Newbs in terrain parks

[tom nepa]

While I am not a terian park guy my kids are so I spend a fai amont of time on the sides of them and have seen way to many accident causes by first time skiers and borders in th the terrian park falling infront of jump and getting landed on or run into. All terian parks should be posted as expert terrain only and ski patrol should do a better job of keeping the beginers on the beginer slopes. I am not at all complaing about people who are learning how to do stuff in the parks but you should be able to contol yourself on the mt before you are in there.

This is a problem at everyplace i have been to with the exception of Elk where there park is roped off in a seperate area and no rentals are allowed.

[toast21602]

[Shadows]

 

i knows, its been so cold out i almost want to cut open a dead animal and sleep inside for warmth.

[indiggio]

Some mountains are requiring you to go through an online test to get a certificate. If ski patrol catches you in the park multiple times without the cert, they'll lift your ticket.

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

My home mountain is surely the top offender in this category. You want a good gaper show??? Just hang out on the side of black bear any night of the weekend. Oh the things I've witnessed just this year alone. Football jersey jean skier the other night was the best though, could hardly ski but was straight airing the entire 20-30 ft hip we had set up, backslapper or yard sale every time.

 

Set up a sweet up round rail the other day, proceeded to watch mom stop aside of it and pull out camera phone to take pics of her 6 year old pizza jumping off the side of the lip.

 

Why anyone would take their kid into the park to practice turns is beyond me. I knew how to skate before I ever went into a skatepark, they might have been rollerskates but I knew how to turn at least.

 

I'm all for some expert only restrictions in the park but it'll never happen. No rentals at elk in the park sounds like a good start, it's really too bad they don't put their park on one of their real trails.

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

Couple dozen legit riders, couple hundred gapers.

[Justo8484]

Couple dozen legit riders, couple hundred gapers.

 

any idea what happened to that dude last night? he seemed like he was in pretty bad shape. and yes, last night was another epic gaperfest at the crick.

[Johnny Law]

HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE SINGLE GREATEST SKIING VIDEO EVAR!!!

 

From now on when I'm killing it I'm going to yell YEAAAAAHHHH FEEL THE RUSH BABY!! Preferably at no one in particular just random heads at Blue......

 

[vinnyv11]

HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE SINGLE GREATEST SKIING VIDEO EVAR!!!

 

From now on when I'm killing it I'm going to yell YEAAAAAHHHH FEEL THE RUSH BABY!! Preferably at no one in particular just random heads at Blue......

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoFXxisrjxU

 

Amazing!!! I can't even tell if he's going down anything more then a connector or a green but he is "FLYING" in all that groomed powder.

[Kyle]

best example of gapers at bear was last night, kid straight aired to his back on the last jump in black bear (maybe 10-15 feet) he carried it about 30, me and 3 other kids, including a park crew member were standing on the jump and the knuckle waving kids toward the skiiers right and kids were still weaving through us and rolling the knuckle where he was laying hurt. it blows my mind how people can be so oblivious while in the park. when you have 5 people standing in front of a jump with their boards/skis off waving you away from the jump why would you continue to hit it? this isnt even an issue of gaping its a huge safety issue at that point when a kid is laying hurt in the landing and people are trying to keep him from getting hit again.

 

any idea what happened to that dude last night? he seemed like he was in pretty bad shape. and yes, last night was another epic gaperfest at the crick.

 

was that you that was blocking the jump with me when that kid got hurt?

Edited February 8, 2012 by Kyle

[RootDKJ]

HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE SINGLE GREATEST SKIING VIDEO EVAR!!!

 

From now on when I'm killing it I'm going to yell YEAAAAAHHHH FEEL THE RUSH BABY!! Preferably at no one in particular just random heads at Blue......

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoFXxisrjxU

 

I'm good for shouting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG" but it's gonna take lots of beer to keep from getting a sore throat.

[burton71]

best example of gapers at bear was last night, kid straight aired to his back on the last jump in black bear (maybe 10-15 feet) he carried it about 30, me and 3 other kids, including a park crew member were standing on the jump and the knuckle waving kids toward the skiiers right and kids were still weaving through us and rolling the knuckle where he was laying hurt. it blows my mind how people can be so oblivious while in the park. when you have 5 people standing in front of a jump with their boards/skis off waving you away from the jump why would you continue to hit it? this isnt even an issue of gaping its a huge safety issue at that point when a kid is laying hurt in the landing and people are trying to keep him from getting hit again.

 

Same thing happened Sunday on the first jump. Little kid got hurt and him and his dad were in the landing. Jump was blocked off but idiots just keep launching the roller till ski patrol blocked off the entire thing.

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

 

 

any idea what happened to that dude last night? he seemed like he was in pretty bad shape. and yes, last night was another epic gaperfest at the crick.

 

Don't know, once they carted him off that was the last we heard of it. I'd bet it was the duct tape wrapped around both his thighs that led to too little wind resistance and far too much speed for the jump. That was a gaper style I've never even seen before.

 

Maybe we need like a big yellow flag a la nascar, we could stand on the jump waving it when someone gets hurt haha.

[Kyle]

 

 

Same thing happened Sunday on the first jump. Little kid got hurt and him and his dad were in the landing. Jump was blocked off but idiots just keep launching the roller till ski patrol blocked off the entire thing.

 

I was there for that one too. Actually I was helping you tell kids not to hit it.

[Justo8484]

was that you that was blocking the jump with me when that kid got hurt?

 

yup that was me. nice to meet you? ha.

 

i realize you can only legislate common sense to a point, but a crash like that was complete amateur hour. plenty of people had been hitting that jump, and tricking it, all night long, and if the kid had any idea of what he was doing, if he was unsure of the speed to hit the thing, he would have asked to follow someone into it who had speed dialed. i've done this plenty of times, and in fact, did it on that same jump last night. i'm sure i'm not the only one, but i guess after riding park for 10+ years, you get a little smarter with how you approach things.

[Kyle]

that jump is not poppy at all either, he must have hit that thing at full speed and off balance to do the damage he did. i wouldnt be surprised to hear that he broke his tailbone.

[rgrwilco]

Wow bear creek sounds like its been invaded since i was last there. Maybe if patrollers started pulling passes, especially for hitting closed/blocked off features, word would spread. Like how there are certain towns you don't dare do a mile over the speed limit in.

[sexkitten]

How do you learn to ski or ride park if you can't go in there till you're an expert. Makes no sense.

[Shadows]

How do you learn to ski or ride park if you can't go in there till you're an expert. Makes no sense.

 

ability has nothing to do with etiquette.

[Justin]

How do you learn to ski or ride park if you can't go in there till you're an expert. Makes no sense.

it's not a matter of being an expert, it's a matter of knowing how to hit features in a way to not endanger other park riders

[Justo8484]

How do you learn to ski or ride park if you can't go in there till you're an expert. Makes no sense.

 

that's a pretty ignorant response... to use a surfing analogy, since it's pretty similar, you don't just get on a surfboard for the first time and immediately paddle out into the middle of the lineup. you sit on the beach for a little while and observe, then paddle to the outside and stay out of everyone's way until you're confident that you'd be able to maneuver well enough to not hit someone. the same thing applies to the terrain park. i've got nothing against people learning how to ride park, and honestly, i don't care if you suck, but if you do, don't get in the way and make it unsafe for others. it comes down to common sense. don't sit where people can't see you before they drop in to a feature, and don't cut people off. that's all. i think most beginners can grasp that concept.

[sexkitten]

I wasn't being an ass... I was asking a serious question. Being a fairly new skier myself I know there are times I begin a run only to discover that the trail is beyond my ability. I do my best to be considerate of others but I know I am sometimes in the way of those more experienced than me. Especially in the park. Newbies like me aren't going to blatantly plow into someone but it's not impossible that we could get in the way, hit someone or fall spectacularly when attempting new terrain or park features. Where is the line between learning new, challenging terrain and being considerate of those better than you? That's what I was asking. It seemed to me that the other posters want 100% form and control from anyone in the park but when you are learning that's not really possible. That's all.

[PASKIINGSUCKS]

I wasn't being an ass... I was asking a serious question. Being a fairly new skier myself I know there are times I begin a run only to discover that the trail is beyond my ability. I do my best to be considerate of others but I know I am sometimes in the way of those more experienced than me. Especially in the park. Newbies like me aren't going to blatantly plow into someone but it's not impossible that we could get in the way, hit someone or fall spectacularly when attempting new terrain or park features. Where is the line between learning new, challenging terrain and being considerate of those better than you? That's what I was asking. It seemed to me that the other posters want 100% form and control from anyone in the park but when you are learning that's not really possible. That's all.

 

Baby park, it's for beginners.

 

You don't learn to drive on a racecourse and you don't start kayaking by attempting whitewater, so why should you be in the park if you can't turn properly?? I'm not saying you can't do any of these things, but it helps to practice the basic fundamentals first before you step up to the extreme end of any sport ya know?

[KCSKI]

Good topic. I have frequently been in the middle of the the battle at Sno and some have suggested the "Expert only" approach to the park. Let me ask...how does this work at other mountains that do enforce the expert only/no rental equipment in the park when you know damn well you are going to get someone in your face screaming they paid for the ticket so that gives them free reign over what or where they should be able to go?

 

Granted, yes...common sense SHOULD apply, but rarely does it seems.

 

Just some helpful hints guys that would help us out. Actually we really haven't had too much of an issue...most of what we get on FB is usually kids that talk big but do nothing and for the most part scoot out of the way of the bigger stuff. Most of my "Park rats" I now know by name and know their ability, but I have seen some near collisions caused by the "gaper"...or worse....snake, and was just wondering how to impliment some sort of a program mainly for next season to tighten things up a bit.

 

Does the "Class" work and how hard is it to set up a screening area to prevent noobs/rentals from getting into the park. I know, a fence and a patroler/SAT...just wondering if it's a hassle in manning it all weekend...and..is it worth the aggravation?

[rgrwilco]

I personally think camelback has the right approach...A park specific area serviced by its own lift. No park pass, no lift access. And it does keep the newbs out, because they don't want to go through the hassle or pay for a park pass. It is not charge at CB if you have a season pass though. As long as there is a separate beginner area, with some ride on stuff and a small table top, its really a good way to go.

 

BUT YEAH, DEAD HORSE.