Die Traversers Die!

[Lonnie]

As I said before, a couple of gates and a rope line would solve the problem nicely...

[khyber.pass]

As I said before, a couple of gates and a rope line would solve the problem nicely...

Whistler has never put up any ropes or signs against traversing. I'm not sure if they will now or not. Certainly it makes the descent of Flute's main chutes a little dicier if hitting a hundred metre staircase at Mach 5.

As this terrain is quasi-backcountry (!!) this might be why there is less signage, but on the other hand, Harmony, West Bowl, Glacier Bowl all have the same problem (not to mention Blackcomb Glacier).

Unfortunately W/B sees a lot of traffic, and without a lot of snowfall this year the traverse trails are much worse. I had a close call yesterday hitting the staircase when straightlining Flute yesterday.

For me it's a safety issue, and it's something that can be fixed with education. Traversing through gnar is like 'skiing' through the park -- both are bad etiquette and, moreover, both endanger people and yourself.

[Aussie_ripper]

Hey little prick with big fat skis, I do get it, and it is about common courtesy and protocol, but if you had any concept of the "skiers code" you wouldn't be a little whining bitch.

It's a big mountain, lighten up!

OK, sweet. Now where's that stoke?

[muted]

For those who say to just go in the backcountry:

I can't go in the backcountry and ski steep chutes every day. Time, avie conditions, partner availability, etc. prevents this. So please stop with that advice, it's pointless. I do go in the backcountry when I can and asking people not to traverse under chutes and cliffs does not mean I'm rad, holier than thou, or anything. Just giving a heads up on something a lot of people don't think about.

I give the common courtesy of looking before I drop in above people, and and at the same time I'm asking people not to traverse under stuff you might not even be aware people are above you. It ruins a ski area to have these traverses and is plain dangerous for you.

Do I expect people to listen? No but it would be nice. Makes it a race on powder days to hit stuff before traverses are put in...so be it.

Did I expect people to be so self-centered about their ski experience in this thread? Uh, no. A little common courtesy is not that much to ask. I think the insecurities of some of the skiers here (that might not be as rad as they want to) are coming through in this thread.

[Roo]

I am not as rad as I think I am.

[thefrush]

One traverse track = fine with me. Multiple = dangerous and annoying. Tuesday at Kirkwood, skiing from the ridge, made my way past the known traverse line, then started to open it up, light was pretty flat, and I hit back-to-back traverse lines lower than I expected them. Tweaked my hip, and nearly lost a ski when it ejected into deep snow. Once one traverse track has been set, it shouldn't be that hard for people to follow it.

[Hugh Conway]

TRAVERSERS SUCK,when you hit some bigger line you may
find out hardcore[get knocked out in the mosh pit]skier

This made me laugh out loud

[Lonnie]

khyber

In my mind, ropes/gates ARE an educational tool. They say, this is where you go dumbass!

With a destination resort like WB you get too much out of town traffic to educate the hordes. There will always be enough well intentioned, but clueless folks that don't do what is best for all...

[Johnny Deep]

khyber

In my mind, ropes/gates ARE an educational tool. They say, this is where you go dumbass!

With a destination resort like WB you get too much out of town traffic to educate the hordes. There will always be enough well intentioned, but clueless folks that don't do what is best for all...

Maybe resorts should give written exams....can you ski a green run with confidence?

[old goat]

Re stopping on traverses and cat tracks--here's some more old fartness. I was always taught to yell on your right or on your left when passing someone in a narrow area (still up to me to avoid them of course)--however my recent observation has been that approximately fifty percent of people will step to the right when you yell "on your right". Probably has to do with the fact that back in the day you had to learn your right from you left in order to wirte, but these young people today text with both thumbs. Yes, I'm sure that's it.

[Johnny Deep]

Re stopping on traverses and cat tracks--here's some more old fartness. I was always taught to yell on your right or on your left when passing someone in a narrow area (still up to me to avoid them of course)--however my recent observation has been that approximately fifty percent of people will step to the right when you yell "on your right". Probably has to do with the fact that back in the day you had to learn your right from you left in order to wirte, but these young people today text with both thumbs. Yes, I'm sure that's it.

You have to be quick. Sometimes a second "Your other right" needs to be thrown out there.

[lionelhutz]

This thread is still going strong...wtf?

[Johnny Deep]

Retarded shit does that from time to time.

[Spats]

re: Hardcore inbounds skiers

Next time I'm touring I'll make sure to posthole the entire skin track and have my dog crap on it, then drop in above you. When you tell me I'm being a jerk, I'll just laugh at you, call you "malicious and pathetic", and tell you to skin up somewhere else if you don't like it.



This is about courtesy and respect. I don't buzz people or tell them they're jerks. However, I will tell them when they're doing something discourteous, and ask them politely to do differently in the future.

Example: Today I got hit by a snowboarder on a traverse. Apparently he came through a gate behind me with a lot of speed, and didn't call out or say anything...he just barreled straight into me. I didn't yell at him, even though I had every right: I just said "Hey, passing me with speed is fine, but call out 'on your right' or something so I know you're coming and you don't run into me."

[nova2]

OK, sweet. Now where's that stoke?

The stokes still there, but it's hard to see.

I have read the posts and I do see the points on chutes and traversing. My point is, it is about courtesy and protocol and the skier's code. The huge leap for some is that it's a two way street. Instead of pointing their fingers at someone else and how they are screwing up their mountain, look in the mirror and ask your self how you can follow courtesy, protocol and the "code".

Its a big mountain, lighten up and feel the stoke!

[lookinback]

kyber,

Thanks for posting the flute pics, thats the first thing that came to mind when I saw this thread. Due to the lack of snow those get rock hard, especially in the morning...matched with the flat light we get here, its not fun at all coming out of that area.

For those of you who are talking about 1 or 2 traverses below chutes, i can see how thats a safety issue, however skiing across 150 rock hard stairs is not fun at all, especially since half the people to traverse the lower line arnt even interested in the higher terrain.

Skin tracks are another story all together....

we need snow...common its our turn now...

[LIP]

Re stopping on traverses and cat tracks--here's some more old fartness. I was always taught to yell on your right or on your left when passing someone in a narrow area (still up to me to avoid them of course)--however my recent observation has been that approximately fifty percent of people will step to the right when you yell "on your right". Probably has to do with the fact that back in the day you had to learn your right from you left in order to wirte, but these young people today text with both thumbs. Yes, I'm sure that's it.

Tap poles together as you go through narrow place. Gaper hears noise, moves other direction. Most of the time. Remember, keep those pole tips sharp!!!!!

[jonesy]

there needs to be a "real men of genius" commercial saluting you: mr. hardcore inbounds skier.

Thanks I just spit cheap beer all over my monitor.

[Neezer]

Damn....am i being a huge gaper when I traverse from sublette underneath Corbet's? I sure hope not. Not quite up to doing the couloir yet.

[doughboyshredder]

yes.............

[tone capone]

Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 210
For those who say to just go in the backcountry:

I can't go in the backcountry and ski steep chutes every day. Time, avie conditions, partner availability, etc. prevents this. So please stop with that advice, it's pointless. I do go in the backcountry when I can and asking people not to traverse under chutes and cliffs does not mean I'm rad, holier than thou, or anything. Just giving a heads up on something a lot of people don't think about.

I give the common courtesy of looking before I drop in above people, and and at the same time I'm asking people not to traverse under stuff you might not even be aware people are above you. It ruins a ski area to have these traverses and is plain dangerous for you.

Do I expect people to listen? No but it would be nice. Makes it a race on powder days to hit stuff before traverses are put in...so be it.

Did I expect people to be so self-centered about their ski experience in this thread? Uh, no. A little common courtesy is not that much to ask. I think the insecurities of some of the skiers here (that might not be as rad as they want to) are coming through in this thread.

Well said, Muted.

[Cyber Cop]

I know people hate side slippers and gapers on the gnar gnar, but come on, wasn't that the best part of learning to ski/ride? I remember how stoked I would get as a kid after totally beatering some steep shit thinking I had conquered everest or something. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[LittleWoodsie]

Most traversers probably don't even realise that it is even possible to ski the chutes above so are unaware of the problems they are causing. Most snowboarders I know, if given the choice, will choose a high traverse over a low traverse out of fear of losing too much height and speed and having to hike out. You can't really get angry with people who are ignorant of stuff they have never experienced. Just educate them.

Though I am constantly amazed at one bowl on my local mountain. The bottom of the bowl is very flat, and the chutes into it are inaccessible from the top. So it is common to skirt around the side picking up enough speed to pop up into the exit of a chute to then drop down 10 or so turns on the fall line, uphill traverse to next chute and repeat. But after a few days of no snow, the side of the bowl has a few traverse lines that go all the way from the entrance of the bowl until it joins the piste WITHOUT A SINGLE TURN. But there are rarely enough to cunt up the slope and that is just part of sharing the mountain with others.

But traversing under ropes with "NO TRAVERSING" signs, there is no fucking excuse for that. Those fucktards deserve all the abuse you give them, as long as you can look them in the eye and honestly say that you have never ducked under a rope with a closed sign next to it.

[khyber.pass]

kyber,

Thanks for posting the flute pics, thats the first thing that came to mind when I saw this thread. Due to the lack of snow those get rock hard, especially in the morning...matched with the flat light we get here, its not fun at all coming out of that area.

For those of you who are talking about 1 or 2 traverses below chutes, i can see how thats a safety issue, however skiing across 150 rock hard stairs is not fun at all, especially since half the people to traverse the lower line arnt even interested in the higher terrain.

Skin tracks are another story all together....

we need snow...common its our turn now...

Yah, we need snow. Here's me looking down from the top of the moraine, just below Flute, during my morning constitutional (I hike it every morning before work):



Traverse.. right uphill. Lame. I can't help but think that paving the access cat track below the Gate to almost the top of the col has resulted in extensive traversing by inexperienced skiers. Past the Gate there should be no grooming, imo. This is, after all, technically still Garibaldi Park. I can understand sled access to the summit as Patrol needs fast access, but I'm also not sure why they groom an access road to the top with a cat. All part of the problem of traversing out good terrain that should be left alone. It's terrain mismanagement, imo.

I wonder if Nesta is reading this ..

[Goatski]

khyber

In my mind, ropes/gates ARE an educational tool. They say, this is where you go dumbass!

Well said. This is a great thread and I'm surprised how few mountains use ropes & gates to help prevent this nonsense. Works well at Highlands bowl because ski patrol enforces it there. There's a new one at the Beav in Stone Creek that has helped alot...

I would love to see more but on the flipside it is not that attractive to have ropes splitting up the mountain into lanes and somewhat limiting freedom of those who are enjoying a very freedom-filled sport. So placement is key in those crucial spots... I would love to see a few at Vail - Lovers Leap, Ghengis, Red Square, Rasputins & Orient ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE ROAD PLEASE AND THEN TRAVERSE OUT IN THE VALLEY!!!! People stop skiing 2/3 the way down the fall line and then shoot for the bridge/funnel at a 45deg WTF??!!

I have 'discussed' this lameness with many perpetrators - including friends - and I am not shy about yelling down to traversers in action before dropping in; "NICE TRAVERSE, TOM" "WHERE YOU GOING?" & "GO DOWN NOW" being my personal favs. Everyone looks up in a classic gape, some have turned downhill even. I think we all have some responsibility to prevent staircase traverses from forming, even if it means buzzing a few gapers while screaming "FALL-LINE IS THIS WAY"

But seriously ropes and gates would make everything go a little bit... smoother

And I could save my breath in Gaperland a.k.a. Vail/Beav. Any patrollers reading this?