Does "Park" skiing bother you?

[urungus]

You guys realize this is one of a series of parody letters to the editor that Unofficial Networks have been posting recently, right ?
Here is another: https://unofficialnetworks.com/2023...ts-ski-areas-dont-need-more-pumas-and-t-bars/

 

[KustyTheKlown]

park is the really the only style of skiing i can say i am straight up no good at.

some of the shit these guys do is so damn cool to see, and so stylish. i particularly like when a park guy ends up taking their skills into the big mountain, and then you get tanner hall type shit.

i'd love to be good at rails, jumps, mid-air tricks, but this old dog isn't learning this high consequence easy to injure shit at 37

 

[ss20]

The times of terrain parks have come and gone. By the 90s the snowmaking and grooming technology was there to make parks, and snowboarding obviously added to that popularity. Now energy is expensive and it can't be justified to run 15 guns 24/7 for 5 days to make a half pipe or massive jump line. Snowboarding has taken a hit with asphalt skating/blading/skateboarding essentially dead. Since the late 00s skis have gotten wider and wider and now the cool thing is hucking 50ft cliffs on 120mm rockered skis.... something that's attainable to the average Joe while 15 years ago that was reserved for athletes. Park isn't dead but it's dying 100%. It will always be big in the Midwest but I see it being phased out over time in other regions.

 

[jaytrem]

I agree that half pipes seem to be a dying breed. I do wonder how much longer it will be an Olympic went. Seems like rails and jumps are still very popular at most places I've been too. At Mount Snow, Nitro is usually the 2nd most crowded lift behind the bubble.

Agree on the Midwest. Park scene is crazy there!

As for the original question. Park skiing only bothers me if I'm the one doing it. Took a couple clunks last year on my board.

 

[MikeDeJ]

The times of terrain parks have come and gone. By the 90s the snowmaking and grooming technology was there to make parks, and snowboarding obviously added to that popularity. Now energy is expensive and it can't be justified to run 15 guns 24/7 for 5 days to make a half pipe or massive jump line. Snowboarding has taken a hit with asphalt skating/blading/skateboarding essentially dead. Since the late 00s skis have gotten wider and wider and now the cool thing is hucking 50ft cliffs on 120mm rockered skis.... something that's attainable to the average Joe while 15 years ago that was reserved for athletes. Park isn't dead but it's dying 100%. It will always be big in the Midwest but I see it being phased out over time in other regions.

Are you wishing it was dying? Go to carinthia and look at the trails, go any small mountain south of Vermont and the busiest trail on the mtn is the park. it Is just another part of skiing. Racing, parks, trees etc...

I agree 1/2 pipes are dying,too expensive and people who ride parks don’t have the stiff sharp skis/boards to ride the pipe. Two different things.

 

[thetrailboss]

Does it bother me? No. Not at all. I think having it draws in more people to the sport. Out here park is actually not THAT big because we have big mountain terrain for folks to play on. My issue is when folks launch off the side of a trail and into traffic. Having a designated park is a good place to focus that kind of activity in a contained and safe area. Brighton has a pretty nice set of parks. There are A LOT of users and it is fun to watch them from the lifts. Additionally, with snow this year, Brighton Parks and Mountain Ops have gotten pretty creative with elements and grooming some rolls and banked curves that are fun to ski. Snowbird has had a banked course for the last few years and it is fun.

So I say it is good. It gets people to the mountain.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

the stash park at jackson is really awesome. like the one at killington but jackson sized

 

[jaytrem]

Out here park is actually not THAT big because we have big mountain terrain for folks to play on.

Don't you have a ski area that is nothing but park?

 

[4aprice]

Does it bother me? No. Not at all. I think having it draws in more people to the sport. Out here park is actually not THAT big because we have big mountain terrain for folks to play on. My issue is when folks launch off the side of a trail and into traffic. Having a designated park is a good place to focus that kind of activity in a contained and safe area. Brighton has a pretty nice set of parks. There are A LOT of users and it is fun to watch them from the lifts. Additionally, with snow this year, Brighton Parks and Mountain Ops have gotten pretty creative with elements and grooming some rolls and banked curves that are fun to ski. Snowbird has had a banked course for the last few years and it is fun.

So I say it is good. It gets people to the mountain.

Wait, there's an entire area dedicated to it right off the Highway (Woodward - Old Parley Summit ski Area), Woodward is also big at Copper and Killington

 

[Smellytele]

I don’t care if parks exist or not.
What I find strange is people outside of parks skiing without poles. I have seen a lot lately and they don’t seem to be park skiers.

 

[deadheadskier]

I don’t care if parks exist or not.
What I find strange is people outside of parks skiing without poles. I have seen a lot lately and they don’t seem to be park skiers.

I don't get it either. I guess I can see skiing groomers without poles, but certainly not bumps / trees.

 

[drjeff]

If a park scene at a certain ski area is "dying" chances are that it's because the ski area operators aren't behind their parks.

It takes the commitment of mtn ops to both create a space and adequate snow for a team of park specific ops crews who have an interest in keeping their park(s) fresh all season long. Just building a park and giving it a fresh groom and hand raking every day isn't going to keep the attention of the average park skier/rider very long, and hence give the impression that the park scene is dying. If a resort keeps its park(s) fresh all season long with multiple rebuilds (and not just with the same features) you're going to attract attention and keep the park scene thriving.

For example Mount Snow's Carinthia has basically 6 separate parks this season (Gulch, Prospector, Nitro, Fool's Gold, Junkyard and Grommet), and with the exception of the beginner Grommet which has stayed basically with the same learning sized jumps and boxes on it all season) each of the other parks have had atleast 3 full rebuilds which changed up most everything this season. Hence why you see consistent lift lines on the lifts there all season

 

[4aprice]

The times of terrain parks have come and gone. By the 90s the snowmaking and grooming technology was there to make parks, and snowboarding obviously added to that popularity. Now energy is expensive and it can't be justified to run 15 guns 24/7 for 5 days to make a half pipe or massive jump line. Snowboarding has taken a hit with asphalt skating/blading/skateboarding essentially dead. Since the late 00s skis have gotten wider and wider and now the cool thing is hucking 50ft cliffs on 120mm rockered skis.... something that's attainable to the average Joe while 15 years ago that was reserved for athletes. Park isn't dead but it's dying 100%. It will always be big in the Midwest but I see it being phased out over time in other regions.

Little surprised by this take, but I don't believe I've seen any parks up LCC. Like I said my son is (mid 20's) is very much into it so I hear about it. He's big on Brighton's park and think he's hit Woodwards as well. Back in his home state, Copper has a huge set up,, as does Winter Park but even more then that there is even a Terrain Park they set up in Downtown Denver that he'll go to and real early/real late he and his buddies will go up on Berthoud Pass and set up a couple of features. Every time I've gone to try to meet up with him those parks are packed and its hard to find him.

As far as trashing ski's, he goes out and buys cheap beaters (plenty of those at ski swaps in CO) to ride in there. He also plays with the mounting position of the bindings specifically for rails.

I will also say that at least in Colorado there are some pretty wild skate board parks around. I couldn't see the towns here in NJ letting those be used but out there, there they are.

 

[Yo VT Raps]

If you don't desire to be competent in the park that's fine but you can't go around claiming to be the best. People who do this rant are usually too intimidated to try and get up on the rails because its not as easy as it looks.

 

[thetrailboss]

Don't you have a ski area that is nothing but park?

Woodward, yes. But go to other areas and you’ll see that their offerings are generally limited.

 

[thetrailboss]

Wait, there's an entire area dedicated to it right off the Highway (Woodward - Old Parley Summit ski Area), Woodward is also big at Copper and Killington

Yes. That’s the exception to the norm. And POWDR owns “Woodward.” There’s no Woodward at Snowbird (but there have been some summer elements). The terrain park area at Snowbird is quite limited. They had a dug half pipe. They do a banked slalom course (which is fun) but that’s it. And Alta has no terrain park at all.

 

[VTSkiBike]

The park scene at my home mountain is pretty weak so I'm okay with that. The few park skiers here keep to 1 or 2 lifts where the features are. I can't say I've ever had an issue with the park skiers here.

Natural features are more fun anyway.

 

[jimmywilson69]

I think like you said your mountains have tons of "features" and some of the best "big boy and girl skiing" in the country. no need to spend money and resources on building a park.

 

[drjeff]

I think like you said your mountains have tons of "features" and some of the best "big boy and girl skiing" in the country when it's a good snow year like this one. no need to spend money and resources on building a park.

Fixed it for you JW!

 

[Domeskier]

Xanadu is half park. It kind of bothers me there because just a quarter or less of that half would make a nice permanent bump line.