Crazy spring crowds

[Gloria]

Yeah, we don't have the crowd problem either, slows way down in the spring, and opens now only a few days a week. We won't have a crowd again until the last day, even though they schedule goofy contests etc to try to get people up there, most people have shifted into kayaking, climbing etc mode by now. We used to have a huge end of the year party apres ski, but it got so out of hand they now close the bar early and run the lift an hour or so later. It got so wild the owner started buying kegs to send to parties away from the hill on the last day instead of selling drinks on the hill. I guess the crowd pleasing antics got so out of control and they just didn't want to deal with the liability and damage anymore.

 

[oragejuice]

Stevens has pretty much cleared out... Spring sports start up and March has people thinking that there isn't snow anymore. Hahaha, suckers. It's been dumping! Meadows is still busy, like always, but the lines aren't quite as ridiculous as mid-January.

On the topic of ridiculous, rude snowboarder children.... My dad and I were skiing at Stevens last Saturday, and we were making a run through the park. Some (probably under 13 years old) kids on snowboards were just ahead of us, going off of one of the hips. Kid 1 (dork without a helmet) didn't get enough speed, went up to the flat on the top, biffed and sat there. Kid 2 (less of a dork, with a helmet... ) rode over the jump, and was not in the way. My father, who just LOOKS like a skiier that you dont want to mess with, started skiing towards the lip, right at the last possible second that he could have bailed, dork without a helmet decides that it's a GREAT time to start sliding down the side of the jump on his butt. Needless to say, Kid 1 slid right into the path of my airbourne father, and my dad came down right on top of him.

My dad is 43, some of you understand this, that when you are in your 40's you do NOT need to be taking falls like this. He only takes risks when he knows that he wont hurt himself. Dad hits the kid, flies a few feet in the other direction and lands squarely on his hip. Lifts up his head, shakes it at the kid and then doesn't move. :( Growl. He was alright, in pain, but ok. He proceeded to give the kid a talking to, the little goofball could have gotten a ski to his head, and THAT would have sent him screaming down the hill in an ambulance. Kid 1 goes 'Sorry Dude....' in a very un-apologetic tone, and rides off. My father is not the type to go get someone in trouble, but he didn't deserve what happened, so I convinced him to go talk to the gal working the park gate, and got the little tater tot in trouble.

Another incident that makes me very unimpressed with the snowboarder crowd, and rude kids.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

My dad is 43, some of you understand this, that when you are in your 40's you do NOT need to be taking falls like this.

That old, huh?

Ummmmmmm.... I'd have to think back about 16 years to remember falling at 43....so you get my picture, having been collided into a month ago. (But no worries, I'm BACK, with a vengeance!)

The aging but ever-daring and bizarre,
MSL

 

[oragejuice]

That old, huh?

Ummmmmmm.... I'd have to think back about 16 years to remember falling at 43....so you get my picture, having been collided into a month ago. (But no worries, I'm BACK, with a vengeance!)

The aging but ever-daring and bizarre,
MSL

Oh come on. I have nothing but respect for you. There is something about many many years of skiing that I don't come close to understanding.

 

[Robyn]

That old, huh?

Ummmmmmm.... I'd have to think back about 16 years to remember falling at 43....so you get my picture, having been collided into a month ago. (But no worries, I'm BACK, with a vengeance!)

The aging but ever-daring and bizarre,
MSL

Snort, I thought the same thing thinking that my dad is nearly 62 and still skiing and riding cyclocross (the dude was mad because he didn't win his division in the state championships the FIRST year he competed due to a flat tire!). And this is after he broke his hip in a road cycling accident.

Ah, to be young enough to think 43 is old again. Which I'm not. As far as I'm concerned I won't start thinking someone's approaching old until their 70s, at least. My dad can still whoop my butt on a bike although for the first time in my life I'm now whooping his on the slopes.

 

[Solincia]

That's one thing I noticed this year.... and it's probably been going on for awhile, but the last time I skied was long before snowboarding was popular...

"sitting" on the hill ... I don't get that.... I understand stopping for a moment, chatting for a sec, sure... but I'm talking about camps of kids just chilling on their bums... And not always in the most convenient of spots.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Oh come on. I have nothing but respect for you. There is something about many many years of skiing that I don't come close to understanding.

Just joshin' ya! Kind of "wearing" these years like a badge of honor now...

 

[jaydog]

Geez, I'm feeling lucky here in the PNW after reading this. The crowds really thin out in March here-on easter in particular the slopes were empty (school breaks here aren't tied to easter). People start doing spring stuff in March--soccer, baseball, golf, etc. But the snow is still coming down and conditions have been great.

Not to mention yardwork, which has claimed my best skiing buddy! Every time I jog I see more pruned bushes and freshly mulched gardens. I think we're pretty unique in that we can have temperate weather and yet drive less than an hour to great snow.

We also don't really have an "apres" scene in western WA, since the major resorts around here are tucked up in the mountain passes with not much else around them.

And in terms of worrying about 40+ year old dads, many larger guys that age tend to have back problems, (my dad included) which a rough fall could easily exacerbate. Not a common problem with women, though.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Every time I jog I see more pruned bushes and freshly mulched gardens.

Ha! I haven't seen my bushes since early December! (I THINK they're still there - whether alive is another question.) Of course, I do live in the mountains - coast is 80 miles and way more temperate, though this is still a northern latitude, so no spring anywhere around here yet. Still 2.5-3 ft of snow in my yard.

 

[ski diva]

Still 2.5-3 ft of snow in my yard.

Me, too!

Life is good.

 

[sibhusky]

My dad is 43, some of you understand this, that when you are in your 40's you do NOT need to be taking falls like this.

I'm 56 and as I recall when I was in my 40's I didn't know there was an issue taking falls. Of course, in general I DON'T fall, but the last season I skied back East I was slammed on 7 occasions by boarders, usually when I was standing still at the side of the trail. I guess they thought I was a tree to hit (or whatever they call it) with their board.

The whole month of March has been too busy for me. First the Canadians had their week, then the colleges had off, then I guess the local MT schools, now the East Coast schools. I can't wait for the peace of next week, but part of the mountain will close, then the whole place will close the week after that.

 

[sibhusky]

Ha! I haven't seen my bushes since early December! (I THINK they're still there - whether alive is another question.) Of course, I do live in the mountains - coast is 80 miles and way more temperate, though this is still a northern latitude, so no spring anywhere around here yet. Still 2.5-3 ft of snow in my yard.

I have a foot in my south yard and AT LEAST two feet in my north yard. The well head is still covered, anyway. There were some patches near the drive way that were starting to poke up, but they got re-covered today. And supposedly the mountain will get seven inches tomorrow night. YAY! But they're still closing 4/6 due to grizzly bear habitat issues. :(

 

[Christy]

Not to mention yardwork, which has claimed my best skiing buddy! Every time I jog I see more pruned bushes and freshly mulched gardens. I think we're pretty unique in that we can have temperate weather and yet drive less than an hour to great snow.

Yeah, my peas, lettuce and spinach are all up but it's still dumping in the mountains!! Heading to Stevens tomorrow...

My father is not the type to go get someone in trouble, but he didn't deserve what happened, so I convinced him to go talk to the gal working the park gate, and got the little tater tot in trouble.

I'm so glad you did--it seems like I read so many posts about accidents where they victim just says something to the (unapologetic) perpatrator, which I'm sure has zero effect on their future behavior. No one likes to think of themselves as a whiner or tattletale but I don't see kids behavior changing unless there's a consequence to their actions.

 

[CMCM]

I think this was the last week of all the strung out spring breaks going on....hopefully peace and quiet on the slopes as of next week. I did 4 ski days this week and none of it was great due to all the people and wild kids everywhere....the types who do just a few ski days per year and who are out of control everywhere you look. I try to pick runs where those types won't go....but there are always those who barrel down them anyway, full speed ahead, no turning skills, can't stop, you all know the types.

And some of the boarders....I sometimes wish I had a taser on me to zap them when they rush by at 90 mph. (Not really.... )