New to AZ forums and confused about mountain loyalty

[SteveInCT]

First, let me start by saying I have been using the tools on AZ for the past year but just started looking at the forums in the past couple of weeks. I love the site and am happy to be skiing again (I took about 10 years off from skiing and just started again last year)! I am fired up to hit the slopes and was hoping to make some turns this Saturday.

Here is my confusion: Why is there so many posts where people make fun of where others ski? Why is there so much "mountain loyalty" going on? You know, the "my mountain is better than yours" posts. I guess I understand there are those out there who buy a season pass somewhere and want to convince themselves they made the right decision, but why bother trying to knock someone else down about their decision? Here is why I don't understand it: If you only ski one mountain, you are getting only a fraction of the number of trails than someone who skis any mountain on any given day. With that in mind, the one mountain wonders can't compare their mountain to someone who skis them all making them, by default, somewhere at the bottom of the pack when it comes to terrain available. So when I think about it, it is like a person who roots for a losing football team talking smack to someone who lost one more game than them. Want teams? Killington = the Raiders and Snow = the Lions. Yea.. talk smack while we all chuckle.

Ok.. enough of my rant. For those who may take offense to this post, please rest assured that it is mostly "tongue in cheek" and I am not making fun of you in a bad way. I was just thinking about the mountain wars and laughing so I thought I would create a silly post about it.

I am stoked about the upcoming season and can't wait to hit the slopes at K-Mart, Snow, Sugarbush(and loaf), Stowe, Sundown, or any other place that makes me happy on that day! ;-)

 

[Greg]

Welcome Steve. We're coming off a pretty heated summer, and with the slow start, folks are just antsy and pissy. Stick around and you'll learn quickly who to ignore and who not to. Hope to make some turns with you this season. Where in CT do you live?

 

[2knees]

 

[St. Bear]

Here is my confusion: Why is there so many posts where people make fun of where others ski? Why is there so much "mountain loyalty" going on? You know, the "my mountain is better than yours" posts. I guess I understand there are those out there who buy a season pass somewhere and want to convince themselves they made the right decision, but why bother trying to knock someone else down about their decision? Here is why I don't understand it: If you only ski one mountain, you are getting only a fraction of the number of trails than someone who skis any mountain on any given day. With that in mind, the one mountain wonders can't compare their mountain to someone who skis them all making them, by default, somewhere at the bottom of the pack when it comes to terrain available. So when I think about it, it is like a person who roots for a losing football team talking smack to someone who lost one more game than them. Want teams? Killington = the Raiders and Snow = the Lions. Yea.. talk smack while we all chuckle.

For a lot of people, skiing only 1 mountain comes down to a convience and price factor. If you live nearby, or especially if you own property at a specific mountain, why would you drive away when you can walk to the slopes? And if you get a seasons pass, your per day rate goes down, so it can make a lot of fiscal sense if you ski a large number of days.

Welcome Steve. We're coming off a pretty heated summer, and with the slow start, folks are just antsy and pissy. Stick around and you'll learn quickly who to ignore and who not to. Hope to make some turns with you this season. Where in CT do you live?

Best advice you can get.

 

[billski]

Welcome aboard Steve. There is a lot of good-natured ribbing that goes on, often it gets lost without understanding a long-standing prior conversation and so on. For the most part, folks are pretty respectful. 100 different skiers/boarders, 100 different likes and interests. I will also admit to ribbing the areas I love to ski as well, I just sort of call it equal opportunity abuse. Every resort has places it can improve; it's kind of nice to have a forum where those things get aired.

I have no allegiances, tend to ski at about 10 different areas over the course of one season, have really grown to see the strengths, not just the weaknesses of each area. And because of that, I've come to target different areas based on their strengths.

My last observation is as Greg says, people get grumpy. Particularly grumpy when it's raining when it should be snowing. Wait until the first good dump. Or just go back and look at messages from the middle from last winter. Entirely different tenor.

Welcome aboard, please contribute to the cacophony of opinions!

 

[SteveInCT]

I live in Bridgeport (on the Trumbull / Fairfield line -- NOT in the hood). I guess I can understand the pissyness since I was hoping to get some turns in on Saturday and this weather is making it look like it might not happen. I would love to hit the slopes with you and some AZers this winter! One of the reasons I took so much time off is because most of the people I know don't ski. Last winter I was dating a woman who skied and she got me back into it. We are no longer together, but the skiing will remain -- even if that means going solo. Having some AZ friends out there would be a lot more fun!

 

[SteveInCT]

There is a lot of good-natured ribbing that goes on

Welcome aboard, please contribute to the cacophony of opinions!

Sweet! My next post will be titled "K-Mart and Snow both stink - Sundown is king!" :razz:

 

[Grassi21]

Sweet! My next post will be titled "K-Mart and Snow both stink - Sundown is king!" :razz:

You will fit in nicely around here...

 

[jrmagic]

Welcome Steve! I find that this kind of stuff is jsut human nature. I fish a lot during the warm months and when winter comes those boards get very pissy. Just like what happens here in the late fall and when it sucks during the winter.

I ski 1 mountian 95% fo the time cause I have a pass and kids and a condo right next to the liftt. its much easier than lugging all the kids crap to another mountain.

 

[SteveInCT]

I ski 1 mountian 95% fo the time cause I have a pass and kids and a condo right next to the liftt. its much easier than lugging all the kids crap to another mountain.

Don't get me wrong -- I understand why someone would get a season pass. If I lived close enough to a mountain where I could get in some after work runs, I would have one in a heartbeat.

 

[2knees]

most of the "my dog is bigger then your dog" stupidity comes from one crowd........

try and guess which crowd that is....

starts with a k and ends with an n.

some kind of complex going on there.

 

[millerm277]

Well, what else do we have to talk about? Almost no one's open, there's barely any skiing, snow, or conditions to speak about, besides the lack of.....and we've been whining about that since May. So, mountain loyalty it is until places open. There's not much in major new equipment either, and helmet debates are old.

 

[skidbump]

Oh ya, By the way
Belleayre is way better than hunter

 

[billski]

most of the "my dog is bigger then your dog" stupidity comes from one crowd........

try and guess which crowd that is....

starts with a k and ends with an n.

some kind of complex going on there.

that's metro-NY luv :lol:

 

[SteveInCT]

Well, what else do we have to talk about? Almost no one's open, there's barely any skiing, snow, or conditions to speak about, besides the lack of.....and we've been whining about that since May. So, mountain loyalty it is until places open. There's not much in major new equipment either, and helmet debates are old.

I suppose you can always start the debate about which wax works best when the surface conditions are listed as "GRS" (Grass, Rocks, and Sticks). hehe

 

[Greg]

Don't get me wrong -- I understand why someone would get a season pass. If I lived close enough to a mountain where I could get in some after work runs, I would have one in a heartbeat.

You do. The mighty Sundown! Depending on how close you are to route 8, probably under an hour. Grew up in Trumbull BTW...

 

[Glenn]

most of the "my dog is bigger then your dog" stupidity comes from one crowd........

The top 10 skier/manditory GS turns crew

Fixed it for ya. :beer:

 

[billski]

Steve, great first post - you really stirred the pot:

 

[snafu]

You do. The mighty Sundown! Depending on how close you are to route 8, probably under an hour. Grew up in Trumbull BTW...

People who read this board from somewhere other than New England probably have these grand images of Sundown being a huge resort on par with Mt Snow and Killington...lol

 

[dmc]

Oh ya, By the way
Belleayre is way better than hunter

It is... If you can't handle hard terrain... And want parallel ridge runs all day... which some people enjoy so... cool...