Can Snowboarders and skiiers be friends?
 

How many of you ride with a friend who skis?

Occasionally I see a boarder and skiier together and with my son ready to
switch to boarding (mostly at my suggestion) I wonder if he really needs to;
I was thinking that he'd get bored on skis if he went with a boarding friend
who spent most of their time at the terrain parks instead of on the
trails/runs.

Bryan wrote:
How many of you ride with a friend who skis?

Occasionally I see a boarder and skiier together and with my son ready to
switch to boarding (mostly at my suggestion) I wonder if he really needs to;
I was thinking that he'd get bored on skis if he went with a boarding friend
who spent most of their time at the terrain parks instead of on the
trails/runs.




i ride with a skier. We usually race for fun down the mountain. It's no
big deal if the two are into the same kind of terrain.

Bryan wrote:

How many of you ride with a friend who skis?

Occasionally I see a boarder and skiier together and with my son ready to
switch to boarding (mostly at my suggestion) I wonder if he really needs to;
I was thinking that he'd get bored on skis if he went with a boarding friend
who spent most of their time at the terrain parks instead of on the
trails/runs.

Now and then I ride with a friend who boards (I'm a skier). Then again,
she doesn't make a habit of sitting down in the middle of runs :)

I tend to like boarders, they often have what I consider a good, and not
snotty, attitude.

Lisa

I ride, my wife skiis. If we feel like riding the same terrain, we
stick together...if not, then we do our own thing! It doesn't really
matter what we ride the mountain with, just that we're enjoying the
mountain.

What's stopping your son from skiing the terrain park? If he's not
interested in it on skiis, why would he be interested in it on a board?
Perhaps he just needs to find friends that like to ride the same
terrain he does. Switching to snowboarding just to ride the terrain
park doesn't sound like it will make him happy, IMO.

Eric

Lisa Horton wrote:

Bryan wrote:

How many of you ride with a friend who skis?

Occasionally I see a boarder and skiier together and with my son ready to
switch to boarding (mostly at my suggestion) I wonder if he really needs to;
I was thinking that he'd get bored on skis if he went with a boarding friend
who spent most of their time at the terrain parks instead of on the
trails/runs.


Now and then I ride with a friend who boards (I'm a skier). Then again,
she doesn't make a habit of sitting down in the middle of runs :)

I tend to like boarders, they often have what I consider a good, and not
snotty, attitude.

Lisa

My two mountain buddies are both skiers. Actually, it has been good for
me that they are quite advanced skiers in that they push me to the
limit. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what you ride down
the mountain as long as you aren't being a dick to others.

Rick

"Eric" wrote in message
oups.com...
I ride, my wife skiis. If we feel like riding the same terrain, we
stick together...if not, then we do our own thing! It doesn't really
matter what we ride the mountain with, just that we're enjoying the
mountain.

What's stopping your son from skiing the terrain park? If he's not
interested in it on skiis, why would he be interested in it on a board?
Perhaps he just needs to find friends that like to ride the same
terrain he does. Switching to snowboarding just to ride the terrain
park doesn't sound like it will make him happy, IMO.

Eric


Hmm, well, I'm probably what's stopping him from skiing the terrain parks
because I don't ski the terrain parks. And that's because I'm an old man
with 3 bad lumbar disks and two bad knees; the imperfect landings are
killers! We used to ski the jumps when he was a little kid. And since I'm
going to start letting him go skiing without me with friends who ride, I was
thinking that he would probably have more fun riding than skiing. That
however is based on the assumption (out of total ingnorance) that
snowboarders spend most of their day at the terrain parks and pipes. So,
I'm just asking some questions trying to learn a few things.

"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...


Bryan wrote:

How many of you ride with a friend who skis?

Occasionally I see a boarder and skiier together and with my son ready to
switch to boarding (mostly at my suggestion) I wonder if he really needs
to;
I was thinking that he'd get bored on skis if he went with a boarding
friend
who spent most of their time at the terrain parks instead of on the
trails/runs.

Now and then I ride with a friend who boards (I'm a skier). Then again,
she doesn't make a habit of sitting down in the middle of runs :)

I tend to like boarders, they often have what I consider a good, and not
snotty, attitude.

Lisa

Interesting. I had a girlfriend when I was young who didn't care that her
dormmate was a smoker on the idea that smokers wouldn't be bothered by her
sloppy living. I guess smokers aren't snotty. And why do boarders sit down
in the middle of runs?

Bryan wrote:
"Eric" wrote in message
oups.com...
I ride, my wife skiis. If we feel like riding the same terrain, we
stick together...if not, then we do our own thing! It doesn't
really
matter what we ride the mountain with, just that we're enjoying the
mountain.

What's stopping your son from skiing the terrain park? If he's not
interested in it on skiis, why would he be interested in it on a
board?
Perhaps he just needs to find friends that like to ride the same
terrain he does. Switching to snowboarding just to ride the
terrain
park doesn't sound like it will make him happy, IMO.

Eric


Hmm, well, I'm probably what's stopping him from skiing the terrain
parks
because I don't ski the terrain parks. And that's because I'm an old
man
with 3 bad lumbar disks and two bad knees; the imperfect landings are

killers! We used to ski the jumps when he was a little kid. And
since I'm
going to start letting him go skiing without me with friends who
ride, I was
thinking that he would probably have more fun riding than skiing.
That
however is based on the assumption (out of total ingnorance) that
snowboarders spend most of their day at the terrain parks and pipes.
So,
I'm just asking some questions trying to learn a few things.

I don't think you assumption is completely correct. There are more
snowboarders in the park and pipe... but I don't think it's because
snowboarders prefer freestyle element more. I think it is because young
people (15-25) prefer it more, and most young people are
snowboarders... so you see more snowboarders in the park. That's just
how I see it though.

I would just let your son decide what he wants to do. If he wants to
try snowboarding, fine... but I wouldn't try to force him (as it sounds
like you are doing) untli he wants to do it himself (I could have
mis-intepreted your post). Trying to guess these things a priori isn't
a sure thing.

Back to your original question. Outside of the park, in general, a
skiier and a snowboarder will have slightly different preferred
terrains based on ability level. That is to say that a snowboarder will
have to be a level or two higher in ability than his/her skiing
counterpart for them to match up (i.e. an advanced rider vs an
intermediate skiier, or an expert rider vs an advanced skiier). In the
park it doesn't matter because each person can challenge him/herself
with more difficult tricks on the same terrain element (practicing
spins and flips).

I ride with anyone, regardless of whats on their feet. E.G. Those
skateboard "skiis" or whatever those goofy things are called :) Who
cares what you go down the mountain on; just be cool.

Although terrain parks are *typically* frequented by Snowboarders,
there are plenty of skiiers that I see on the parks. They certaintly
are in lower numbers in most places but thats more of the social effect
than anything imho. I think its possible that terrain parks lend
themselves more to snowboarders are far as their *interest* than
skiiers...Terrain parks are also a social phenom. and you'll see plenty
of snowboarder kids sitting around chatting and making a day of it-
they actually **** me off camping on the terrain park but thats another
story :) T

Terrain parks are typically double-blacks for a *reason*.

Basically if you enjoy the terrain parks as a skiier than right on the
more the merrier. commentary Just tell your son/whomever to wear a
helmet and don't camp on the terrain :) Thats one bad habit people do
and I've seen more than enough people get hit on the head by camping on
the backside of a giant bump carried down the mountain and to the
hospital./commentary

Cheers,
sd

Bryan wrote:
And why do boarders sit down in the middle of runs?

There are two questions: Why do they sit? Why do they sit in the middle
of runs?

After great consideration I've concluded that the answer is: Because
they can and standing still on a board is very difficult. Sitting with
skis probably isn't realistic which is why some skiers stand in the
middle of runs.

If you want to know why they sit in the middle of runs to socialize
rather than sitting on a side, that's probably because they are young
and aren't thinking. I don't see older boarders sitting in the middle of
runs. We go to the edge to sit and sooth our aching legs and wobbly
knees or to admire the view. I've had to tell kids at the top of hills,
"Guys, I have nowhere to go except over you to get down the hill." They
move. I say, "Thank you." Their parents aren't there to instruct them,
and a group of 13 year olds aren't going to make the greatest decisions
by themselves.

This winter I was going down a local expert hill. Unlike most of the
kids, I was not sideslipping down the hill. A group of young teens was
sitting in the middle. One looked back and saw me coming right at him.
There was plenty of time and room for me to go around, which is what I
did, but his eyes got wide and he quickly shuffled to one side.

Another time a young skier decided to stop and turn sideways. I had just
started a turn that would have taken me over her skis after she turned,
and I could not turn in a different direction quickly enough. Eleven
inches of new snow was on the ground, so I just dropped on my butt and
came to a soft and immediate stop to avoid a collision.

Another time three teen girl skiers two chairs in front of my chair got
off. One fell. One stood by and watched right in the exit path while the
other tried to help the fallen girl up. The one helping threw her poles
down in the only place left to exit the chair. I barely missed running
over the poles. I told her to move them and she could not comprehend
why. I told her they were blocking the exit and her response was, "But
I'm helping my friend get up." She never considered placing the poles
behind her so they'd be out of the way.

The common element is "young" and "inexperienced". Vans pull into the
resorts, kids get out, and the vans leave. The ski patrol is not a
substitute for parental supervision and training.

Dean