The Rules

[JDMRoma]

Thinking about this lately, especially after this weekend, when I missed a good 3 hours of pow at K.
Nothing special, just some basic rules I live by which over the years ...actually work.
1. Be there early. Why...you get a good parking spot, you don't deal with the lodge shitshow..you get the POW before its all banged up. I actually get anxiety showing up late and parking in Oshkosh, the crowded lodge, etc. When I went to MRG a few weeks ago I was the first one there and it was great. Got the "coveted " parking spot and got to walk around, in peace..very tranquil.

2. If you say you will be somewhere at a certain time..be there or let me know. I'm probably waiting for you, outside if its the lift. I would prefer to not stand there for a half hour. Shit happens, I can take a run, or 2 , or 3 ..whatever.

3. Don't be a fusspot...whats a fusspot you ask..well. You forget your gloves, your helmet, your skis..whatever. You take forever getting ready, screw with boot buckles all the time. You know..get your shit together and ski.

4. Don't complain the whole day about conditions. There are many ways to figure out before hand what is going on and how it will be. It rained the night before, then went down to 10 degrees...don't bring the twin tips. it snowed..its a POW day..don't bring the ice skis. It sux..but were here..better than being..THERE, where THERE else may be. Who knows ..it might get better..it might get worse..beer is available..we'll live.

5. Meeting up with people..your late..don't spend the whole day trying to find them..they're skiing, not waiting for your text. Your the odd man out. Maybe you'll meet at lunch. Worse case, you miss them the whole day and find them..at the end. They're wiped..you started late..you keep going..whatever.

There more but these are the basics.
Thoughts???

Rule 1 is me, I like to be early for everything ! Same here hate the lodge if its a zoo and well I dont mind having time for a beverage or 2 !

 

[kingslug]

And come to think about it. How is someone (me) who shows up on time, or tells you ill be late, is ready to go, doesn't complain about conditions, and doesn't screw around adjusting stuff, talking on the phone, etc...stressful to ski with??? My Utah people would never ski with me if I was..they go all day long and don't deal with too much BS.
And I always stop for crash victims, while others just ski right by. I've stopped for many people who where in pretty dire straights, bad scenes.

 

[flakeydog]

#6) Shut up and ski!
#7) any questions? see #6

Skiing in and of itself is fun. It should not be stressful unless you are doing it wrong. Check your 1st world problems at the door and have fun. I never feel that I have "missed out" on something if I show up at the crack-of-noon versus the crack-of-dawn, it's all good!

 

[cdskier]

If people get into the line queue and then stand aimlessly while waiting for the rest of their party, it's ok to run over their gear.

Last one is in jest...somewhat. Why do people do that?

I don't get it. This weekend there were numerous times that people stopped after they went through the RFID gates to wait for the rest of their group at Sugarbush. Get your group together before getting into the lift lines (and definitely before going through the RFID gates that are only 20 feet or so from the loading area).

Also not sure why it seemed like there were so many people this weekend that can't follow the guidelines for the RFID gates (card in left pocket by itself). The number of people getting stuck or trying to spin around at the gate so their right side pocket faced the sensor on the left of the gate was surprising. I really thought by April we'd be long past those issues. Maybe there were just a lot of non-regulars at SB this weekend.

This was getting out of hand the last 2 weekends. Some folks would wait in the pre-load cattle chute completely blocking access to the lift while empty chairs go by. Or completely block the lane 20 feet from the lift and when you ask them to move you get the look "What, you had 14 full inches to get by"

Or stand inches from the lift maze entrance. That's the "polite clog". "I'm not in the maze, I'm just waiting, (blocking the entrance), just come completely to a stop and wriggle by me."

Yea...I also don't get the blocking the lift maze entrance thing. Are people that oblivious to the world around them? I sarcastically said several times this weekend "good place to stand" as I was squeezing by someone to get into the line.

 

[kingslug]

Try Grand Central Station..6 am...its..awesome..

 

[Whitey]

Yea...I also don't get the blocking the lift maze entrance thing. Are people that oblivious to the world around them? I sarcastically said several times this weekend "good place to stand" as I was squeezing by someone to get into the line.

This one makes me crazy. CD - I do the exact same thing and say "great place to stop" while I go around a group parked at the entrance. I know it's really not that big of an issue & I shouldn't let it bug me. I just have to move a few feet to get around them, but... There's usually like 50 square feet or more of wide open territory only a few feet away from the entrance to the lift line. If you are going to stop and chat/wait/hang out/etc - just do it anywhere but directly in front of the lift line.

The ones that really get me are when the entrance to the lift line is a downhill slope and you are having to climb to get up to it. The people blocking it are forcing you to have to climb/skate/pole further up slope and then turn to go into the lift line. I get being oblivious at times but when people are climbing to get around you - really??

 

[cdskier]

Try Grand Central Station..6 am...its..awesome..

No thanks!

I could probably be making far more money if I worked in NYC...but it is no way worth it to me to deal with that non-sense.

 

[SkiFanE]

First off - I'm a mother and that comes first. After my mothering duties are done on a ski day - I'm a selfish c*nt. Sorry - no other way to put it. I have one rule - I COME FIRST - until my mothering job has to kick back in. Sometimes husband gets peeved - but fuck him. He will never take my advice and wear mittens - he own 6 gloves for all types of weather. So 6 ways for his hands to get cold. He's an adult and if you're cold - deal with it or find a solution or go inside. I have one pair of mittens and never go inside for cold hands. If I do - it's to get a hand warmer.

I will rarely wait for anyone to meet on slope. Hate that. Hate that. Hate that. I have limited ME time and I'm not fucking around.

If you are not dying of exhaustion - don't stop. No chatting unless you're also catching breath. We have 10 mins for a lift ride, we can chat then.

If there are decent bumps - I'm ditching you for them even if you hate them - find another trail.

Most importantly: Mi casa es tu casa...but when it's time to get to mountain - I'm going. You figure out your rentals and tickets and yadda yadda. Come if you're ready - otherwise, you'll figure it out. I have a ski house to ski - it's not a B&B or guide service.

If its a spring day and it's hard until 10-11am - let me sleep - I'll wait until t warms up and then not leaving until last chair.

If if I don't feel like a beer or bite - I'm not stopping. You can eat alone, no one will get harmed.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Not sure why it seemed like there were so many people this weekend that can't follow the guidelines for the RFID gates (card in left pocket by itself).

Not sure why this is a thing. Did Sugurbush only have money to buy 1/2 of a system?

Of all the places I've skied that have RFID (about 10 I'd guess) Sugarbush is the only one I can think of where you must have the card on 1 particular side of your body.

Sugarbush was also the only one where having anything else in the pocket could short-circuit the whole thing, but that's another issue.

 

[BenedictGomez]

No thanks!

I could probably be making far more money if I worked in NYC...but it is no way worth it to me to deal with that non-sense.

Same; life's too short.

Every time I took a train from Manhattan out to NJ it made my egregious Manhattan rent seem a little bit less egregious. Now that I live out in the country, you couldnt pay me enough to work in Manhattan again. That aint happening.

 

[kingslug]

First off - I'm a mother and that comes first. After my mothering duties are done on a ski day - I'm a selfish c*nt. Sorry - no other way to put it. I have one rule - I COME FIRST - until my mothering job has to kick back in. Sometimes husband gets peeved - but fuck him. He will never take my advice and wear mittens - he own 6 gloves for all types of weather. So 6 ways for his hands to get cold. He's an adult and if you're cold - deal with it or find a solution or go inside. I have one pair of mittens and never go inside for cold hands. If I do - it's to get a hand warmer.

I will rarely wait for anyone to meet on slope. Hate that. Hate that. Hate that. I have limited ME time and I'm not fucking around.

If you are not dying of exhaustion - don't stop. No chatting unless you're also catching breath. We have 10 mins for a lift ride, we can chat then.

If there are decent bumps - I'm ditching you for them even if you hate them - find another trail.

Most importantly: Mi casa es tu casa...but when it's time to get to mountain - I'm going. You figure out your rentals and tickets and yadda yadda. Come if you're ready - otherwise, you'll figure it out. I have a ski house to ski - it's not a B&B or guide service.

If its a spring day and it's hard until 10-11am - let me sleep - I'll wait until t warms up and then not leaving until last chair.

If if I don't feel like a beer or bite - I'm not stopping. You can eat alone, no one will get harmed.

Love it!!!° Awesome!!!!

 

[AdironRider]

Not sure why this is a thing. Did Sugurbush only have money to buy 1/2 of a system?

Of all the places I've skied that have RFID (about 10 I'd guess) Sugarbush is the only one I can think of where you must have the card on 1 particular side of your body.

Sugarbush was also the only one where having anything else in the pocket could short-circuit the whole thing, but that's another issue.

Cell phones and passes to other mountains seem to be the biggest problems for our RFID system. That and people swearing they uploaded another day when you know damn well they didn't.

All in all RFID has made getting on the lift much easier IME, pretty much everywhere I've seen it implemented, so that's nice.

 

[ss20]

I do enough solo skiing in where I'm OK going slow with a social group.

Of course, I grew up being a "social skier" with friends at small area mountains. Places where you could ski the whole hill in an hour or two. You have to be there and enjoy the social aspect because the mountain certainly isn't giving you much "fun" to work with. Lots and lots and lots of Friday and Saturday nights skiing icy, frozen groomers in groups of 3,4,5,6+. Lots of good, crazy times!

It depends where you come from I'm sure. Say a 12-year-old grows up near "real" hills and gets out at 8am and skis til 4pm each weekend, trying not to hit the same trail twice- they're gonna be more focused on the "skiing" aspect than the social, even if they're in a group. At that age, for my friends and I, it was about how much stupidity we could do on this mountain before we get hurt or patrol pulls our pass. Stupidity for the 12-year-old at the big hill is gonna be mashing bumps and doing trees on trails dad told them not to go on....stupidity for me at age 12 was going through/under my friend's legs going full-speed, hoping we'd both make it off the mountain alive :grin:

That's my perspective, at least.

 

[MG Skier]

I enjoyed the read of this thread this afternoon......

I have apparently learned from some great skiers when I go to the NEK. More than 4 IS TOUGH!!
1. I always have a good time.
2. I have learned 1-2-3 get into the truck.
3. Bring Food, Beer, and a willingness to become a better skier!

Hoping to ski this weekend.....and then some...this teacher is on VACATION!!

Cheers!

 

[BenedictGomez]

RFID has made getting on the lift much easier IME, pretty much everywhere I've seen it implemented

I haven't noticed any difference in that. It's not like chairs went up empty prior to RFID, or chairs go up empty at places that dont have RFID.

The only tangible difference I've noticed from RFID is the elimination of some liftee jobs. No need for ticket checkers anymore.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

ISay a 12-year-old grows up near "real" hills and gets out at 8am and skis til 4pm each weekend, trying not to hit the same trail twice- they're gonna be more focused on the "skiing" aspect than the social, even if they're in a group.

that's me. it pains me to ski the same run or glade twice if there is good stuff that I haven't hit yet. I absolutely hate the "lets do that again!" attitude.

 

[ss20]

that's me. it pains me to ski the same run or glade twice if there is good stuff that I haven't hit yet. I absolutely hate the "lets do that again!" attitude.

And to contrast that there'e me...I believe I skied Witch-Gonniff Glade at Magic 4 or 5 times last Saturday.
Over my 2 days at Mt.Ellen this year I skied Exterminator woods at least 10 times..."and I am low-balling it"...

But, as I said earlier, I grew up on mountains where you would have to repeat trails. So it's not really a big deal for me, once I find good snow.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

using ski tracks over the past few years has exacerbated this for me. i am pretty constantly thinking how i want to paint the gps map red.

 

[MG Skier]

using ski tracks over the past few years has exacerbated this for me. i am pretty constantly thinking how i want to paint the gps map red.

I am with ya on that one Kusty!!

 

[cdskier]

I try to ski different trails just to mix things up, but if a particular trail is really good I have no problems lapping it and don't feel compelled to ski different trails. (Although later on I may hear trail xyz was also really good and then be pissed at myself that I didn't go and check it out lol)