MRG - What about snowboarders?

[dmc]

Disagree.

Good skiers make good bump lines...and the same is true for boarders. Good boarders rip in bumps too you know.

Bad skiers and boarders make bad bump lines.

Bad bump lines were around a long time before snowboards...

And now every yahoo out there on shaped skis thinks they are gods gift to skiing... They get into the bumps way earlier then they should...

 

[eatskisleep]

Disagree.

Good skiers make good bump lines...and the same is true for boarders. Good boarders rip in bumps too you know.

Bad skiers and boarders make bad bump lines.

True true... I still can belive how good some of the guys on Tele's can rip bumps :blink: Much respect to those guys!

 

[dmc]

At least boarders still smell better than telemarkers.

I NEVER shower before telemarking...

 

[JimG.]

True true... I still can belive how good some of the guys on Tele's can rip bumps :blink: Much respect to those guys!

I know a few...pretty amazing I agree.

 

[JimG.]

I NEVER shower before telemarking...

You're still learning.

Expert tele skiers don't shower after skiing either.

 

[ctenidae]

At least boarders still smell better than telemarkers.

Hey! That's usually my comment.

 

[dmc]

Hey! That's usually my comment.

I love the bumper K2 telemark sticker...

"If it was easy - they'd call it snowboarding"


i totally agree....

 

[David Metsky]

I think I've said this in several of the previous threads, and I guess I'll say it again here:

- MRG currently is doing fine financially. The shareholders aren't in it for making money, breaking even is just fine. They are in it to preserve a piece of New England old school skiing and to most shareholders that doesn't include snowmaking, grooming, detachable lifts, or snowboarders. You can argue those points, but I don't think you'll change many minds of the people who matter. So, there is no incentive to change from that side.

- The "vibe" at the place is somewhat different than most other ski resorts. It's not just about the terrain or the snow (or at times, lack of snow). It's mostly the people. For better or worse, most of the patrons there don't want to add snowboards to the mix. Note, snowboarders are welcome, just not their boards. At one point snowboarders could get free or discount alpine ski rentals. I freely admit that the "vibe" issue is purely subjective, but it exists and is the basis for a lot of peoples' devotion to the place.

- There are some issues regarding snowboarders derailing the Single. I'm sure, if there was the desire this technical problem could be fixed. The confrontation between Betsy and some boarders that precipitated the ban is history, and doesn't really relate to the current ban. While some folks still use argument about boarders scraping off the snow I don't think that argument has any merit. There are good and bad skiers and good and bad boarders. Such is life.

- Until the composition of the shareholders changes the snowboard ban will not be lifted. If it was lifted, it would IMO end up hurting MRG in the long run. The core users would leave for a variety of reasons, and the place just wouldn't attract enough "regular" folks to survive the bad snow times (no snowmaking).

- You can always hike the mountain, many folks do. I've seen boarders do so and I haven't seen any abuse from the regulars. In fact, I'm not sure where people are seeing abusive language directed towards anyone based on what they have on their feet. I've never seen it at any ski area. I don't doubt it happens, but I've never encountered it.

- Getting the general public opposed to the ban isn't likely to have any effect. MRG doesn't really attract the general public (slow lifts, no lodging, no snowmaking, little grooming) so there's no reason for the shareholders to listen to them. They listen to the people who ski there often and those who have bought shares. Until the day comes when they are in financial trouble I don't see this changing. It may happen someday, but MRG is in good shape now so this won't put any pressure on the mountain.

So, I applaud people feeling passionate about this issue. I just don't see any reason for the shareholders to lift the ban and lots of reasons for them not to. I've snowboarded once, and I'd like to do it some more, but I don't expect to ever ride the lifts at MRG on a board.

-dave-

 

[nhski]

How would you feel in Jay Peak, Snowbird or some other place you really love became snowboard only?

thats different b/c skiers have already had a taste of those mountains. And both Jay and the bird rock.

It'd be like if Big Jay opened up as a snowboard only mountain.

 

[eatskisleep]

Okay, but one thing that does annoy me about snowboarders (and I don't recall doing this when I used to snowboard) is when they slam their boards down on the ground in the lift-line making a loud "bang" noise. Now some may argue that this is to clear the snow off their board, but when their is no snow to be cleared off this is obviously not the case f what is going on.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

thats different b/c skiers have already had a taste of those mountains. And both Jay and the bird rock.

It'd be like if Big Jay opened up as a snowboard only mountain.

If your bothered if Jay or Snowbird banned two plankers then you should be bothered if a resort/hill bans snowboarders. Snowboarders DID already have a taste of MRG as well. You would make a fine politician....lol

 

[JPop]

This is stupid. Snowboarders as a whole don't do any more damage. There are as many hack skiers out there as snowboarders. I like skiing and most skiers, but there's like this elitist thread that runs through skiing, and that's what this is about.

Snowboarders shall overcome!!!!

 

[JimG.]

thats different b/c skiers have already had a taste of those mountains. And both Jay and the bird rock.

I take from this the impression that you think snowboarders have no reason to be upset that they can't ride at MRG because they have never been allowed to.

I don't buy that argument. That's like telling a poor person they have no right to want money because they've never had any.

If anything, never having the chance to try a mountain would piss me off more, not less.

 

[nhski]

If your bothered if Jay or Snowbird banned two plankers then you should be bothered if a resort/hill bans snowboarders. Snowboarders DID already have a taste of MRG as well. You would make a fine politician....lol

I wasn't counting those early boarders at MRG. Alta has never allowed boarders. No boarder can really say what it is like to ride at MRG or Alta. If they banned Jay to skiers, tons of people would know what it was like to ski Jay. Get my point?

I'm running for office in 08

 

[nhski]

I take from this the impression that you think snowboarders have no reason to be upset that they can't ride at MRG because they have never been allowed to.

I don't buy that argument. That's like telling a poor person they have no right to want money because they've never had any.

If anything, never having the chance to try a mountain would piss me off more, not less.

My point is that comparing banning skiers from mountains they have skiied for years to boarders being banned from mountains they have never been allowed to ride is apples and oranges. DMC was trying to compare what it would be like to be banned from a mountain like the boaders are(i think), well like i said earlier, it would be like being banned from a new mountain that skiers have never skiied before.

 

[JimG.]

My point is that comparing banning skiers from mountains they have skiied for years to boarders being banned from mountains they have never been allowed to ride in apples and oranges. DMC was trying to compare what it would be like to be banned from a mountain like the boaders are(i think), well like i said early, it would be like being banned from a new mountain that skiers have never skiied before.

I understand, but still disagree.

You call it comparing apples to oranges; to me it's just splitting hairs.

To me the ban itself is the whole issue; whether or not you ever got to taste the forbidden fruit is irrelevant.

You've got my vote though.

 

[David Metsky]

My point is that comparing banning skiers from mountains they have skiied for years to boarders being banned from mountains they have never been allowed to ride in apples and oranges. DMC was trying to compare what it would be like to be banned from a mountain like the boaders are(i think), well like i said early, it would be like being banned from a new mountain that skiers have never skiied before.

I'm a supporter of the ban but even I think this argument is without value.

If Jay Peak (my other favorite mountain) banned tele skiers I'd be mad for a while, I'd skin up (like I occasionally do now), I'd spend more time at MRG or another northern VT mountain such as Smuggs or Stowe. Such is life. I might work to convince Jay to change their policy, but if I understood the reasoning and accepted that the powers that be have no reason to change, I'd move on.

-dave-

 

[wintersyndrome]

Can we try a different approach? Instead of focusing on why 3 ski areas in the United States don't allow sonwboards, why is it that every other ski area in the country does allow them?

Because when snowboarding started in the 80's, most ski areas didn't allow them. What is it about snowboarding that got the vast majority to change this policy?

Snowboarding evolved from in the 60s and 70 with snurfer.
I think Burton "invented" his snowboard in 74 or 75 (dont quote me on those years)
Stratton was the first to allow snowboarding (1983)

What is it about snowboarding that got the vast majority to change this policy?
Snowboarding brings in more money.

What it was about snowboarding is that when it hit the slopes, The popularity of it surged quicker than any change within the history of the ski industry.
(except perhaps the invention of the chairlift-though that could also be argued)
The mountains who opened themselves up to snowboarding saw the potential untapped market for increased revenue for their mountain ops.

The Demographic was key, young Males (teens and twenties) with disposable income.
So when these mountians reported skier visits nearly doubling from the years before snowboarding was allowed, every other mountain wiped the crust from their eyes and opened their piggy banks because snowboarding changed snow-sports drastically.

Dynamically snowboarding has a sharper learning curve than skiing, so those who tried were able to pick it up pretty well within the first season (and the gifted ones were linking turns on their first day out) as opposed to the learning curve with skiing. So those new to the sport were hooked quicker, and increasing visits to the mountains.

The shape of snowboards has also helped skiers through the advent of parabolic skis, though there are many who will detest that statement, I ask how long would skiers still be skiing on straight skis if not for snowboarding?

<rant>Avoiding progress at the attempt to remember the "good ol' days" is as senseless as commuting on horse and buggy and typing with a typewriter.

So IF MRG really wants to hold onto classic skiing (as is the "reasoning" for the snowboard ban) I say, lace up yor leather boots, strap into your leather strap bindings on your 15' wooden skis (with matching leather tethers) , grab your single balance pole skin those puppies up and and hike to the top, oh make sure you leave your duo-folds, hot chillys, high-impact helmets, polarized bolle goggles, gore-tex gloves and battery-powered boot warmers at home we wouldnt want any technological advancements ruining the classic vibe here at this is classic mountain.</rant>

(holy crap the idiot has a point) :blink:

 

[SnowRider]

I just returned from school...when i left 2 pages. WOW Might as well get going...

snowboarders destroy some of the narrow trails at Sugarloaf by side slipping down them.

There is this thing in skiing called a "pizza wedge" that screws up trails just as much as a "falling leaf"

There are good and bad skiers and good and bad boarders. Such is life.

Well put...that is one thing we are trying to get across to people.

Another thing is this. You are a snowboarder. Just an everyday snowboarder. You are looking for a place to go. Will you go to the place with 20 trails or whatever and one single of the 200 trails and 10 lifts. If I talked about MRG to most of the snowboarders in my school they would be like "ya well i did Smith Walton at Wachusett" The point Im saying is I belive you will only get rue snowboarders here. Not posers.

 

[nhski]

I'm a supporter of the ban but even I think this argument is without value.

If Jay Peak (my other favorite mountain) banned tele skiers I'd be mad for a while, I'd skin up (like I occasionally do now), I'd spend more time at MRG or another northern VT mountain such as Smuggs or Stowe. Such is life. I might work to convince Jay to change their policy, but if I understood the reasoning and accepted that the powers that be have no reason to change, I'd move on.

-dave-

I'm not arguing that snowboarders should be banned from MRG because they have never riden there. Really, i could care less. I was just correcting DMC on his comparision...trying to make it more apples to apples.