slider68

Missdemeanor, let me clarify: 1. I apologize if you inferred that your skills are sub-par; I have seen some impressive talent at Bear Creek, and you may well be one of them. 2. I have nothing against boarders in general; I board and ski myself. 3. My point of contention is the attitude that only certain people deserve the ride the park. I get as frustrated as you do with beginners who don't observe decent etiquette and put themselves and the skilled riders at risk; but the bottom line is that if they have a ticket, they get to ride. If they are 6 or 60... doesn't matter. Singling out the little kids who happen to have an orange jacket is what got me PO'd. Condemning them specifically wasn't fair. Dassit, I'm out.

That is sheer idiocy. Look at the demographics around here... 90% of the riders around here are beginners. Barring them from terrain will just get you a bankrupt ski hill. Building dangerous gaps is the last thing you should do. On the contrary, those jumps should not have a dropoff at all; they should all be tabletops. That way, you don't get little kids augering in after the dropoff, the beginners can stay upright and get out of the way more easily, and everyone can spot the landing better and see any potential wrecks when the landing is cluttered with body parts.

Yikes. The level of intolerance among you park rats is weak. Forget about the kids stopping well after the landing to wait for their friends (gee, NOBODY else ever does that!), at least they aren't sitting on their asses right in front of the chairlift or blocking the entire run waiting for the balls to actually go over a jump. By spotting their team mates, they are being safe, and can warn riders uphill if there is a digger. I can't tell you how many times I have barely dodged the remains of some incapable rider splattered all over the landing of a kicker because no-one was there to wave me off. Those kids are encouraged to try everything on the mountain so they develop into well-rounded skiers; they are limited to 2 runs in the terrain parks all day, so stop your whining. By the time they are 10, they will be kicking your ass all over the hill.