What drives you NUTS???

[liquidfeet]

lodge moms

On the other hand, speaking on behalf of lodge moms, could it be that WE are the anomaly? ...that there is something exceptional about women who love physical exertion or whatever it is that we love; and the ones who don't, who are fine with being not-like-us, are OK as is?

 

[ski diva]

First of all -- and I may be jumped on for this -- I don't think being a lodge mom is all that terrible. People have different interests, and they're entitled to whatever it is they want to do. I give them credit for supporting their kids in snow sports, for schlepping them to and from the slopes, and for waiting for them while they ski. Sure, I'd like to see them out there, but then again, it just may not be for them.

On the other hand, there are generations of conditioning that encourge women to not participate in sports of any sort. I think this is changing, along with many conventional ideas about male/female roles. So I think that anything that can get a lodge mom to ski, if that's her choice, is a good idea.

Are we the anomaly? Maybe. Our numbers on the slopes would say yes. But there are a lot of women who go to the gym, take yoga, walk, play tennis, etc. And these are the women who need to find out how much fun skiing can be!

 

[Lilgeorg]

You are right about lodge Moms. I did lump them all together. In fact, my husband will be bringing his mom to Stowe in a couple of weeks. She tried skiing once when she was a young girl. Her brother made a pair of skis from a barrel and got her to try them first on the hill on their farm. Down she went and crash. She broke her hip. So, yep, skiing is not for her. And I can't blame her.

However, there are some other Moms who just need a little encouragement. They want to join in the fun. We can support those.

 

[liquidfeet]

You are right about women in the gym, women taking yoga classes, etc. Despite standing up for lodge moms, I do wish more women were not so ... passive ... physically. Being unwilling to ski because of not wanting to get cold, put forth the physical effort, go fast, encounter danger, and so on is truly a sad state.

It really makes me feel great to see women skiing alone. Then I know they really mean business. But that's even rare. So many men ski alone; where are the women doing it just to do it, not to socialize?

 

[GirlFromPA]

Back on topic, because this just happened to me last weekend and man was I IRKED!!

SNOWBOARDERS!!! I HATE SNOWBOARDERS!! OK, got that out. Yes, my fiance is one but I like him and for the most part he hates snowboarders too!! OK so we're on the 6 person lift at 7 Springs and we were in the middle. I had 2 boarders next to me to the left and my fiance and then a boarder and a skier on the end to my right. The stupid jerk next to me didn't turn his board parallel to get off the lift. He kept it a) UNDER my skis and b) Pushed my skis out from under me and under my fiance's board!!!!!!!!!!!! So that a*****e gets off the lift fine while my skis are twisted up with each other and my fiance and he used ME as a push off. I look down to get off and the chair is already turning around the lift to go back down so I leaped and ducked so as not to get knocked out!! I was about to take my skis off and shove a pole up that kid's a**. I was so mad that I instantly went straight to the Double Black and took it out on the trail (I didn't even wait for my fiance to get his binding on). It's a good thing that that kid went the other direction to the ease trails because I seriously would have tripped him going down the hill!

I also hate when you decide to take the deer pass trail back to the lodge and the little punk snowboarders race down it like it's a BD and cut in front of you as you're trying to avoid some person that can't control his/her self. The most crowded trail is not the place to do 50 MPH!!:mad:

I also hate when stupid boarders decide to SIT in the middle of a trail!!!!!!!! What is that???? And then they suddenly decide to stand up and swing their board out and around in front of you causing you to go airborne, face first into the snow because avoiding them would have caused you to run into someone else on the other side. Apparently boarders have no care for the fact that THEY DON'T OWN THE TRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also hate when people spit off the lift. How gross!!!

I personally think immature punks shouldn't be allowed on the trails but I guess that's not PC enough.

 

[Sheena]

My only issue when skiing is with 4 year old kids who are allowed to ski unsupervised. Can't blame the kids, but parents should watch their kids even if it is "just" 7-Springs.

I was run over by one kid who was straighlining the North Face a few years ago, granted he was little so it did not do much damage, but the force of him hitting me from behind did double exect me. Last month, I was on the same slope and all of the sudden i heard this loud chattering noise behind me, I quickly pulled off the side and whizzing by me was this kid (no older than 3 or 4) in a highspeed wobbly wedge straight down the slope. The kid was headed straight for me and no way did he have the strenght to try to turn and avoid me.

I don't expect the kids that age to have the techincal skills to be able to ski the black diamond slopes, but parents, PLEASE don't leave your kids to straightline whatever slope they want. I just don't feel it is safe for them OR other people on the slope.

 

[SkiBaby]

AGREE! Some snowboarders. Especially in regard to the snowboarder-imposed obstacle courses. Last Sunday, slopes of gorgeous fresh powder were "groomed" into not so skier-friendly, haphazard mounds of snow on top of packed powder/ice. (I know, at least we had powder, right? ) The Sunday before, a gorgeous clear blue day, the obstacles were the snowboarders themselves, liberally sprinkled over runs with a seemingly "What the hell, why not sit down riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight HERE." attitude.
AGREE! Smokers. I honestly didn't think I was seeing what I WAS seeing on a lift when a guy started smoking in the chair in front of me. I mean, we're at 12,000 feet at the top of Ski Santa Fe and you need all the lung capacity you can get. And the butts go....where?
ANOTHER ONE - not so much on the mountain, but on the way up. We've got two lanes, one each direction, for the journey up and down to the Ski Basin. And it amazes me what some people will try to drive and do in icy and snowy conditions. Small sports cars with bald tires, the occupants trying to push the car up the mountain. Or people who decide the time to put snow chains on is halfway up the mountain, in the middle of the road. I understand the drive (no pun intended) to get up and enjoy the snow, but please don't keep the rest of us behind you, waiting - or trying to drive around you while hoping another car isn't coming around the blind curve you're currently in front of.
Okay. I've vented.:o

 

[Jilly]

Hubby got hit by one last weekend at Tremblant. And that "little pink bullet" was in a lesson. He told the instructor off in both official languages (french and english). The worst offenders are the "club elite". This is racing school, but not yet racers. The locals call them "red bullets' as their ski suits are red and black. The elite racers are a pain, but this year with the turnstiles they can't get into line through the ski school line up. They have to get into the singles line or line up as a group.

 

[eng_ch]

...slopes of gorgeous fresh powder were "groomed" into not so skier-friendly, haphazard mounds of snow on top of packed powder/ice. (I know, at least we had powder, right? )

Good practice for Europe then ;) :D

 

[cyn]

trash and racing

OK Divas
Here's my two cents' worth:
I hate seeing all the trash that builds up under the lifts during the season.Can't people just hang on to those Red Bull empties until they get to a trash can?
I also find it really annoying when I pay the price of a full day ticket and then find several of the best runs "closed for racing." So basically, I have access to only part of the mountain. This is a big problem at Wachusett, which only has two blacks to begin with. They usually end up closing one until after lunch, then when you finally get to ski it, it's all scraped off!
I'm with the Divas who object to music on the mountain. Why can't we just listen to the wind for a change?

 

[Pequenita]

I think skiing/snowboarding skill includes more than getting oneself down the slope in one piece. It's also being able to get oneself on and off the lift, and if you're a snowboarder, putting your feet into the bindings without interfering with others.

That being said, I have had snowboarders lose their balance while getting up, and sliding into/grabbing onto me (my rear end, more specifically). I also recently shared a chairlift with an idiot skier who "skated" off the lift, placing one of his skis under mine, right when we're supposed to unload. In that case, I wound up staying on the lift a little longer and hopping off it, rather than stepping on his ski and causing catastrophe at the unload point. My other favorite is people who who board/ski off the slope and into you at the lift line because they're unable to stop.

 

[Kimmyt]

Snowboarders have a harder time than us, getting off the lifts. Because one of their feet are strapped in and the other is free, the have to have that strapped in foot frontwards, so have to angle themselves in the chair more in order to get off successfully. This isn't tricky for an experienced boarder, but less experienced ones may prefer a seat on the end of the chair, as that gives them more room to maneuver.

When I have to ride the lift with a boarder, I try and ask them their preference of side to sit on.

One of the worst experiences I ever had, though, was being stuck on a super6 lift with 5 boarders and little old me. I had seriously no room and was worried one of them would kick their boards into my bindings and release my skis.



Luckily one of the boarders was my bf so I could sit close to him without feeling like I was getting all up on a stranger.


As to pet peeves on the slope, or rather at the lodge: people who leave their bags under the tables so when I go inside for my 15 minute lunch break to eat my frozen sandwich, I can't get my feet under the gd table. A friend of mine will move their bags, but I feel weird about that because I'm worried they might think someone stole it when it's not where they put it. Instead, I like to put my muddy/snowy ski boots all over their bags. If they don't leave me room for my feet, why should I respect their bags of gear?

K.

 

[GirlFromPA]

That being said, I have had snowboarders lose their balance while getting up, and sliding into/grabbing onto me (my rear end, more specifically). I also recently shared a chairlift with an idiot skier who "skated" off the lift, placing one of his skis under mine, right when we're supposed to unload. In that case, I wound up staying on the lift a little longer and hopping off it, rather than stepping on his ski and causing catastrophe at the unload point. My other favorite is people who who board/ski off the slope and into you at the lift line because they're unable to stop.

Don't you just hate when they do that crap? It makes us look like the morons!! Because the guy that just pushed you back down on to the chair to get his balance is gone and there you are the "retard" that is still on it as it's about to go back down the mountain. :mad:

When it happened to me on Sunday, I glanced up and everyone was staring at me! It had to happen at the top of the most crowded lift!!

 

[ski now work later]

Pet Peeves:

1. Snowboarders and skiiers who are fast, reckless, and indifferent to the others on the trail. This is a big problem at Killington and Mt. Snow and the culprits are usually male, ages 11-30, usually on boards.

2. When runs are closed for racing but the info. is not posted anywhere that is easily found by skiiers. My first season, I was at Killington and when I found the blue slope closed for racing, I had only one choice, to go down a black bump run. It was scary and embarassing and I did some scraping off those nice bumps to stay alive.

3. I like music on the mountain if it's good in terms of choice of music and sound quality from the system, but I like it near the lift bases, near the half-pipe and parks, and at events like the US Open Snowboarding Championships, not on the runs.

4. Ski instructors who are not adept at constructive criticism and who "over-terrain" me during a lesson.

 

[Gina23]

After almost just 1 season of skiing under my belt, I also share your hate for snowboarders "just chillin' out" in the middle of a run. This is especially annoying to those that are trying to learn how to ski and haven't quite figured out how to "ski the mountain - not the trail", yet. I find this happens on a lot of greens where people are attempting to learn to ski. I was at Loveland about a month ago and on their beginner lift they have a PERFECT hill to practice controlling your speed on that floats into a little flat area. But, everytime I wanted to carve on that hill, some snowboarders were just soliciting the top, hair hanging out of their snowcap, scared-$hitless of the drop. I, too, think skilled snowboarders are a thing of beauty, but like anyone on the slopes, if you cannot ski the hill, get out of the way. And speaking of trouble on the lifts, yesterday I was up at Winter Park and this seemingly nice old man chatted my ear off on a 4 man lift only to push off of me while getting off the lift, of course, making me lose balance and look like the idiot.

 

[SnowGlider]

Ski areas that lie about conditions

Remember all that warm weather in the East in January?

One day Gunstock posted "packed powder" on its website. Like an idiot I drove up there, only to find the mountain covered with huge puddles of water and about 5% overall snow coverage.

Cannon on the same day had a recorded message saying, "It's raining, and anyone who says it's not is lying!" Now THAT was honest.

Ski areas that lie about conditions only turn customers off. It's bad business.

ALSO:

I agree with the previous poster about failure to post closed trails during races. I had the same experience once of not having any way to get down the mountain on a trail at my level. I had to be taken down on a sled by the ski patrol! Sheesh, how humiliating! That was the first year I was learning to ski.

 

[GirlFromPA]

Remember all that warm weather in the East in January?

One day Gunstock posted "packed powder" on its website. Like an idiot I drove up there, only to find the mountain covered with huge puddles of water and about 5% overall snow coverage.

Cannon on the same day had a recorded message saying, "It's raining, and anyone who says it's not is lying!" Now THAT was honest.

Ski areas that lie about conditions only turn customers off. It's bad business.

That's funny because that's really how it was. One ski resort would say one thing and the one right next to it would say another. We went on January 20 and it sucked!!!! Only half the trails were open and it was slush.

My fiance wanted to take his parents skiing New Year's Weekend and my dad was like "um, you might want to rethink that. There isn't any SNOW!" We had friends who had rented lodges up there for the weekend and came home Saturday morning because it just sucked. They were supposed to be there until Monday or Tuesday!!

 

[NannyMin]

I despise when people "persuade" their young preschool age children to ski even when they are clearly exhausted. I was at Yellowstone Club last week skiing at the top of the mountain around 3:30 when I came upon a member who had his two young children skiing with him. They were 3 & 4 years old and were both falling and sobbing. He finally picked up the 4 year old (who was the loudest) and asked me if I would ski the 3 year old down to Warren Miller lodge. By the time we got to the lodge both children were asleep in our arms. I was fuming but attempted to politely suggest that children that age typically ski best first thing in the morning when they are rested and only if they are interested. He seemed clueless :-(

 

[dloveski]

Regarding snowboarders: I often ski at Brighton, the snowboarding mecca for young boarders. A few years ago, sharing the hill with them was difficult, but I've noticed things have improved. And I credit the Brighton Ski Patrol---who have ZERO tolerance for reckless boarding (or skiing). They do not hesitate to clip a season pass (4 clips, you're out) or to take a pass away. They pursue hit and runs and these kids get cited by the Highway Patrol. I urge all of the Divas posting above to push for similar policies at their resorts--these kids board in packs and are oblivious to others around them--but the word gets out when the Patrol cracks down. When he was 14 or 15, my son got a clip on his season pass---he was crossing a trail and did not look up (no one was there except a patroller who busted him for not looking up before he crossed). That got his attention.

 

[ADKskier]

1) People who smoke in gondolas
2) People who take up too much room with their stuff in the lodge/cafeteria on a crowded day! (especially at smaller resorts where seating space is limited - have some courtesy!)