Other Forums?

Most of you probably already know that I'm open to links to other sites/forums, etc. With that said, what other forums do you visit? Which one(s) do you like best, and after answering that question, feel free to elaborate on likes and dislikes. Perhaps this will lead to some features that I can add here and can help shape the direction of this board. Some of you have probably seen me on these forums:

SKIING:
There are a number of good skiing boards out there, but I have yet to find one that is truly Northeast-specific. A few lean towards NE discussion though.

SnowJournal Forums
Fairly active board. Although it's not region-specific, there's a fair amount of NE discussion. I still don't quite understand the NELSAP affiliation, but that board is the only one that has much activity.

The Barking Bear Forums at EpicSki
Quality discussion, but the software used (UBB) is brutal (read: slow). The admin, AC is considering new software which would help a ton.

KillingtonChat.com
I visit here from time to time. Killington-specific info and there are some posters that are local and can comment on weather and skiing conditions. The board has a younger, sometimes immature, vibe though.

First Tracks!! Online
Great board for trip reports. Similar to our TR forum. It seems like it's been rather slow lately though.


HIKING:
There are really only two other players in this game, the AMC boards and VFtT. I think we compliment them nicely and offer a place for those who both ski and hike to chat.

AMC Bulletin Boards
HJ usually stays on topic and has a lot of great hiking info. Probably the most active NE hiking board out there. I shy away from the M&M board though. Things often get too political there...

Views from the Top
Another very active NE hiking board. It's more of a close-knit community than the AMC boards. Darren runs a tight ship though, so if you're looking for light-hearted camaraderie or off-topic posts, this is not the place. It's a "Just the facts, please"-type forum.

However, I think the best forum out there for both Northeast skiing and hiking is this one. I'm a little biased though. You guys and gals all rock!

SnowJournal Forums
Fairly active board. Although it's not region-specific, there's a fair amount of NE discussion. I still don't quite understand the NELSAP affiliation, but that board is the only one that has much activity.

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The person who runs SnowJournal is a friend of the person that runs NELSAP and is actually part of the NELSAP team. Chris(SnowJournal), Jeremy (NELSAP) and Betsy are friends and are involved in both sites. Originally the NELSAP board was used to discuss LOST ski areas and ski area history, though it seems to be losing that focus and heading away from that now.

NELSAP has a lot of ski history information, primarily on LOST New England areas, though now it is branching out and adding New York.

Views from the Top (VFTT) is a great source of up to date hiking info on the mountains. The regular participants of VFTT have a wealth of experience upon which to draw if you have questions about hikes, gear, trails, etc. Newbies and casual hikers can get sort of overlooked, but almost all questions are answered, and answered in exhaustive and authoritative detail. Dave Metsky's White Mountain server is another great source for detailed White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) hiking reports, although some are getting dated......

I visit all 3 hiking forums, and I would rank them in the order that I normally visit them:

1. AlpineZone
2. VFTT
3. AMC

I like the mixture of hiking/skiing here, even though I don't really ski downhill anymore (though there is the possibility of renting and re-discovery some day). I enjoy the posts on VFTT, though I tend not to read anything that concerns hiking in the 'Daks, as I'm basically a White Mt. guy who occasionaly ventures into VT and ME. The AMC site is good for trip reports and trail conditions. It has a couple of "nut cases", but they do provide a constant source of entertainment.

I wish there were a few more regulars here on this site. I try to wear my AlpineZone T-shirt and sweat shirt often, hoping that someone will see the URL and give it a shot. I had it on in the health club during today's workout. Hey, you never know!

Max

I like the backcountry forum at www.couloirmag.com

Max said:

I wish there were a few more regulars here on this site. I try to wear my AlpineZone T-shirt and sweat shirt often, hoping that someone will see the URL and give it a shot. I had it on in the health club during today's workout. Hey, you never know!

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Thanks Max. Word of Mouth (or in the case "Word on Shirt" ) can go a long way. Everybody, please recommend this site to your family and friends that ski and/or hike...

I recommend the site to my skiing friends, but I find many people are intimidated by message boards. I don't quite get this because as you know Greg, I'm a big fan. Here are some reasons people have given me over the years:

They don't feel qualified or expert enough to post.

They're intimidated by the registration process.

They don't quite grasp the concept of how to post and reply.

They're worried about mean-spirited people attacking them.

Again, these are not my excuses, but I've heard them at different times from other people. I will continue to pass along links to the site and encourage people to get involved.

Hiking

I used to frequent the AMC boards but got turned off by them because of how certain individuals can flame you and really not make you feel welcome.
I still sometimes check it out, but it's mostly for just getting information and new hiking trip ideas.
VFTT is a great site. Their trail conditions pages are accurate and very helpful when trying to decide where to go. Like Max, I mostly just check out the White Mountains articles but sometimes they have topics pertain to closer to wear I live. The only posts I do there are strictly trail condition reports for the White's and Massachusetts hikes.
I think the skiing portion of this site has really taken off and hopefully it will carry over to the hiking season.

There are quite a few sites out there where others will "flame" you for expressing your feelings and honest opinions....this is not one of them!

Thanks Greg and thanks for all of the members for keeping this place real and for the lack of flame wars. It's nice to see a site where everyone values others opinions (or at least have enough class to keep their mouth shut if not).

I cruise the big three (VFTT, AMC, AZ) on a pretty consistent basis.
Post more often on AMC I would say, lurk a great deal on VFTT and I am trying (at least) to post a little bit more on AZ. Love the GORP website!

Will give my opinion on subjects that interest me and only debate (for the most part) if the subject includes leading kids in the outdoors, which I have done quite a bit of.

I'm a bit of a self admitted sarcastic wise ass and more often than not that does not translate well in the literal world of message boards. I am improving I hope.

Don't really like the counter feature on all the sites. Feel it can be a strong deterent for new posters (IMHO). From the getgo it establishes a perception of classes of people (posters). Again, just MO. Also think it deters new people when they ask a question and people refer them to a "search" feature. Yeah...been there done that...but "new" people haven't and again just MO, but every board has to go through their "Gun", "Dog", "Hut" or whatever hot button issue at least once a year.

I also think having some, "flamers", "oddballs", "trolls" and/or people who do not generally agree with the "regulars" is a pretty healthy thing for any message board. Keeps it from becoming to vanilla if you ask me.

I would encourage all to go on a Message Board "hike" or "gathering" or sponsored event (FOTF) :flag: . I have...and I believe it aids greatly in understanding more, in where other posters are coming from.

Jesus...sorry was this was so long. Oh...BTW...I hate long self involved posts as well...but this statement again refers to my third paragraph. :wink:

Peace.

Jaytrek said:

I would encourage all to go on a Message Board "hike" or "gathering" or sponsored event (FOTF) :flag: . I have...and I believe it aids greatly in understanding more, in where other posters are coming from.

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Couldn't agree with you more. All the people on the boards that I've met now have my deeper appreciation and understanding of their personalities, so I'm a lot less likely to just write them off as one of society's crackpots.
Or at least if I do after all that, I figure I gave it my best effort before doing so!

But in general, the folks I've met both personally and electronically all seem to be the type you'd enjoy as a neighbor. Must have something to do with that "hiking" thing.

I couldn't agree with Max and Jaytrek more. The FOTF event is a perfect way to meet new people and attach a name to a face. When you hang out with these people, you realize that we are all not that different. Being able to enjoy your hobby and be able to spend time with others who feel the same exact way as you, makes for a great community atmosphere. I feel that this board really brings that out, much more so than the AMC boards. The Hikers on this board have FOTF, maybe the skiers should try to have a get together at some MT. as well.

Personally, I'm thrilled with this message board. After checking out some others, this is the first I've found to be so user-friendly on multiple levels (number one for not making you feel like you're an idiot, number two for the lack of flaming, etc, etc, etc). I checked out the Barking Bear Forums on EpicSki first based on a recommendation by my husband, but found that the forum was more geared toward instructors/experts. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that I felt totally out of place and lost there. It's a good forum if you have that kind of knowledge/inclination, but it's not really good for those new to the sport.
I also checked out the forums at Powdermag and was definitely disappointed in the juvenile behavior there. I haven't been back since.

Hmm, no mention of the busiest one out there, where the hard-core hang..? :blink:

ASC said:

Hmm, no mention of the busiest one out there, where the hard-core hang..? :blink:

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And what would that be?

I would have guessed Epicski or Powdermag.

Why PSIA of course

I have a link for Alpine Zone on my site. Do you have a place where you have links to other sites? I looked and didn't see one.

ASC, you go to the PSIA forums? Why would you want to go there, they talk mopstly about technique and teaching...but that's thsir business. You go to a site full of instructors you expect to have them talking technique and tech..

teachski said:

Do you have a place where you have links to other sites? I looked and didn't see one.

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http://www.alpinezone.com/links/