. Not sure why.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_Mountain_Park

Slight thread hijack: I'd be curious from the snowboarders in this thread...are there any mountains you've been to, East or West, that you would consider "boarder unfriendly" due to terrain or other reasons?
I ask because sometimes when I'm at a mountain requiring a lot of traversing or poling like Alta, Kirkwood, Killington I often wonder if this would be bad for boarders?? Not talking about climbing, but horizontal movement. Some of the best stuff at Kirkwood requires a lot of high traversing, but being in CA it gets a lot of boarders anyway. Plus, I guess there is always terrain at any mtn that sticks pretty much to the fall line so boarders can find easily accessible fun anywhere? Also, I guess one foot scooting on a board is no harder than poling for a skier??
Kirkwood, Jan 2013
View attachment 12831

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Echo got bought out by a ski club and was turned into a ski racers only type joint.

killington has never been a problem for me boarding. sugarbush was a bit of a pita, lifts spaced far apart. one of the few places i've seen boarders with poles.

jimk said:

Y
-Walking from old Mansfield Base Lodge up the steep hill to Forerunner Quad ain't no fun, even worse is the long gradual hill to Stowe gondi :-(

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Funny I always found the hike up to the quad to be a good warmup.

Huck_It_Baby said:

Funny I always found the hike up to the quad to be a good warmup.

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Look what the cat dragged in

MadMadWorld said:

Look what the cat dragged in

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Ha, I know. It's summer...I'm in withdrawal!

Huck_It_Baby said:

Funny I always found the hike up to the quad to be a good warmup.

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that's always how i look at when humping up to the lift from lower elevation

Huck_It_Baby said:

Funny I always found the hike up to the quad to be a good warmup.

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Yeah especially after spending $100+ for a lift ticket & RFID card.

The stuff dreams are made of.

Huck_It_Baby said:

Ha, I know. It's summer...I'm in withdrawal!

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yup. 80 degree days. sunny. blah.

It's the short uphills without any place to get enough speed to crest it that are the worst IMO on a board. On skis you can just skate, on a board, you have to release at least one binding. If it's enough of an uphill that everyone is walking, then a board is just as good as skis if not better (someone already mentioned the comfort of the boots).
Also long double fall lines and long run-outs aren't great either for comfort on a board.
Moguls are great fun on a board, but I find I prefer a bit more space than I do on skis. I think boarders in general could be surprisingly great at moguls if they trained as hard as today's competitive mogul skiers. Nobody does that.