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SKI Magazine Wonders, "What Happened to Etiquette" This Year in Skiing?

Andrew B.

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Here is something not sure if really a new occurrence but it bugs the shit out of me. In line waiting, all of a sudden someone is trying to get by me saying “hello, hello, hello” like I was the ass for not letting them by to get up with another group.
FUCKIN WAIT OUTSIDE THE CORRAL UNTIL ALL OF YOU ARE THERE AND READY TO GO!!!
This is not usually young people but older people who feel they are the only ones that matter. That they somehow earned the right to do this because they are old and have skied at their home mountain for 30 years.
I wish those people would try skiing in Europe sometime.
 

JimG.

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Society in general has become ugly.

I'm pretty introverted so it doesn't bother me much to stay in my bubble that includes family and friends only. I avoid a lot of the divisiveness and preaching that revolve around "the issues of the day".

But I did notice this season that I was just not interested in skiing much after trail counts started to drop and trails became more crowded. That was partly due to the generally crappy winter for the most part. It was also partly due to our rescue beagle Teddy being diagnosed with heartworm in March and having to nurse him through the treatments.

Mostly I just didn't want to expose myself to people I'm not familiar with at this point. Poor customer service/rude disengaged employees is the least of my issues I guess.
 

jimk

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I have to say I find it kind of cold when I get on a chair with a stranger and they only want to listen to their music and ignore me. But I get it, and I acknowledge that not everyone wants to engage with a boring, old blabbermouth.:sleep:
 

RH29

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I'm relatively introverted, but I always try to at least be polite when skiing (and in public in general). Small talk asking about another person's day is a great way to get intel on conditions, and a generally polite thing to do if it's just you and a stranger on a lift. The basic things we learned in Kindergarten (Please and thank you to the employees, holding doors, etc) go a long way. One person's bad day shouldn't ruin another person's good day.
 

ThatGuy

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I like chatting on the chair…never know who you’re talking to or what conversation is to be had. But I have my fair share of times where I just say hello then put the headphones back in. Just depends on the day.
 

RH29

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I like chatting on the chair…never know who you’re talking to or what conversation is to be had. But I have my fair share of times where I just say hello then put the headphones back in. Just depends on the day.
I don't know what it is, but I just hate wearing headphones while skiing. One of my favorite things to do is just to listen and enjoy the mountain environment around me, the sounds of the lift and the skiers below. It gets me more pumped up for skiing than anything else does.
 

snoseek

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I've thought about listening to podcast or something while riding up (alone) but would rather focus on the experience skiing down
 

ThatGuy

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I usually use both headphones on lift then only one ear in on groomers. Anything technical I pause it to focus on skiing.
 

Smellytele

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With my earphones in my helmet I can hear most things going on. I can have conversations on the lift. Music is loud enough to hear skiing down as well except if the conditions are scratchy or frozen corduroy. 95% of the time I ski I am listening to music. 5% phone or earphones die.
 

KustyTheKlown

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I have to say I find it kind of cold when I get on a chair with a stranger and they only want to listen to their music and ignore me. But I get it, and I acknowledge that not everyone wants to engage with a boring, old blabbermouth.:sleep:

i try to ride chairs alone when its reasonable and uncrowded for this reason.

if i am riding with a group of other people (3-1, 2-1, whatever), i feel no compulsion to take an earbud out

if i am riding with one other person, i sort of size them and their equipment and their vibe up to see if i would maybe care to talk about skiing with them. more often than not i don't really want to talk, so I'll give a basic polite acknowledgment of their presence and then carry on listening to music and maybe reading whatever i was in the middle of on my last chairlift.

i am courteous to an extreme degree with all resort staff i encounter. like i always take the earbuds out at magic to chat the guys calling out the lines, loading the chair, etc.
 

KustyTheKlown

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I don't know what it is, but I just hate wearing headphones while skiing. One of my favorite things to do is just to listen and enjoy the mountain environment around me, the sounds of the lift and the skiers below. It gets me more pumped up for skiing than anything else does.

sometimes that is great. especially if you're like alone and skiing new powder with no one else around. but in general i like acting out ski movies that i direct in my head with the exact soundtracks i would want in a ski movie. skiing is also the only time i ever really have to do extended and attentive listening. not many other opportunities to listen to an entire 3 hour concert recording end to end. i prefer podcasts when driving distances because they keep me very alert and awake. music in a car can lull me.


sometimes while skiing i put run the jewels on at max volume and feel much harder than i truly am.

drizzly day at sugarloaf a few weeks ago was clearly for joy division and sigur ros

the dead and the biscuits obviously get a ton of play while skiing
 
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Kingslug20

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Have about 1000 songs on the walkman..but Volbeat is getting a lot of play...
But when Ministry just one fix comes on..the after burners light up.
Killington tomorrow!
 

NYDB

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Can’t stand talking business or networking while snowboarding.or playing any sports really.

luckily most skiers think we snowboarders are one step away from homeless so I don’t get hit up for investment opportunities that often.
 
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snoseek

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Can’t stand talking business or networking while snowboarding.or playing any sports really.

luckily most skiers think we are one step away from homeless so I don’t get hit up for investment opportunities that often.
Im with you. I will ask where theyve been, whats skiing good ect....
 

jimk

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Skied some outstanding spring snow at Snowbird yesterday! One of my favorite non-powder days of the season! Weather was gorgeous, no people, amazing snow.
mineral lift line 6 may 2022.jpg

But I had a memorable chairlift ride that reminded me of this thread. About 1015 AM I got on the Mineral Basin chair with a hardcore-looking 45yr old guy wearing ear buds. As always, I ask to pull down the safety bar/foot rest. He got pissed. Seriously, and said he wished I didn't ride with him. Then I offered to keep the bar up, then he said go ahead and pull it down. Sounds funny now, but awkward exchange then. :sick: The bar comes down. I like foot rests.

Eventually he softens-up and pulls out his ear buds because he realizes he's riding with an old blabbermouth and we have a good conversation. Turns out he was a groomer at Snowbird for 20+ years and still works in ski operations at another location. I gush about how good the corn snow is today. He agrees, but then corrects me. It's not corn, hasn't had enough freeze/thaw/refreeze cycles to be corn. Tells me it's just good, soft supportable snow. All I know is that every square inch of Mineral Basin was covered in two inches of dreamy-creamy goodness for about 2 glorious hours before the sun got it. :p

But then the conversation got even more interesting. The guy tells me he now works at a stealth ski area with 3600' of vertical. It's owned by a handful of speculators/investors. I say, "Yellowstone Club?" He says no, closer to SLC. But he won't tell me anymore, says the owners want to keep it to themselves? Does @thetrailboss know what the guy is talking about? I wonder if it could be over by Powder Mtn? The hardcore guy says he hopes I have a good day, puts his ear buds back in and we end the chairlift ride on a friendly note. (y)
 
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