Improving Ski Reports

[JohnGD33]

Excellent post. I agree 100%.


True. Funny....but true. ;-)

I took my girlfriend on one of those death trips opening day at hunter a few years back. She hated me for it, but she went to the bar had a few cold ones I did a few runs and she was talking to some people at the bar about killington and she asked me if I wanted to go. We were on our way. She can handel hunter on any day now and I think she is a better skier because of it. The post is funny I am sure Amy would agree now but not 4 years ago. :beer:

 

[Greg]

Hrstrat, I decline to go down the slippery slope of specific examples. Not because I don't have them, but it generates a destructive discussion, where I want a constructive discussion, which this has happily generated. Examples descend to character assasination, flame fests and rat-holes which divert from the main issue. I'd rather than attempting to ask people to work towards a higher goal.

I would personally like to see some of these example. Please PM them if you will. I will of course keep it confidential. I suspect your initial post had some of us looking back on our own TRs to see if we were bragging... :-o

I will offer however, that most internet board readers will vote with their feet quickly. If they don't find what they are looking for or the rancor in the group is not congruent to their interests, they will disappear in a flash. If the goal of this forum is to be inclusive, then it need to create that environment. The tone is set at the top by the moderators. You and I are just individual constributors. Encouragement is cheap and you only get one chance in this i-net world to grab new participants.

I've been running a forum as part of AZ for nearly 6 years so I'm fully aware of this. Again, I think AZ has become one of, if not the, most friendly ski forums out there. One thing I've learned however is you simply cannot please everybody. What might annoy you might be exactly why others contribute here. There is no exact formula. However, I can tell you that the AZ Forums grow at a rapid rate every season so I think we're doing something right.

In any event, thanks for your feedback, billski. We've always tried to encourage feedback and perhaps that approach has partly lead to our success.

 

[billski]

save it

I took my girlfriend on one of those death trips opening day at hunter a few years back. She hated me for it, but she went to the bar had a few cold ones I did a few runs and she was talking to some people at the bar about killington and she asked me if I wanted to go. We were on our way. She can handel hunter on any day now and I think she is a better skier because of it. The post is funny I am sure Amy would agree now but not 4 years ago. :beer:

Good story. Talk to any ski patroller They all have a lot of stories about girlfriends being pissed at their boyfriends for "Taking them up there". If they weren't single, there would be lot more skier divorces. I myself have seen many women screaming at their beaus, who clueslessly continue to encourage their lady to get up and keep at it! The poor ladies just sit there in tears. Men do the same but refuse to succumb to tears, they either get more angry or more quiet. Patrollers can tell you stories about how they have to take the partners down separately.

Moral of the story: "don't do this at home" Always better to have a third-party teach your girlfriend/boyfriend. It will save the relationship.

 

[thetrailboss]

I'd like to see everybody post every time they go to the hill, esp right now with the limited terrain avail....I would read them all.

It is all good.

I have singled out this post and the idea for two reasons.

First, and most important, this is how I feel. I like to read other folk's reports and see pictures. I hate to see the TR forum not used, or worse, TR's written and not read or commented about. I hate to admit it, and Bob R knows it :wink: , but I enjoy writing about my outings and now include some, or too many, pics. It makes me when I see that few folks read them at all. So not just write the reports, but read them too :wink: It is a nice circle...more traffic leads to more ideas and more TR's.

Second, and more on point, hrstrat's point actually I think addresses billski's concerns in part I believe. And this has been touched upon, but not expanded. In a season like this one, or when times are busy, the serious skiers are the ones who take the time to post about their outings. This includes me. There are 21 in there from me for this season. AZ is at the mercy of those who post TR's and, in a season as this one, fewer "average Joe" skiers, or those that billski has identified, are getting out and skiing because there is not much interest for that segment of the market. We can't control that. But by going back to my previous point, which is writing about your outings and providing some feedback, we can get more folks involved and get more POV's.

OK, now to be the guinea pig ...and a shameless plug :wink:...here is one of my last TR's and here is one where I specifically mentioned skiing the easier lower slopes at Burke I think. I hope that I have not contributed to the problem that billski has described....my reports chronicle my experiences and are meant to memorialize what I did that day...for me and others.

I will try to incorporate other broader themes and observations in the future.

 

[2knees]

Good story. Talk to any ski patroller They all have a lot of stories about girlfriends being pissed at their boyfriends for "Taking them up there". If they weren't single, there would be lot more skier divorces. I myself have seen many women screaming at their beaus, who clueslessly continue to encourage their lady to get up and keep at it! The poor ladies just sit there in tears. Men do the same but refuse to succumb to tears, they either get more angry or more quiet. Patrollers can tell you stories about how they have to take the partners down separately.

Moral of the story: "don't do this at home" Always better to have a third-party teach your girlfriend/boyfriend. It will save the relationship.

as if that isnt bad enough, how many times have you seen a parent take a child into a situation that is way over their head. a few years ago, i saw a guy take a little kid down castlerock liftline. the poor kid was crying like crazy and the father, well i assume it was his father, was yelling at him to keep going. It was horrible to watch.

 

[Greg]

as if that isnt bad enough, how many times have you seen a parent take a child into a situation that is way over their head. a few years ago, i saw a guy take a little kid down castlerock liftline. the poor kid was crying like crazy and the father, well i assume it was his father, was yelling at him to keep going. It was horrible to watch.

What's wrong with that? CR Liftline is not that hard.






Seriously, I hate when I see parents do this, or worse scream out commands at their kids so the entire ski area can hear. Way to turn your kid off from the sport entirely.

 

[hammer]

as if that isnt bad enough, how many times have you seen a parent take a child into a situation that is way over their head. a few years ago, i saw a guy take a little kid down castlerock liftline. the poor kid was crying like crazy and the father, well i assume it was his father, was yelling at him to keep going. It was horrible to watch.

I saw worse at Waterville last year...saw a kid straightline in a power wedge down True Grit and take a nasty fall (wasn't moving afterwards).

Sorry for the minor hijack...

 

[salsgang]

Interesting Thread. I fit the mold of a 'new poster'. My wife and I are average ability skiers (blue runs mostly) with 2 sons (8 yrs old and 11 yrs old) that have been on skis once in their life.

I found this forum in an attempt to get around the Marketing fluff generated on the Ski Resorts web site. They have a job to do - get people to the mountains which so far this year I am sure has been challenging. But with new skiers in my family, I need accurate condition reports from skiers that actually been on the mountain... for safety sake and to ensure "Lift Tickets $ X 4 = Fun on the Mountain"

Its all a matter of perspective, but I would certainly appreciate trip reports that involve the entire mountain experience. I don't think you have to specifically point out which green trails were good, but just an overall impression that "the mountain is in good shape for all abilities" or "Lots of ice everywhere - Experts Only" would be all I would need. I may take a stab at a TR after our Sunday River trip this weekend.

Thanks! Nice to see such an active forum where skiers of all abilities hang out.

 

[hammer]

Seriously, I hate when I see parents do this, or worse scream out commands at their kids so the entire ski area can hear.

I'm guilty of screaming out at my kids, but it's usually to tell them to take it easy as they blitz down the trails well ahead of their parents...:roll::wink:

 

[hammer]

Interesting Thread. I fit the mold of a 'new poster'. My wife and I are average ability skiers (blue runs mostly) with 2 sons (8 yrs old and 11 yrs old) that have been on skis once in their life.

I found this forum in an attempt to get around the Marketing fluff generated on the Ski Resorts web site. They have a job to do - get people to the mountains which so far this year I am sure has been challenging. But with new skiers in my family, I need accurate condition reports from skiers that actually been on the mountain... for safety sake and to ensure "Lift Tickets $ X 4 = Fun on the Mountain"

Its all a matter of perspective, but I would certainly appreciate trip reports that involve the entire mountain experience. I don't think you have to specifically point out which green trails were good, but just an overall impression that "the mountain is in good shape for all abilities" or "Lots of ice everywhere - Experts Only" would be all I would need. I may take a stab at a TR after our Sunday River trip this weekend.

Thanks! Nice to see such an active forum where skiers of all abilities hang out.

Welcome...I signed up here a while back for the same reason.

 

[snowmonster]

Props to all the folks here who try to make this forum inclusive. I'm actually new to the sport but I try to make up for all those years by getting in as many runs and as much information from more experienced folk such as the people in here. Can't tell you how much I've learned from these boards but I don't think I wouldn't be half the ski enthusiast I am now without the knowledge I've gained here. If my experience is any gauge then boards like these really serve a lot to attract new blood to the sport.

Thanks for reminding about reporting on the green trails. I always start my day on them since I ski with a friend who's still building up her skill and confidence level. Since the first part of the day is spent on practicing turns, I get to spend an hour or so on the greens. I'll definitely take note of the conditions there and include it as part of my TR.

I try my best to submit TRs after I get home. It's almost like a post-trip ritual. Nice to know that folks here read and appreciate the reports. That's great incentive to be more diligent about writing.

On another note, I'll be up in Sunday River this Saturday. If anybody else will be there, let me know.

 

[JimG.]

Interesting thread...I'm not much of a TR poster, and I think alot of that has to do with the fact that it doesn't take much to make me happy when I ski. Good for me, probably not so good for someone who might read a TR I post who thinks conditions are great only to find very hardpacked snow (ice). One man's great day might be another's nightmare. And I know more than a few folks who might consider what I feel is a really sketchy day to be awesome.

It isn't just confined to icy days...I've heard people complain on powder days that it's just too hard for them to ski. So, I might post here that there is a ton of snow and the woods are skiing great, but that might not be a good thing for someone who reads that. I don't want to mislead even if it is not my intention.

I try to make up for that with skiing or equipment tips, lesson plans, drills, and the like. And I try to attend as many outings as I can to ski with folks who want to get better or who just want a partner to go out and rip it up.

 

[Grassi21]

I try to make up for that with skiing or equipment tips, lesson plans, drills, and the like. And I try to attend as many outings as I can to ski with folks who want to get better or who just want a partner to go out and rip it up.

And thanks for doing this. My hands are more consistently up and out in front of me since those first few days at Hunter. I'm hoping to get back to up there towards the end of the season to see if I pass the exam. ;-)

 

[Greg]

My hands are more consistently up and out in front of me since those first few days at Hunter.

I can vouch for him...

 

[bvibert]

I can vouch for him...

Me too. As a matter of fact I've seen Grassi a few times with his hand proudly out front and it made me realize that I was dragging my hands again...

 

[JimG.]

I'm glad to see my suggestions are taken seriously...if you guys keep it up we'll have you pounding down bump lines and freestyling in powder before you know it.

 

[jack97]

Its all a matter of perspective, but I would certainly appreciate trip reports that involve the entire mountain experience. I don't think you have to specifically point out which green trails were good, but just an overall impression that "the mountain is in good shape for all abilities" or "Lots of ice everywhere - Experts Only" would be all I would need. I may take a stab at a TR after our Sunday River trip this weekend.

It's very rare that I would ski the whole mountain, my wife is an intermediate and my daughter is getting to that point. When I go with them, I ski on trails they are comfortable with. When I go by myself, I would ski other types of trails. The problem I know from first hand is that some big areas like Bretton Woods, the green trails do get ski off sooner than others. I've been in sections where the condtions are great all day but when I get to the high traffic trails, it's a different story. At Cannon, the conditions can be different in the summit trails and the lower mnt trail. At Wachusetts, the summit trails are great while the mid mountain trails were getting scratchy. Having said all this, I totaly agree about making this place inclusive. I do like reading reports on the novice trails or areas, it's something I factor in when I go with my family.

 

[awf170]

Why not just ask the writer of the TR if you want info on certain terrian? I don't type any info really about conditions, but would be happy to share if anyone asked.


Personally I hate reading TRs, I just look for pictures and if there aren't any I go right back, so I try to please myself by limiting writing and maximizing pretty pictures. I look at TR because they offer cool stories and pretty pictures, not because I want to see what the conditions are.

 

[AdironRider]

I just noticed this thread and dont have the time to read it all right now but my quick thoughts...

Considering that anyone who posts a TR is only doing the community a service to begin with you dont really have any right to complain about what is or isnt included. I spend my hard earned money and my precious free time to not only go and ride but also to do what I can by posting the occaisional TR for the community. If you want to know how things really are pony up the time and money and go for yourself, or simply ask a specific question within the the thread. This whole notion of exclusivness is bull and unfounded if you ask me.

 

[AdironRider]

Ok after reading it all I think I might have gotten a bad first impression of what Billski was trying to say, but I stand pretty much behind my points. Its unfair to be critical of a gift to the ski community. If you have specific questions about terrain you can always post within the thread for the report, or shoot a pm, I dont see where this elitist attitude you speak of comes from.