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**Snowolf** · 02-23-2008, 04:37 AM

First off, this is NOT another "I hate skiers" thread. That is a retarded point of view in 2008. I ride alongside some of the nicest, most hip and cool people on skis. Instead, this is something I found and it illustrates the throwback attitude of the old codger elitist skier thank thankfully are dying off like the dinosaurs they are....good riddance too. I even work with a couple of ancient ski instructors who still hang on to these attitudes and no one can stand these people. Thank God that most of today`s skiers see us boarders as fellow "snow sports enthusiasts". Every now and then you still run into one of these Methuselahs on the hill sadly. What this moron fails to understand is that as an industry and a sport, skiing was dying out. It is snowboarding that has revitalized the entire snowsports industry. Without snowboarding, things like sidecut skis, twin tip skis and freestyle skiing would not even exist. This pindick is probably still on his grandpa`s wooden, narrow straight skis without edges or sidecuts....

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<TABLE class=contentpaneopen><TBODY><TR><TD class=createdate vAlign=top colSpan=2>Thursday, 02 November 2008

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PHOTO: JOHN FULLBRIGHT

BY MICHAEL HENNINGSEN

I Hate Snowboarders ...
To clarify, I don’t hate snowboarders as people. Well, mostly. What I hate is the idea that it’s somehow OK to invade my space — my mountain, my snow, my moguls, my chairlifts and my winter contentment with what amounts to a strap-on skateboard with no wheels. I, The Skier, was there first. Mind you, I have nothing against skateboarding (some snowboarders, though, have the gall to go so far as to equate snowboarding to surfing, which isn’t even a distant cousin, brah), but it belongs in an empty pool, a skate park or on a plywood half-pipe in some rich kid’s backyard, not — just ask any Taos Ski Valley worshipper — on a snow-covered mountain.

Skiing is a pure sport that requires grace and skill, form and a oneness with nature. It’s spiritual. Snowboarding is a game that requires ego, attitude, vanity and a complete disregard for other human beings. Yes, there’s skill involved, but the more that skill is cultivated, the more the average snowboarder feels the mountain is his or her birthright rather than the privilege it actually is. Or was. Case in point. Sort of. While attending this year’s Ski Swap in the Manuel Lujan Building at Expo New Mexico, I was run into twice and had to sidestep out of the way of several punks in Burton hoodies skateboarding in the facility among the crowds as if no one else was in the building. It was just like trying to ski at Santa Fe.

And let’s talk for a moment about moguls. To a skier, moguls are sacred. When one reaches a level of skill at which moguls cease to be intimidating, they take on the function of helping the skier to turn, to become one with the mountain. Moguls are not jumps. They are not devices designed to help snowboarders catch “wicked air” or assist their “mad skills.” So what do many snowboarders do when they encounter moguls? They turn their boards into block planes and shave the “bumps” down to bare nubs. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

To be sure, there are plenty of idiot skiers out there. But even at their worst, they generally have the good sense to know that right of way belongs to the person or persons in front of them, not to the person who wants to get from Point A to Point B faster than anyone else for the sake of sheer speed and a photo op.
I don’t ski in your toilet, please don’t pee in my pool.
To be fully representitive of my skier legion, I also must point out a few little things about snowboarders we find humorous.

FASHION
This is indeed what separates the skier from the snowboarder. Very few skiers wear one-piece outerwear. The ones who do are usually from Texas or Oklahoma and therefore don’t count. Skiers are far more concerned with their sport than they are with buying the latest trendwear from Hot Topic. And snowboarders have an uncommon tendency to wear their gear everywhere.

BOOTS
Ski boots are marvels of technology. Snowboard boots are glorified, overpriced mucklucks that happen to go well with ridiculously baggy nylon pants. And I’d trust my ankles to ski boots over mucklucks any day.

The youth of today — the PlayStation Generation — have chosen snowboarding over skiing, perhaps, for one reason: skiing is hard, it takes years to master, requires thought and seamless cooperation of mind, body and spirit. Patience is not a virtue among our youth, the ones who never had to rewind a cassette tape with the eraser end of a pencil. But the day will come when video games are so realistic we skiers can take to the mountains by ourselves while snowboarders stay home and do their thing on an Xbox, which is where snowboarding belongs in the first place.

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Source:http://www.local-iq.com/index.php?op...tpage&Itemid=1

Mysticfalcon · 02-23-2008, 06:00 AM

Wow. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I know quite a few old timer skiers that actually agree with what snowolf said about the boarders revitalizing the mountains. On days when the lift lines are short anyway.
I used to ski but I feel I get more of that oneness with nature on a board. Skiing came very easy to me but I switched to the board to get more of a challenge.

Phenom · 02-23-2008, 06:10 AM

Wow, I was trying to laugh it off but I can honestly say I was getting mad towards the end. I'll stop shaving down their moguls when they stop having yard sales in the terrain park because of the cute "pop-off" feature of their skis. Is it just me or do most skiers never look like they know where they are going or where they are on the map? And what would make the guy feel like he needs to pick apart our boots? Seriously. Our boots? I didn't know they affect him at all. This guy has problems if he's honestly bothered by boots. Probably just jealous that we don't clomp around the lodge with that notorious skier walk.

ecave84 · 02-23-2008, 10:07 AM

I ran into some people like this at Killington last week. I was riding up in the gondola with a car load of skiers. One of the guys was bitching about how some snowboarder cut him off int the moguls and on and on. Then he and one of the other guys were talking about how ski poles have the basket on them so you can jab a snowboarder and get the pole out of them. I dont know how they missed the giant orange base of my Flag but i got a laugh when one of the other guys looked down at my boots and said hey hes a snowboarder and the woman they were with said "yeah and hes big" (im 6'3" 260) and there wasn't another peep out of the guy about snowboarding after that.

I work with a old time skier and we were talking about how burton has that poaching video thing going on and he agreed with you guys. Without snowboarding the ski industry would be much different. Especially the mountains. most of the mountains I go to are probably close to a 50-50 split snowboarders and skiers. Without snowboarding thats a big chunk of business gone. sure some would ski but not all and they would be paying 4 dollars for a soda instead of 2.50 in the lodge.

sparty · 02-23-2008, 10:22 AM

Is this guy serious? We were there first? What kind of 3rd grader argument is that? And just when you thought he couldn't sound any more silly, he rips on our fashion and boots?

alaric · 02-23-2008, 10:25 AM

Wow, that kinda pissed me off. I want to kick him in the balls... with my "mucklucks" That dude needs an attitude adjustment. Seriously. He's probably pissed off because some snowboarder had to bomb down to clear a flat spot on the mountain (which I have to do at my resort on a couple hills). Wow.

NYCboarder · 02-23-2008, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mysticfalcon

Wow. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I know quite a few old timer skiers that actually agree with what snowolf said about the boarders revitalizing the mountains. On days when the lift lines are short anyway.
I used to ski but I feel I get more of that oneness with nature on a board. Skiing came very easy to me but I switched to the board to get more of a challenge.

ditto.. skiing felt like ice skating to me.. very easily i picked it up and progressed further and faster then i expected.. i like a challenge so i tried snowboarding i picked this up also but not as fast as skiing which i find to be rollerblades or iceskates just longer

ecave84 · 02-23-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

What I hate is the idea that it’s somehow OK to invade my space — my mountain, my snow, my moguls, my chairlifts

wtf is this my moutain talk. Hes paying to use the resorts facilities. Unless he hits the powerball and buys a mountain i dont think he should consider anything his.

alaric · 02-23-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCboarder

ditto.. skiing felt like ice skating to me.. very easily i picked it up and progressed further and faster then i expected.. i like a challenge so i tried snowboarding i picked this up also but not as fast as skiing which i find to be rollerblades or iceskates just longer

I'm on the same page. Snowboarding was more of a challenge, and more fun to me.

kri$han · 02-23-2008, 10:54 AM

haha, that was a funny rant to read.

I love the close-mindedness of assuming all snowboarders are little kids, caught up in the "playstation" generation... there are quite a few ways to pick apart his comments and assumtions;

- The "playstation" generation, actually is of people around my age range, the average gamer age is something like 21-35, apparently. We're the generation that grew up rewinding tapes with pencil erasers, and blowing out our nintendo cartridges... so we know all about what it's like to not have "cutting edge technology"... and we're mature enough to "be at one with the hill"

- wtf does "being at one with the hill" have anything to do with what's strapped to your feet? I could have slices of salami strapped to my feet, and be in a meditatiing position and feel at one with nature...

- the clothing argument I can understand, but this moron again is confusing age with sport. Rather than look at the boarder; look at the age of the person with whom you're criticizing. Anyone that's been to a populated resort in the last 5 years can tell you that its prety much only the younguns that sport the pants around their ankles look, whether on skiis or a board. And there are PLENTY of boarders that dress like normal people, but they tend to be older and out of their "punk rocker" phase.

- the moguls argument is actually funny to me; as I've been told people that actually ride moguls properly don't contribute to their size, cuz they do their turning on top of the mogul... its people that DONT do moguls properly that keep them there, cuz they turn in between them, making them bigger... so in effect if a boarder is"ruining" them, the skiier that rides them properly does about the same damage to your sacred moguls

- the issue of boots I am 100% convinced is of jealousy. Everytime I've discussed boots with my friends, family, old or young randoms on the lift or in the lodges its ALWAYS "man, you guys are sooo lucky to wear a boot that's actually comfortable"... everytime...

plain and simple: this guy's the textbook definition of douchebag.

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