Alpenthal on Friday

[steepconcrete]

 

Snowboarding used to rule the pow and park, and that is the only place it ever ruled skiing...but now with fat skis, AKA Spatulas, 106's, Iggie FFF's..and skiers killing it in the park, snowboarding is back to it's place as the ugly step-child of skiing. Look at what the pro's of each sport are doing, and it is obvious that snowboarding is inferrior.

[skykilo]

I have nothing to bitch about, but I would like to point this out...

 

I know I am splitting hairs here, but. ....Jump turns like the way Josh describes, you are linking turns and using the fall line to move. If your skis are perpendicular to the fall line you should take your ass to some easier terrain.

 

This guy was clearly in over his head.

 

This guy too

 

And what was this chump thinking?

 

There is a proper place for everything, and the proper place for snowboarders who are learning to scrape the snow off steeps would be in a resort. 'Nuff said.

 

I would like to treat anybody who skis one of these routes without jump turns, or any snowboarder who rides one of these routes at all, to a nice dinner and a few drinks.

Cheers,

Sky

[cj001f]

Sky-

Everyone know Yuichiro Miura was before his time in glisse technique.

 

There are skiier's that rock, and boarders that rock - like these guys:

[skykilo]

Hey man, sick flicks. I got nothing against snowboarders. I was just taking issue with the jump turn statement (Thus three pictures of jump turns). And I'll live up to the dinner and drinks.

Eveyone have a great weekend!

[JoshK]

Nobody was arguing against jump turns, ski. I dunno, maybe they were, but yes, obviously, they are nescessary on much terrain around here. And it's not like it looks like you are wimping out, it looks cool.

[upzmtn]

I think everyone here needs to ride the lifts less. We skied tons of virgin pow yesterday and never saw a soul. Who goes looking for good snow in-bounds, a week after the last dump around here anyway? That stuff got buffed off the day after it fell by a whole herd of gumbies on skis AND boards. Easy folks... It's just a game. Play nice.

[ashw_justin]

Maybe I already missed the boat on this one, but yeah, jump turns to me are a necessary part of snowboarding just about anything that is worth boarding inbounds. It's really pretty easy to jump turn on a snowboard, and just about the only good way to ride down the nasty mogul fields that all you skiers create on the steeps. The same is true for doing tight turns in chutes, you hop up to unweight the board, flip it around, and repeat as necessary.

 

I can't explain why it doesn't occur to a lot snowboarders to do it, especially considering that a 180 is usually the first trick you learn. All I had to do was watch a few good skiers doing jump turns. But maybe I'm just not keeping it real.

[ashw_justin]

This guy was clearly in over his head...

 

Yeah look at those gapers obviously they didn't take any lessons either!!

 

 

Do I still get dinner and drinks if I sideslip the whole way?

[ashw_justin]

So I rode the lifts at Baker yesterday, as I'm coming up chair 4, scoping out Gabl's, what do I see but three teenage girl snowboarders doing EXACTLY as described in this thread: a beautifully coordinated heelslide formation down the entire steep upper section, turning this potentially fluffy run into a groomer-like icefest. Being a snowboarder myself I tried to reason with them, yelling "Turn! Turn for god's sake!!" and what do I get in return for my attempted benevolence? That's right, I get the finger.

 

If I were closer to my knuckledragging roots I would have spit on them. By the time I got on it, it was the same old tracked out and chunky Gabl's.

[Eerie]

if you're gonna ride Gable's don't do it beneath the chair lift. its crap there. always is and always will be. i wouldn't be too concerned about it being sideslipped if i were you. now if you are hiking Shuksan Arm and you see someone sideslipping all the way down then you have something to complain about.

[ashw_justin]

I fully agree with you eerie, I spend about as much time in the BC as I do at ski areas. I just thought it was funny that right after I read this thread, I go out and see a textbook example right in front of me. I tried to get it on film for greater entertainment value but I couldn't get my camera out in time.

[David_Parker]

I just got back from Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass, both powder days. This time I was trying to be fair and see if I saw many skiers sideslipping, but I really couldn't find any. Again, lots of steep, narrow little shots through cliffs or trees trashed by sideslipping boarders. Tye Mill and everything off 7th Heaven was thrashed yesterday by them. My son says I embarrass him because I keep screaming "turn" to all the boarders. I really don't see skiers NOT turning. They have to! I realize it is harder for a boarder to commit to a turn because he/she is at a distinct disadvantage being that he/she is already turned sideways on his/her device for gliding over snow. A boarder won't have the tendancy to keep shoulders square to the fall line, but the opposite. So as I stated in the very begining, I don't think the learning curve in boarding is any faster than skiing and I will now argue it is longer, at least all the way to the expert level. It seems the steeper the terrain, the LESS likely they are to turn. Skiers don't have this problem. Basically boarders can glide over snow on steep terrain and "feel" like an expert because you can tell your friends you did a double black diamond, but did you REALLY do it? NOT!!! My eight year old son can do harder shit better than 98% of all the boarders out there in better style.

 

TURN, you wankers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ashw_justin]

I know, I know, it hurts so much to see them wasting steep terrain like that. It is sooo easy to jump turn! Eeeeeeeeeeeasy do you hear me!! Just jump, twist board, up to 180 degrees, perhaps dropping some vert in the process should you please...

 

Then there are the all or nothing dudes who just point the board downhill and pray that they miss all the worst bumps. It's cool when they actually pull it off, but usually they wipe out on a mogul going way too fast which is cool too, for those watching.

 

I guess it takes a little courage, good balance, and leg fitness to start hopping into your turns on a board. There's no way I could do it back when I was beginner. But once you do it twice it's easy. I'm not trying to say I am a badass or anything, I just took some silent advice from watching skiers.

 

But I would say there is no awareness of this among most resort boarders. The only time you are supposed to leave the ground is at a kicker, or a cliff. You never see guys survival boarding in the snow-porn videos. It's all in perfect hero snow, with perfect jumps, and some straightlining down big cliffs.

[cracked]

All those silly boarders should get a monoski.

[Mr._Natural]

you are a clueless moron. monoski?!?!?!? are you shitting me or a total fucking nerd?

[cracked]

The French seem to like them. Check it out!

 

 

RIP IT UP!

[Mr._Natural]

hahahaha i wouldnt have talked shit if i knew you were kidding.

[ashw_justin]

The French seem to like them. Check it out!

 

 

RIP IT UP!

 

OMFG it's Bono! He's not French..

[marylou]

Well the monoski seems to work well going uphill...

[cracked]

For that you need a split monoski. You wouldn't even have to fuss around with bindings, just put a fritschi on either side!

[ken4ord]

Shit Cracked, all this time I guess I have been riding on my monoski sideways. Thanks for posting that awesome picture.

[David_Parker]

My balls sweat too much on a mono-ski!

[cracked]

Then you need a mono-pant!

[JayB]

I am a skier at heart and always will be a skier, but I picked up boarding four years ago and absolutely love it -so it is not like I have any senseless animus against boarders but...Dave has a point here. Anyone who side slides on a board and shears off the new snow should be subjected to a hostile barrage of insults and profanity whenever they engage in such a practice. You sideslide, you suck and that's the end of the story.

 

On a related note, I will add that anyone who can't ride their board through the troughs on moguls also sucks in a big way. I've noticed a steady deterioration in the quality of moguls since boarders came on the scene, and I think that the same ethic should apply to riding them - if you can't turn on them, you need to stay away from them and preserve them for those that can. I spent 20 days beating myself to a pulp on my snowboard in mogulfields, but I managed to get the hang of it. I've seen boarders who are obviously way more talented than I am sideslide the hell out of mogul fields that I was able to turn through, so it seems that this is more a problem of standards - e.g. sidesliding through moguls is okay no matter how good you are - than ability. So feel free to hurl invective at the next boarder you see trashing a mogul field as well.

[lancegranite]

"Anyone who side slides on a board and shears off the new snow should be subjected to a hostile barrage of insults and profanity whenever they engage in such a practice"

 

You are right, you are a skier at heart.