[poll] Riding and Skiing...A merge in Culture?

I believe that problems arise from instructors in Europe not teaching piste awareness / mountain awareness in the beginer ski and boarding lessons compared to instructors in Canada and the USA.
From doing many seasons and now living in a ski resort in Europe I see the same thing week in week out. Holiday makers stopping underneath the brows of hills, whole families stopping in a line across the piste to look at piste maps, weekend warriors screaming down black runs just because they feel they have to do a black to prove their manhood, pulling out on pistes with out looking up hill, blaming the person in front of them for cutting them up when they have right of way, Dads taking the family off piste with no local knowledge / knowledge of the avalanche conditions / with no safety equipment. People need to realise that the mountains are not like Alton Towers and they are pretty much unsafe unless you follow certain guidelines and safety precautions.
Whether you are a boarder or skier you only get respect if you respect the mountains and the people on it - even if they are obnoctious 60 year old skiers in purple one pieces whose aim is to "take out as many pesky boarders as possible" ( an actual quote from a guest that stayed with us!!!!) and the sooner that this boarder skier arguement / conversation disappears the better for all mountain lovers.

Cheers

Jon

I ride since 1990 on Burtons and yes I still use skis! We all want to have fun but it seems to me that boarders have not been "taught" the basic "mores" ( customs) needed on ski resort!

Some are just common sense!
1. Do not sit in middle of ski run.
2.Do no sit just under a dip or jump.
3.Do no sit just after lift, to put on board!
4.Make sure when you jump off lip, that there is no one below jump!

I do not have to coninue!

If we all though of the other person on hill, our tensions would be less!

As a side bar, several years ago, I was riding with Burton ( yes the Burton) at Stowe and imagine, he was hit by a young adolescent skier! Broke his leg!

Who is to blame? All riders that do not respect rules!!!

Agree with most of what was said...I ski, my hubby boards...we have great days out together and he respects the mountain more as a boarder because he is conscious of me on skis.....I disagree with some of what was said tho as I do not believe it is the " older skiers taking out boarders". Having got a broken ankle last year from a young boarder, who egged on by his group of mates, went on a piste that he was not capable of boarding, this is where the problem lies. Whether skiier or boarder, you get a group of young mates together and egos can come into play...I think this is more of a major problem than what you ride. I think with age, you have more respect for those around you and are not as susceptible to not respecting the mountain and others on it. I could stay on my soap box for hours on this one, so think I`d better go before I sound ageist!!

Er. I used to ski Okish, but boarders looked like they were having more fun, and guess what, they were!

Recon I will switch back to skiing when I get so bored (what?) that I want to do ski-mountaineering - utterly impractical on a board.

But cultural difference boil-down to mental attitude - age clothing, music and haircut. YOU MUST HAVE FUN whatever you do, or stop doing it this minute!

Personally I hate bronzed skireps who ski like missiles with their clients - being the big man - through lines of barely in-control starters. The closest I ever got to thumping someone was a rep who passed at high speed, inches behind my learner-skier mate - collision would have hospitalised them both. His excuse was "I was in perfect control". I was barely in control.

Anyway, its not to do with the size, shape of number of planks.

Have fun!

You see the thing is. Theres this bleak outlook on boarders who disregard anyone else on the slopes. But in actuall fact, i have been taken out on 2 occasions by a skier.
When you put that many people, on a mountain, all doing in excess of maybe 30 mph or so, then there is bound to be accidents and bumps. Its just the love for a hobby like skiing or boarding that keeps everyone going, which in the end, after you get over the initial "ow my ribs" or "that boarder is a D**K", is all that counts.

Anyway, enough on the complications of a mixed black run with very little survivors. I am off to Italy in sub 3 weeks and there are 10 of us going. 6 boarder and 4 skiers!! I have no problem with anyone on the slope, as long as they share my love for sliding down a mountain at a rediculous pace, and sometimes ending up face first in a pile of -50+ degrees of white bounty!! Be they snow boarders or skiiers! Hell even bum boarders are ok in my books!! Its damn fun!!