Skiing Pet Peeves....

[tekweezle]

we should all slow down and enjoy the ride.

incidently, my comments are not targeting snowboarders in particular but applies to all whether you are a snowboader caught on a flat traverse trying not to get caught at a standstil( I know how annoying that must be and sometimes can;t be helped) or if you are some wannabe GS racer using a green trail as your own private slalom course and novice skiers and boarders as your racing gates.

it kind of goes hand in hand with my other dislikes about flat traverses and people who zoom down Family and designated Slow Zones.

the point i was making about the "on your left or right" shout out is that if I hear it, I will try not to do anything abrupt to cross into someones path because the consequences would be disasterous . I guess it wouldn;t help a deaf person but I think it goes with just being a courteous and responsible person. i have seen alot of near misses.

for my part, I promise not to come to an abrupt "hockey style" stop on a heavily trafficked trail if people are behind me.

 

[dmc]

The only thing I'll shout out is "DON'T MOVE"

It's only when I'm blasting down something really technical(Expert) and there's a gaper pinned to the trail...

 

[tekweezle]

funniest thing i witnessed was my novice skier friend yelling "Watch out!!!" to the people in front of him. after that, we pulled him off to the side and made him slow down and make some turns as he was going to kill someone or be killed..

i skied with some guys who had this annoying habit of zooming past us, coming to a stop, letting us pass and then passing us again. they had to keep doing this because they could not or would not control their speed and would occasionally ski right up the backside of someone. one guy who was too stubborn to listen kept complaining how tired his quads were. these guys think that they get respect for "skiing fast" but the reality is that they impress no one.

 

[RossiSkier]

I can't stand snowboarders that have their pants down to below their butt. This is the hip-hop look that came from jail-birds having their belts removed taken away from them by the guards. Needless to say, all the EMIEMs on snowboards want to have their pants down and their boxers exposed. They make me sick to my stomach.

 

[dmc]

I can't stand snowboarders that have their pants down to below their butt. This is the hip-hop look that came from jail-birds having their belts removed taken away from them by the guards. Needless to say, all the EMIEMs on snowboards want to have their pants down and their boxers exposed. They make me sick to my stomach.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15387-2005Feb10.html

 

[hammer]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15387-2005Feb10.html

Sorry, but this link doesn't work unless you are registered...

 

[dmc]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15387-2005Feb10.html

Sorry, but this link doesn't work unless you are registered...

It's about that recent legislation to ban low pants...

 

[Greg]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15387-2005Feb10.html

Sorry, but this link doesn't work unless you are registered...

It's about that recent legislation to ban low pants...

Google News can be used as a back door to articles like this:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&n...ive+Va.+House+To+Distraction&btnG=Search+News

 

[crombie]

That doesnt make sense...
I snowboard - I keep my head pointed down the falline just like a skiier...

That's a good place for your head to be, but your body is still facing left or right (unless you're turning).

As a skier facing forward, my head can swivel either way for a total coverage of about 270 degrees facing forwards. Snowboarders face sideways (again, unless you are turning) on the mountain, but still have the 270 degree angle. Unfortunately, the angle for snowboarders is based off a sideways vector, not a forward facing one, so their range of vision is 270 degrees about the sideways vector.

This makes the process of turning or carving away from the facing of the body difficult unless you look first, which some people on snowboards just don't do. Looking first before you go is a generally a good idea, no matter what you're doing.

So to sum up this lengthy description, I would say that some less experienced snowboarders than you (and others) tend to not look in the direction that their back is facing before doing so before making a turn (esp. on a crowded weekend). That's why I say "on your left" and it saves both of us the trouble of an embarassing collision. Oh yeah, and I don't ever go really fast by someone, that's just dangerous in general.

 

[crombie]

for my part, I promise not to come to an abrupt "hockey style" stop on a heavily trafficked trail if people are behind me.

Personally I like doing the hockey stop and then sitting down in the middle of the trail to hang out with my fellow riders. Right on brah.

Hah, just kidding, that bothers the crap out of me too. Don't sit in the trail unless you're not going to block or impede others.

 

[dmc]

That doesnt make sense...
I snowboard - I keep my head pointed down the falline just like a skiier...

That's a good place for your head to be, but your body is still facing left or right (unless you're turning).

As a skier facing forward, my head can swivel either way for a total coverage of about 270 degrees facing forwards. Snowboarders face sideways (again, unless you are turning) on the mountain, but still have the 270 degree angle. Unfortunately, the angle for snowboarders is based off a sideways vector, not a forward facing one, so their range of vision is 270 degrees about the sideways vector.

This makes the process of turning or carving away from the facing of the body difficult unless you look first, which some people on snowboards just don't do. Looking first before you go is a generally a good idea, no matter what you're doing.

So to sum up this lengthy description,, I would say less experienced snowboarders than you (and others) tend to not look in the direction that their back is facing before doing so before making a turn on a crowded weekend. That's why I say "on your left" and it saves both of us the trouble of an embarassing collision. Oh yeah, and I don't ever go really fast by someone, that's just dangerous in general.

Dissagree with parts - agree with parts... A lot has to do with stance.. Freeriders and park riders use different stances...

I can totally stand with my feet pointing on my stance and look forward, right and left... I can also look over my shoulder and check blind spots too...
I've never had a problem with seeing..

 

[tekweezle]

here's a pet peeve i think that affects us all but not necessarily Ski related-

Not getting a buyback after dropping a wad of cash for round after round of drinks at the bar. is it my imagination or are the bars in ski towns stingy about that.

 

[dmc]

here's a pet peeve i think that affects us all but not necessarily Ski related-

Not getting a buyback after dropping a wad of cash for round after round of drinks at the bar. is it my imagination or are the bars in ski towns stingy about that.

Some are...
We went to a recently reopened place a couple weeks ago.. Wanted to check it out and throw some support...
About 20 of us walked in... I order 5 shots of Jueager Miester... They charged my $6.00 a shot!!!!!! I couldnt believe it...

I asked for my tab with the shots... And never came back....
You'd think they want to court us a little.... We had a good crowd...

 

[crombie]

here's a pet peeve i think that affects us all but not necessarily Ski related-

Not getting a buyback after dropping a wad of cash for round after round of drinks at the bar. is it my imagination or are the bars in ski towns stingy about that.

I had no clue what a buyback was, so I googled it.

Thought I'd post the link I found cause I found it interesting, look for "buyback"

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0508,zappia1,61188,15.html

 

[hammer]

Don't sit in the trail unless you're not going to block or impede others.

What if the person is standing on the trail, not moving, waiting for faster skiers to get by?
I did this on Sunday when I was going down a trail that I wasn't familiar with...I did make sure that uphill skiers could see me, though. I guess my thinking was that a stationary obstacle was easier to get around.

 

[crombie]

Don't sit in the trail unless you're not going to block or impede others.

What if the person is standing on the trail, not moving, waiting for faster skiers to get by?
I did this on Sunday when I was going down a trail that I wasn't familiar with...I did make sure that uphill skiers could see me, though. I guess my thinking was that a stationary obstacle was easier to get around.

There's a lot more context than what I said above. Generally it irks me when people stop in a place between two trails where everyone has to go around you. However, I do stop in the middle of the trail like you did (in a good location to be seen) to allow people to go by, wait for my wife, etc. It's more a judgement call of where you think you will be safe and not bother others I think, there's no scientific method though. (Being safe being more important than bothering others, of course)

 

[tekweezle]

What if the person is standing on the trail, not moving, waiting for faster skiers to get by?
I did this on Sunday when I was going down a trail that I wasn't familiar with...I did make sure that uphill skiers could see me, though. I guess my thinking was that a stationary obstacle was easier to get around.

there is nothing wrong with that if you are stopping in an area that isn;t a bottleneck or choke point on a trail. usually people stop along a trail to catch their breath and wait for friends without a problem. it can't be avoided in all circumstances. most trails usually have a crest where people naturally congregate because it;s like the beginning of a new section.

you should be careful not to come to an abrupt and sudden stop on a high traffic trail though i have been guilty of doing this in the past so I am not without blame here.

 

[tekweezle]

Any other pretty wrong bar behavior? Yeah, don't ask for a buyback. At a certain point, some people feel entitled . . . like, oh, you're supposed to get one, every third drink. The way to get a buyback is to be nice and tip decently.

from the article-uh...that';s why we do tip and be nice.

my last trip to whistler, the instructor was so glad to have us Americans, NYers in particular. We tipped him, bought him lunch, and drinks after the day was through. he said the europeans never tip.

at 2 bars, we tried very nicely to explain to the server how much it would have been to their advantage to keep us drinking as we were running up a huge tab in both places. not even drinks but to give us some free food during happy hour which they were giving away anyway. apparently this notion was as foreign to them as tipping was to their usual european customers.

 

[thetrailboss]

Any other pretty wrong bar behavior? Yeah, don't ask for a buyback. At a certain point, some people feel entitled . . . like, oh, you're supposed to get one, every third drink. The way to get a buyback is to be nice and tip decently.

from the article-uh...that';s why we do tip and be nice.

my last trip to whistler, the instructor was so glad to have us Americans, NYers in particular. We tipped him, bought him lunch, and drinks after the day was through. he said the europeans never tip.

at 2 bars, we tried very nicely to explain to the server how much it would have been to their advantage to keep us drinking as we were running up a huge tab in both places. not even drinks but to give us some free food during happy hour which they were giving away anyway. apparently this notion was as foreign to them as tipping was to their usual european customers.

The folks at Sunday River were thrilled when I tipped my instructors. "You really didn't have to do that...that is nice," the supervisor said as I filled out two envelopes.

I didn't have to, but I saw it this way....they were really attentive to my needs, helped me out a lot, were very supportive and fun to ski with, and heck I paid almost nothing for the lesson thanks to my great package deal that we got. :wink:

 

[tekweezle]

The folks at Sunday River were thrilled when I tipped my instructors. "You really didn't have to do that...that is nice," the supervisor said as I filled out two envelopes.

I didn't have to, but I saw it this way....they were really attentive to my needs, helped me out a lot, were very supportive and fun to ski with, and heck I paid almost nothing for the lesson thanks to my great package deal that we got.

i agree, we tip our instructor at Sugarloaf for a weeks worth of lessons that are included in the package. there is nothing wrong with giving back a little from a sport that you take so much from.

hell, i left 20 bucks on the dresser for the house cleaner of the condo i was staying at in whistler. they could probably use the money more than i;d miss it at that point so why not? they were having a terrible season up to that point.