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Hiking vs. Skiing

Jaytrek57

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Ok..ok.

I must ask myself, what is with all the "ski" talk in July? I love to ski, love this board...but I thought I'd rally the "hiking" legions out there before we are completely overrun.

(This is all tongue and cheek (for fun) for all you,literalists out there. :wink:

Top Five reasons Hiking is better than Skiing.

5. Crowds. Take OBP on it's most crowded day and that is 1/1000 of the line at any ski lift.

4. Lunch costs: Hiking about $5.00. Any ski area cafeteria...slightly less than a new plasma TV.

3. I can hike with my dog.

2. After activity libations. You know what, have to give this one to the skier inside me. :beer:

1. There is no OB in hiking. :wink:

Let's here your top 5...either way.

peace.
 

MtnMagic

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Can you enlighten the uninformed . . .

OBP = Old Bridal Path (to Mt Lafayette).

What's an OB? Inquiring minds want to know!
 

pizza

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Hehe... I like your post.

It's too hot to hike right now - or I'd be doing it. Plus the insects are out in force right now. I do my 3-mile run in the morning (it was brutal this morning, by the way - 90º) and then spend the rest of the day in air conditioning.

Skiing is my first passion though. Hiking doesn't quite get the adrenaline flowing like skiing does.. It's much more low-key.. it's cool in it's own way, but it doesn't replace skiing.

So I talk about skiing all year 'round. Everyone thinks I'm weird, except my skiing friends.
 

riverc0il

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Jaytrek57 said:
Ok..ok.

I must ask myself, what is with all the "ski" talk in July? I love to ski, love this board...but I thought I'd rally the "hiking" legions out there before we are completely overrun.

(This is all tongue and cheek (for fun) for all you,literalists out there. :wink:

Top Five reasons Hiking is better than Skiing.

5. Crowds. Take OBP on it's most crowded day and that is 1/1000 of the line at any ski lift.

4. Lunch costs: Hiking about $5.00. Any ski area cafeteria...slightly less than a new plasma TV.

3. I can hike with my dog.

2. After activity libations. You know what, have to give this one to the skier inside me. :beer:

1. There is no OB in hiking. :wink:

Let's here your top 5...either way.

peace.

jaytrek, your list seems more like a list of why skiing is better than hiking to me, lol! OBP on a weekend likely feels more crowded than most areas i ski at on weekends regardless of actual numbers. for #4, you assume people eat at the cafe, you can bring your own lunch for skiing too. #3 you can ski with your dog too. apres ski is the definition of after activity libations :) and you can bushwhack while hiking which is kinda OB in a way. OB is where it's at any ways on skis :D

okay, now that i got the literalists outta my system i will end my attempt at a humerous response with this summation of why there is so much skiing talk in july... because july is still ski season.

best reason why skiing is better than hiking? who obsesses about hiking during the summer!
:beer: :beer: :beer:
 

Vortex

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Skiing is better and I like being close minded. Hiking is great it just never can compete. Bugs and humidity are negitives of hiking, but i won't bring them up cause I'm Mr. postive.
I had a little fun in this thread.
 

Stephen

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I'm suffering from some serious hikopause. Normally by now I'd have hiked 3 or 4 times.

Thus far this year... bubpkis. Nadda. Not even a freakin geocache, man. I just can't get away from softball, the house, the family, the job. grr. :angry:
 

MichaelJ

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riverc0il said:
combine skiing AND hiking and now we are talking!
:)

Heck yeah! I can't wait to try out my new Karhu Pyxis skis out in the woods. I do need to buy a new pulk sled, though ... that's going to cost me. Teach me to go too fast, out of control, downhill, fall, and have the sled slam into the back of me and snap into pieces...
 

smitty77

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Jaytrek57 said:
Let's here your top 5...either way.
5) Lower chance of injury while hiking.

4) "Hiking season" is not limited to the color of the ground.

3) I couldn't bring my baby boy skiing with me.

2) I don't have to pay $35+ for each person in my party to climb a mountain.

1) I can stay overnight while hiking for less than $20.

Coming from a non-skier.
 

Vortex

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smitty77 said:
Jaytrek57 said:
Let's here your top 5...either way.
5) Lower chance of injury while hiking.

4) "Hiking season" is not limited to the color of the ground.

3) I couldn't bring my baby boy skiing with me.

2) I don't have to pay $35+ for each person in my party to climb a mountain.

1) I can stay overnight while hiking for less than $20.

Coming from a non-skier.

Your arguments are good. Thats not fair. :wink:
 

pizza

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smitty77 said:
5) Lower chance of injury while hiking.

This one I don't agree with. Even if your odds of getting injured while hiking are less (which is debatable), at least with skiing, competent medical assistance and equipment is less than 5 minutes away from you.

smitty77 said:
4) "Hiking season" is not limited to the color of the ground.

Very few people hike in the Wintertime anyway - maybe less than the number of skiers who find "white ground" in the off-season (like those on TGR's message board)

smitty77 said:
3) I couldn't bring my baby boy skiing with me.

Sure you can.. Get one of the Kelty K.I.D.S. backpacks and take them along! Ski slowly though.. :)

smitty77 said:
2) I don't have to pay $35+ for each person in my party to climb a mountain.

Got me there. Doh!
EDIT: no you don't - last I heard, backcountry skiing was still free. You have to earn your turns, of course, but with hiking, you have to earn your views (and you don't even get good turns on the way down. gip!) What you're paying for is a ferry up to the top of the mountain.. actually 20 ferries..

smitty77 said:
1) I can stay overnight while hiking for less than $20.

You can do this while skiing, too, with even more comfort than a hiker would (because you are car-supported, you can use gear that's not lightweight)
 

loafer89

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5 reasons why skiing is more fun than hiking:

1) No clouds of insects following me and every step.

2) No heat and humidity to deal with.

3) The chairlift does the climbing for me :D

4) No potentially life threatening wild animals to
fend off. :eek:

5) Snow and lots of it to play in, deep powder snow,
corn snow, packed powder snow. :D :) 8)

I am an avid skier and nature lover/gardener. I like flowers and perennial gardening. So every spring I have the Jekyll and Hyde syndrome.

Half of me sees my crocus and daffodils emerging from the ground and is like, ahhhh springtime, while the other half is screaming SMASH those stupid flowers back into the ground with your ski's :eek:

Perhaps I should take up hiking again, I hiked on the lower slopes of Mnt Hood years ago when I went summer skiing, the lupine and columbine were spectacular. Paradise lodge at Ranier is stunning.
 

bvibert

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loafer89 said:
Half of me sees my crocus and daffodils emerging from the ground and is like, ahhhh springtime, while the other half is screaming SMASH those stupid flowers back into the ground with your ski's :eek:

:lol: That made my day, thanks! :D
 

cbcbd

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We are fortunate in the North East to have great access to both...

...but a huge chunk of the world does not have a winter. Searching for snow can be a time consuming and costly ordeal for people who are farther away than a day's drive from snow.

-Hiking can be found anywhere in the world, snow or no snow.
-You don't need any special equipment to do it
-In the long run it is cheaper - The number of skiers who are sleeping in their car and going crosscountry skiing the next day is way too little to even make a difference


Skiing and hiking are just two different animals, but the truth is that hiking can be enjoyed by anyone who can hitch a ride to a trail or just walk in their backyard. Skiing is more of a rush, does "feel" more fun, is more elite, and will cost you.

And who says you can't run down a mountain when hiking for a good rush? ;)
...Go up the Tucks trail to Hojos... then turn around and run down skipping on the rocks - that was hella fun :D
 

David Metsky

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What is this "paying to ski" of which you speak?

Seriously, backcountry skiing is the logical extension of 3-season hiking, mixed in with a little winter mountaineering/hiking where applicable. I've pretty much given up winter hiking but I still climb mountains in winter, and I have much more fun on the way down. :)

-dave-
 

Vortex

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cbcbd said:
We are fortunate in the North East to have great access to both...

...but a huge chunk of the world does not have a winter. Searching for snow can be a time consuming and costly ordeal for people who are farther away than a day's drive from snow.

-Hiking can be found anywhere in the world, snow or no snow.
-You don't need any special equipment to do it
-In the long run it is cheaper - The number of skiers who are sleeping in their car and going crosscountry skiing the next day is way too little to even make a difference


Another good set of points. Not convinced yet though :wink:


Skiing and hiking are just two different animals, but the truth is that hiking can be enjoyed by anyone who can hitch a ride to a trail or just walk in their backyard. Skiing is more of a rush, does "feel" more fun, is more elite, and will cost you.

And who says you can't run down a mountain when hiking for a good rush? ;)
...Go up the Tucks trail to Hojos... then turn around and run down skipping on the rocks - that was hella fun :D

Another good set of points. Not convinced yet. :wink:
 
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