Ski

Ah, that just wouldn't work...Doug's not gay. (Shop v. online: when shipping skis starts to cost over $150, then the prices will be comparable. Okay, not necessarily dead, but in remission.)

Hey, MC, forget the karaoke chicks, check this out: Twin's Day January 14, 2007 Belleayre is celebrating twins at our first ever Twin's Day! Bring your identical or fraternal twin skiing on January 14, and you'll get a Buy One - Get One Free lift ticket for the two (or three, or four!) of you. Be sure to bring ID if there's going to be a question of your twin-ness...At noon, we'll gather all of the twins for a photo op. Call ext. 428 for more information.

We used 40 bags for a PA Cup at CB a few years ago...it was about 60 degrees. I think Hood uses a higher sodium-based mix to "salt" their lanes. I imagine this stuff is a lot better for the vegatation along the slopes, though.

Hmmm...I have a friend that uses it on his tomato plants.

Salmon like the fish? Ridge, you are correct: I am totally roung. And despite how much I tried in school, I admit to being retared and plan to get a new one at the auto store tomorrow. When I was in Mexico, I found the cochas pretty hot, but not the donkey lady. I found that way too forcse, but we closed the slamon gates and it didn't get out. And, yes, we're all ass around here. Stay in school, little guy. That was too funny to be mad at you.

That's just piling on. You've done it before. I totally disagree with someone's approach or tactics, then we have a discussion. Sometimes heated, but always involving a point. Big difference between that and just screaming YOU'RE A TOTAL ASSHOLE and YOU'RE A FUCKING RETARD. You are free to disagree.

I'm not taking the bait. Greg's been pretty clear when it comes to personal attacks. I'll let the mods sort it out. Guy says his kids bored and it's too easy for him---and the kid says his coaches are stupid. That's their own little train wreck to deal with. I feel sorry for them, despite the personal attacks.

And you are calling me a "total ASSHOLE"?

You are calling me a fucking retard?

It's starting to look very possible, MC. Two warm days, then the cold starts to build right on schedule. We were just on the way back from Home Depot with a load of wood and ran into a blizzard-like whiteout, right at Lake Ariel (near one of Jeff's many houses). The snow was blowing in that 50mph wind and cars pulled off the road to wait it out. Then it stopped. Oh, well. Ty was screaming to go get our skis, maybe the Hideout Hill was going to open.

Both Tiger and his dad have been quoted many times over saying the prize money was irrelevant. His dad loved golf and wanted Tiger to be a champion. If golf was on par with archery prize money, Tiger would be living in a shack somewhere filled with trophies. And he'd be happy. And anyway, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Brett Favre, Lance Armstrong, the Williams sisters, et al, make NOTHING by winning events compared to their sponsorship deals. They don't enter for cash or swag...that simply comes to them when their agents handle the money deals. There was a study done during the summer Olympics a few years back. They asked Olympic-hopeful athletes what they'd sacrifice for a gold medal. The consensus was that they'd give up all of their possessions and 10 years of their lives. To be clear, they wanted no money and would be willing to die 10 years early. They just wanted the title of Olympic Champion. Crazy? Not to me. One of the most all-consuming sports has to be NCAA Division 1 wrestling. Thousands of high school kids would give anything to wrestle for Iowa...to be part of the greatest program in history. There's no money involved and graduates have usually wrestled their last match as a college senior. They reach the peak and the end at the same time. Why do they give up everything for a shot at a plaque? I imagine it's because they learned a series of lessons from coaches and parents through their lives, that striving for a goal and the journey that is involved is sucess in itself. I don't think "fun comps" are bad, any more than I think the goofy races we hold at our ski hill are bad. It's all good. I certainly see and respect Glenn's take on comps. But if I had a little kid that wanted to be a boarder/jibber, I'd definitely go with a structured route. Most of the park kids I notice can do some cool tricks, but are TERRIBLE skiers. It's like watching a kid that can slam dunk, but can't dribble. The "race stuff" that's being taught to freestylers has a purpose: to teach kids edge angles, carving, balance, skeletal alignment, and all the other BASICS of how to ski. Not sure how that's a bad thing. Rob: why are you forcing Ridge to do something he's beginning to hate and resent? Why not move him to Blue's race program? Or just let him goof around on NASTAR courses? Kids are usually closer to 'Dude's age before they burn out from racing. And being bored is the first and biggest indicator. That usually doesn't disappear.

IDK, maybe and maybe not. There's probably room for both, just like there's room for a huge recreational race program like NASTAR, while there's also the competitive USSA racing. And the two programs don't mix, since they both involve the same ages. And remember how Jake Burton totally trashed the idea of snowboarding as an Olympic sport...while fully sponsoring a bunch of Olympic snowboard athletes. Smart guy.

Well put. As to skydiving, I guess you have to be familiar with the comps they hold, where judges view the footage after the jump. The photog jumps with the diver, then the diver performs tricks. It's a pretty niche sport, to say the least. And my take the freestyle comps are as they relate to this thread, really. CB is stepping up their program to make it much more substantial, with cross training in gates. Sounds less like something a garage band kid would be into and more like a grass roots program. At many of the traditional ski racing academies, they've started freestyle programs. Absolutely rigorous morning/afternoon mountain training, then late afternoon classes. whore (j/k)

I just didn't understand what you meant. The sports guys, as well as the candid guys that wander the college and high school halls, give the senior photogs sh*t all the time. Our senior photogs will check into a motel for a week, taking more than 10,000 senior portraits at some of out bigger colleges. I would die from that. I would CONFIRM that it is among the top 20 steepest trails in the East.

Is that a cut? I'm not totally sure 'cause making $300 to $400 a day working less than three hours is better money than I made right out of law school. I just don't have a passion for either, which is why I only shoot sports. Cool that California has programs like that...

For future reference: an originating IP address will still show up in a full header, even when sending emails from an address like Yahoo. Even a proxy shows up, unless you use a fully anonymous one. It's okay, though, We'll just discuss it in person. No worries.

I've heard there are other high paying jobs out there that don't involve tiny offices. Actually, I meant a blown knee that doesn't rehab. Heck, I'm even curious how you afford medical insurance, since it's a sh*tty expense for me as a "private contractor". But nevermind, DH...I'll ask in a less hostile thread some other time. It's pretty much time to wrap this garbage up... Yeah, I know. Sorry to hear.

Rob, your kids would last 40 seconds on one of my teams. Listen: kids are all the same, whether they are black or white or yellow or red. They are the same in Japan as they are in America. Kids are kids. I know something like that is hard to understand, but you should really try. You give them respect, then demand it back from them. There's your starting point. What, did you think I meant they were all the same size? Not the sharpest tack, eh, Rob?

Well, what if Rob just apologized to me and my family? I don't necessarily think 'Dude is dragging this out...he simply saw irony in something.

Soccer moms would do a better job for the kids than you in the long run...shame you didn't have one, since they are GREAT. Maybe it seems like the easy road from the outside. Sorry, I just really believe in education. Honestly, DH, you're one blown knee from what? Some guy living in a box in Telluride, bitching about the tourists and trying to get people to listen to stories about how great you used to be? EDIT: That's a real question, DH. Don't answer if it's too personal, but I'm genuinely curious.

I've heard of many more terms than you. And I feel sorry for you, DH. But maybe you'll be stronger for the uphill battle you've set for yourself. I wish you luck, since I really don't dislike you. Doesn't matter what sport you coach, freeridintre. Kids are all the same. I've coached kids that were four years old, on up to 21 yrs. I helped run an alpine program for about six seasons, as well as coached soccer and baseball for more than a dozen years. Kids are all the same.

My daughter EARNED a scholarship as part of a state championship cross country team, as well as academics. Cross country works quite a bit like skiing, Rob, where they compete as a team, but strive for individual results. If you'd like tips on setting a path toward earning college scholarships, I could help. But maybe they'll just follow in whatever your footsteps were...

And what college are you attending? Not sure you should be laughing so hard, DH.

You sure sound anti-racing, Rob. Is Ridge even bothering to race this year since it sucks so bad? Oh, and regarding parenting and athletics? I have a kid that's on a pretty decent sports scholarship to the 13th oldest college in America. Think you have any hope in Hell of topping that FACT? She earned it from her years as a team captain, btw.

Jeez, Dh...okay, let's make it football. Pop Warner football is FAR more dangerous than snowboarding. Does that work for you? Kids playing football don't pick their teams for the swag they get, but for the LOVE OF THE GAME. And I stand by any statement about coaching and parenting where swag should NOT be used as the motivating factor in competition. DH: do you have ANY experience in parenting little kids? Unless you've woken your kid up at 4am before a competition, you aren't terribly qualified in that part of the discussion.