Poaching Lines

[Bronco]

I've been scolded for skiing past some guys who appear to be standing around, hanging out and "poaching" their line. I've also seen comments with the same attitude on teletips trip reports while researching some areas. I'm kinda new to the backcountry ski scene but, this seems pretty stupid. Is it necesary to obtain permission from anyone standing near a potential run to ski said run?

 

 

[ken4ord]

Fuck no. Rip that line if they want to stand around with their finger up their butt, that is their problem. They don't own the slope.

[skykilo]

In my self-important, filled with delusions of grandeur opinion, the whole point of the backcountry is freedom. If you are not putting someone's life in danger, poach to your heart's content. If someone is standing above where your skis are naturally taking you, they should get moving if the almighty untracked on that exact slope is their utmost desire for the day.

 

A thought: how will you even be aware of making them angry if you blast through in a whirlwind of faceshots, screaming at the top of your lungs? Anyone who could get angry at such a sight of delight needs some perspective, perhaps.

 

Just to reiterate to the point of redundancy in the most rhetorical fashion: is it backcountry skiing if you have to ask someone's permission?

[cj001f]

ken4ord said:

Fuck no. Rip that line if they want to stand around with their finger up their butt, that is their problem. They don't own the slope.

You beat me to it. You wait, you're late.

[iain]

You could have the common decency of keeping the line narrow and spooning other tracks to preserve some of the goodness though. Esp. if you are staying at a hut, common courtesy. I'm not saying super tight, but no boarder-style massive traverse swathes across a pristine slope.

[bobbyperu]

dood its a free for all... fuck those cry babies, ya snooze ya lose... exspecially the type of clown that would say or post somethin about it... now if bitchass is all bent,and gets in your mug , tell'em to bring it or offer some that all depends on what type of person you are -bp

[skykilo]

iain said:

You could have the common decency of keeping the line narrow and spooning other tracks to preserve some of the goodness though. Esp. if you are staying at a hut, common courtesy. I'm not saying super tight, but no boarder-style massive traverse swathes across a pristine slope.

 

Indeed, the most courteous thing to do would be to straight-run at all times and huck as much as possible.

I wonder how Extremo feels about this?

[erik]

iain said:

You could have the common decency of keeping the line narrow and spooning other tracks to preserve some of the goodness though. Esp. if you are staying at a hut, common courtesy. I'm not saying super tight, but no boarder-style massive traverse swathes across a pristine slope.

 

I'LL TRASH ANY SLOPE I WANT TOO IN ANY STYLE I PREFER....

 

I HOPE I RUN ACCROSS THIS SITMO ON A DAY WHEN I AM IN BAD MOOD!

 

 

[lI1|1!]

actually i think you should get extra points for poaching a line from your buddy. gets people to get a move on -> more vert -> more ripping it up -> more LOL

 

[iain]

I'LL TRASH ANY SLOPE I WANT TOO IN ANY STYLE I PREFER....

 

I HOPE I RUN ACCROSS THIS SITMO ON A DAY WHEN I AM IN BAD MOOD!

 

you are so f'ing tough and cool I am at a loss for words

[Bronco]

ten-four

[iain]

lI1|1! said:

actually i think you should get extra points for poaching a line from your buddy. gets people to get a move on -> more vert -> more ripping it up -> more LOL

 

I bet this could be #1 on the list of reasons for avalanche accidents.

[dberdinka]

YOU ARE ALL SO SUCK!

 

If you're talking about real BC where you actually had to hump your ass out there why not just chill the faq out. Ski a different line if folks have beaten you to the punch. Or strike up a conversation and make a new friggin friend you wankers! They might just be diggin your ass out of the big ole' slab you're about to cut loose.

 

What ever you do leave your lame ass BRO-BRA attitude back with the lemmings at the ski area where it belongs.

[erik]

iain said:

you are so f'ing tough and cool I am at a loss for words

 

cool i was hoping you would think that!

 

 

[skykilo]

dberdinka said:

YOU ARE ALL SO SUCK!

 

If you're talking about real BC where you actually had to hump your ass out there why not just chill the faq out. Ski a different line if folks have beaten you to the punch. Or strike up a conversation and make a new friggin friend you wankers! They might just be diggin your ass out of the big ole' slab you're about to cut loose.

 

What ever you do leave your lame ass BRO-BRA attitude back with the lemmings at the ski area where it belongs.

 

BRO-BRA-How dare you suggest I have man-boobs?

 

[Bronco]

skykilo said:

dberdinka said:

YOU ARE ALL SO SUCK!

 

If you're talking about real BC where you actually had to hump your ass out there why not just chill the faq out. Ski a different line if folks have beaten you to the punch. Or strike up a conversation and make a new friggin friend you wankers! They might just be diggin your ass out of the big ole' slab you're about to cut loose.

 

What ever you do leave your lame ass BRO-BRA attitude back with the lemmings at the ski area where it belongs.

 

BRO-BRA-How dare you suggest I have man-boobs?

 

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[cj001f]

dberdinka said:If you're talking about real BC where you actually had to hump your ass out there why not just chill the faq out. Ski a different line if folks have beaten you to the punch. Or strike up a conversation and make a new friggin friend you wankers! They might just be diggin your ass out of the big ole' slab you're about to cut loose.

Hmm. I've never seen a shortage of lines in "real backcountry", I rarely see people there. In the crowded frount country I see plenty. The front country's not that much work, if you snooze, you loose.

[David_Parker]

Depends on the situation. Common courtesy goes a long way in the right situation. Basically, I share the attitude "you snooze, you lose". That said, I can think of plenty of situations where poaching would not be the "right" thing to do. Any situation at a resort or backcountry attached to a resort, there are no rules. Rip it! But if I came across a friendly party of back country skiers on the top of some knob or hill and they were obviously getting ready to ski and not sitting on their asses having lunch, I'd respect the fact they got there first and ask if it was ok to take a section if there was room. I can't say I would give boarders as much respect as skiers though, as they (not all) do tend to trash a bigger section of slope than skiers who spoon tracks. Now if they shared a joint with me, by all means I'd let them go first.

 

Any situation where someone is standing in the middle of a line and I am coming down from above and skiing past, well sorry, I'm not stopping.

 

Any situation where a slope is suspect for potential avalanche, both parties need to discuss strategy on how everyone is going to ski it. Who goes first, one at a time, where they are going to wait at the bottom, etc.

 

Any situation skiing out of a cabin deserves some respect too, lest their be fisticuffs later on when the alchohol is flowing!

 

Erik, eat my dust. I be lapping you dude!

 

 

[savaiusini]

...as if it were a frickin' lameass country club out there!

Shit dawg, if I be fixin' to raise-up and get my face shot on, nig'a pleeze!

...No way, if you be standing around at the top of some schweet ass line gettin yo drink on and yo snack on and some one else flosses and flys it before you, more power to em. Then they'll get back to their crib lickity split so day can chill w'da fat spliff and their fly-ass little coochies .

 

Click here for inspiration

[Cletus]

a semi-serious reply.

 

if you came up on someone obviously gearing up at a base of a climb, would you go right up and start leading the first pitch? where I come from, the answer is no.

 

why is this any different?

 

Just a little food for thought. Seems like the oh-so-touted climbers ethics are a bit of a double standard if you change sports.

 

Hypocrisy, or not?

 

Personally, if you ski under me while I'm preparing to safely rip my line, you will get what is coming to you eventually. Karma is a bitch - do this sort of thing too much and someone is going to drop a slab or a cornice on your ass. I think its poor form, demonstrates a poor sense of ethics, and is generally an idiotic thing to do. Take a slightly different line, or wait 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

[erik]

cletus is some is posing at the base of a climb i am gonna ask to pass them, as we will prolly pass them anyways..

 

i dont see it as a doulbe standard as the rock is pretty much the same after 100's of ascents..the untracked powder is tracked.......

 

so.............

 

 

[Cletus]

you seem to be saying that untracked powder is one time thing. If I beat you to it, maybe you should come back after the next storm.

 

Anyway, there's a big difference between what you said - asking to climb through/ski by - and simply dropping in. If a party is having lunch, for instance, okay, itd be nice if you asked, but not essential. If they're gearing up to go shortly, I think its dumb, irresponsible, and petty. And if I'm within a minute or two of dropping in, I'll be catching you shortly, and won't have any reservations about jamming my pole up your ASS.

 

On the other hand, some people like that sort of thing. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

 

[Figger_Eight]

Word. What's up with all the tougher-than-thou attitudes? Yeah...the backcountry is where you go to get away from the rules - but it's also where I go to avoid the assholes who you find at resorts. If it's a first run off the lifts - absolutely it's a free for all. But if I get to the top of a powder field we all had to hike up to, see some guys taking their skins off and getting ready to go down I'll chat 'em up and wait my turn - especially if I'm using the skin track they put in. If they're eating lunch...that's a different story.

[E-rock]

I've been snaked by some well-known crusties in the Wasatch. Live and learn!

 

However, if someone broke trail and you were the johnny-come-lately backcountry barnacle who happens to arrive while the trail-breakers are still making their snow stability assessment and you drop in. Well, that just makes you a stupid dick.

 

There is such a thing as back-country etiquette and it's been around for a LONG time.

[Bronco]

Cletus said:

Just a little food for thought. Seems like the oh-so-touted climbers ethics are a bit of a double standard if you change sports.

 

Sorry, I didn't explain that I had gone all the way to the top of the ridge and about half way down the run I encountered the dudes who had just skinned up to the top of a glade. This is across the street from Stevens Pass Resort and a popular yo yo destination, from what I gather.

 

So it's more like if I were on a multipitch route and some goobers walk onto the route on a ledge half way up the route and stand around at the belay. Would I be a dick to climb through? No! Should I stand around and wait for them to gear up? No.