What drives you NUTS???

[ski diva]

Okay, here's where we let it all hang out. There's sure to be some kind of behavior that occurs on the mountain that really gets your goat. Whatever it is, post it here.

I'll start:

People who take less accomplished skiers on trails they have no business being on, just because they want to ski there. I've seen parents (mostly Dads) do this with their kids, and it burns me up. It's reckless, selfish, and plain unsafe. But they're not the only guilty parties. So-called friends do it to friends, too. A sure-fire way to turn someone off to skiing forever.

 

[Jilly]

Bad attitude kids. Usually the rich race kids. Stomp all over everyones skis, generally make a nuisance of themselves, then expect you to let them in line, because they've got a race!! I see this every weekend at Tremblant. They wear the race club uniforms, have top of the line race skis and think they own the mountain. The good news its not all kids, but enough of them to make you think all race kids are bad.

 

[nelsapbm]

I used to let the little stuff like that bother me...but now I just let it go and I'm much more relaxed on the slopes. Then again, I don't ski the popular resort areas..you don't see much of that at Mad River! I also grew up at Burke and skied with a lot of those little race kids, so I guess that doesnt bother me.
EDIT: Just thought of one little annoyance though...folks that smoke in the liftline or on the lift. I want to breath fresh air, not toxic air.

 

[SnowHot]

Punks who ski/board with no hat and 6 inches of their mid-driff hanging out.
Makes me cold just looking at them.
Makes me want to say, "here's a hat, now pull up your pants!":D

 

[ISki]

Returning to the ski rack to find that someone put their board or skis right on top of mine, in the same rack slot.

 

[tcarey]

I am with Jilly on this one. Race kids who forget that they also need to have some manners. I have spoken to the races coaches numerous times about the kids just bombing into the lift line with no regard to others. He assured me that he speaks to them about this.I hope to see some improvement this year. And guys if you see this happening speak to the coaches!!

T

 

[Jilly]

Heh SnowHot, don't you just want to get them suspenders - big yellow ones with a chainsaw company name on them!! And put them on short!

 

[SnowHot]

Jilly, let me tell you what I do!:D

If I see one sitting in the middle of a hill with the "open space" in their drawers, I cut it close, and do my best to fill the "open space" with a bit o' snow spray.

 

[eng_ch]

OK, preparing to be flamed...

Snowboarders sitting in the middle of the piste just over the brow of a hill
Bad snowboarders scraping all the snow of the surface of the piste leaving the rest of us with sheet ice to "enjoy"
People who have the whole wide piste available to them and still decide the best place to ski is over the end of your skis

 

[dburdenbates]

OK, preparing to be flamed...

Snowboarders sitting in the middle of the piste just over the brow of a hill
Bad snowboarders scraping all the snow of the surface of the piste leaving the rest of us with sheet ice to "enjoy"

No flaming here. This is EXACTLY what drives me nuts as well. Especially sitting in the middle of the slope. :mad:

 

[ski diva]

The scraping off the snow drives me crazy, too. Though I must admit, this is more the fault of beginning boarders than the ones who're more advanced. An accomplished boarder is truly a thing of beauty -- those turns where they lean waay over and touch the snow are great to watch!

 

[Little Lightning]

Parents who make their kids wear ski helmets but they don't.

 

[liquidfeet]

I'm going to ditto the smoking on the lift complaint, and add one more.

I love the clean out-of-doors feeling of being on the mountain, and nothing cheapens it like

a. cigarette smoke

and

b. radio music blaring from speakers mounted high up on some pole overlooking a slope (Bretton Woods).

What a way to ruin the away-from-it-all feeling.

 

[ski diva]

b. radio music blaring from speakers mounted high up on some pole overlooking a slope (Bretton Woods).

What a way to ruin the away-from-it-all feeling.

Oh, I so agree with this one! I absolutely HATE it when there's music blaring anywhere on the mountain. I don't know why anyone ever decided this was a good idea.

 

[Shellski]

People who can't count to four in a crowded lift line.
People who ski right into the lift line race, THEN decide they need to wait for their friends.
People who slam the bar down on the lift before your skis have even left the ground without even asking.

 

[mkhouse]

Back on the race kids one ... I get that sometimes the race kids need to cut in line to make it back to get to their 2nd run in time. However, there is NO need for them to be rude, and if the mountian is going to schedule their race that tight they should really make a special line for those kids, and then have a lift op managing the lines so the kids meter in properly. It can be handled well, and I've seen it done, but it irks me when the mountain doesn't think the racing all the way through.

Another thing that irks me is really loud bands on the lodge decks in the springtime ... it's nice to get to sit outside and eat when it's warm, but when there's a band playing so loud you can't hear anyone talk we end up back inside and don't get to enjoy the weather.

And another irksome thing... snowboarders who swing their boards on the lift so their edges scrape the bottoms of my skis, and then when I ask them to not swing so that happens they act like the bases of my skis don't matter.

 

[Kimmyt]

Moms that sit in the lodge and wait for their brood to come in for lunch.

..... don't they know what they're missing?

 

[Lola]

Moms that sit in the lodge and wait for their brood to come in for lunch. ..... don't they know what they're missing?

Ah, the ever-present Lodge Mom syndrome. The thing that drives me crazy about Lodge Moms is that they are teaching their daughters that when they grow up, they are expected to sit back and wait while everyone else has fun, and to make sure that lunch is ready when the brood comes in. So their daughters are getting mixed messages - when you are young - go out and play with your dad and your brothers, but when you grow up, you have to stay back and take care of everybody. It just burms me up! :mad:

 

[Lilgeorg]

Tell me, are you glad your Mom didn't do that to you??? Good thing we learned to ski at the same time!! seriously, I agree with Lola about the message lodge Mom's send to their daughters. But also, about what they are saying to themselves. " I can't have a good time because( fill in the blank) we don't have $$ for me, I am afraid, I have to take care of others, I can't ski good enough, I don't like the cold.....Not very positive self talk.

So, I have a personal goal to get at least one lodge mom a year to go to the Women's Alpine Adventure at Okemo for a positive experience and a real lesson in positive self talk. Go WAA!

Lil

 

[Jilly]

When I came back to my home town to work, I also decided to teach at the local hill. I sat through the first meeting of the fall when class structures were being discussed. I mentioned that in Ottawa we had had a ladies nite. The idea was a night for the mom's to get out and learn to ski and have some fun. Typical male reaction - WHAT! Well they added to the roster for the lessons, and guess what, next to Saturday morning lessons, it was the biggest class. The women loved it and no men were allowed. Even the instructors were to be gals. One thing a noticed from this class was that alot of the women had skied, had kids, got away from it, but now that the kids were skiing, wanted to go back. In some cases they had the kids stuff on. I remember being in the local ski shop one day when one of the women came in for equipment. Now she brought her 2 kids with her, as they were heading elsewhere too. She was buying her first NEW skis. She still had straight skis, yet the kids had had the latest and greatest stuff. Well the 2 kids were really put out that Mom bought stuff for her and NOTHING for them. I just wanted to take them aside and give them the facts of life. Well Mom sort of did it herself. It was something like, if you want to go skiing, then I have to enjoy myself too you know, so I need new stuff, because mine is from before you were born. I think it was the first time she had stood up to them both in public. She was progressing so well, but her equipment was holding her back. So some of Lodge Mom's do their butts in gear and get out there!!