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The lonely boarder

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Went to Meribel for the first time a couple of weeks ago. As a relative newbie to European resorts, i was struck by how few boarders there are relative to skiers. I've mostly ridden in N.Am and Canada and there the bias is, if not 50/50 then near as dammit. There were times in Meribel that I was the only boarder in a queue of maybe 40 Shocked . Only other Euro resort i've been to is Davos and while also outnumbered, it didn't feel nearly as much so.

Is this the norm for Meri or did I catch it on an odd weekend? or am i just getting ParANoId in my old age? Madeye-Smiley
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Richard_Sideways, There are always more skiers than boarders in european resorts. But what I did find bizarre in Meribel in Jan, was a day where it pi$$ed rain in resort but after the 1st station it was unbelievable powder, & still coming. The entire time we were out I could only see us 3 boarders and maybe one or 2 others dotted around. Shocked Empty pistes with powder ... Now that is just not right !
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
DebbiDoesSnow, it's the skier attitude: "oh no it's raining - let's stay inside and have pink gins and pimms, what?" Me & boarder friends think, "that'll be snow higher up, let me at it!" wink
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I had a very similar conversation in Banff last year with 2 German guys who were complaining about the snow conditions - because it had been dumped a foot of fresh powder all over Sunshine. The conditions were too heavy for them, so they'd only put in a handful of runs and gone back to town... oh well more freshies for me!

On my original point, as I said, i'm no expert on the European resorts, (although off to Grand Massif in 3 weeks or so snowHead ) is there the feeling that boarders in Europe are welcomed or merely tolerated.

Could euro resorts do more to encourage boarding? Are some better than others?

Having looked at threads about rental gear available to boarders, most USA/CAN rentals offer beginner/inter/adv packages, and some resorts offer marked up piste maps or info boards about conditions on particular runs if they're very flat or heavily mogul'd etc.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Richard_Sideways wrote:
merely tolerated


I'm not much into this "them and us" attitude, and it would be easy to overstate it, but sometimes in Europe you get the impression you're being granted a favour. It does vary, but is present. The "posher" the place, the less you're made to feel welcome, on the whole.

Not that long ago there used to be a sign at one well known resort (was it Vail or Aspen?) that said "Snowboarders welcome...........Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday." And that's N. America!

Be interesting to see, with the economic situation as it will become, whether there is a more "enlightened" attitude.

One reason I'm a big Canada fan. Roll on Marmot, two weeks time.

John.
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I've never noticed a lack of boarders other than in Italy, definitely a lower %age of boarders there.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Richard_Sideways wrote:


Could euro resorts do more to encourage boarding? Are some better than others?

.


A bit of severe terraforming to eliminate long tedious flat runs, cat tracks all over the shop?

Boarding has lots of disadvantages in many European resorts where traversing or a bit of rock scrabbling is needed to get to the goods.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I always take solice in the fact that I look cool as fcuk on my board in stark contrast to the typical "Euro-Gaper"

What they don't know is that I'm tolerating them right back. Very Happy

There are a number of resorts in the states who don't allow boarders - Taos, Mad River Glenn, Deer Valley, and Alta specifically. As it goes I've never heard of any of them before, maybe that's because I'm a boarder, perhaps they're really exclusive, or (as I like to think) maybe it's because they're 5hit, full of moguls and long horrible flats and cat tracks and so I wouldn't want to ride there anyway.
There's a thread here about it : http://www.backcountryworld.com/showthread.php?t=2310
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ronaldothefrog, GREAT picture! Laughing
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ronaldothefrog, oh i WISH i could look that cool Cool
BTW, think Taos opened to boarders last year, but quite right there are some resorts where boarders are officially 'persona non grata'. Nutz to 'em, we'll make do with the back-country snowHead
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Please God don't let me ever look like that when I get old Laughing
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That's a fantastic picture. We've probably all got equally unflattering ones but here's me shortly before I qualified for my old age pension. Not exactly gnarly, and my backside is inflated by my armoured knickers, but at least my vision correction is in the goggle inserts and you could never tell I'm running on blood pressure medication and HRT... My son, depicted a few years ago, shortly after he took up boarding, modelling a rather nice example of a late '70s Degré 7 number, is bit gnarlier.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
pam w, those pics are awesome. you look really good. mucho Going green
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
sherlock235, only the bottom one is me though.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Hav eyou got straps around your lets Pam or is it my eyes/the picture!?!?!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
samharris, Hmm. good question - no, I've not got straps round my legs (I've got no leash and I wonder about it from time to time). Can only think that it might have been something to do with my trousers bunching up because I probably had knee pads on.
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carled, found that when we went to Val in december. Had a proper white-out and it was like a signal for all the boarders to come out and play. All the skiers in our chalet just spent the day in the oub - wierd!!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Just back from Banff today. I noticed that there seemed to be a more or less 50/50 skier/boarder ratio there. A lot higher than when I've been to Europe. Some days it even seemed like the majority were boarders!

My first time in Canada and I have to say that they are a lot more boarder friendly than Europe - seats at the top of lifts to sit on and buckle up - very civilised Smile
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Dobz wrote:
My first time in Canada and I have to say that they are a lot more boarder friendly than Europe - seats at the top of lifts to sit on and buckle up - very civilised Smile


wink Laughing
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
pam w, looks like there is an invisible hand rail

Dobz, now thats a good idea
im off to zell am see in 2 weeks and the next village is kaprun which is meant to be mainly boarders there
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Quote:

Just back from Banff today. I noticed that there seemed to be a more or less 50/50 skier/boarder ratio there. A lot higher than when I've been to Europe. Some days it even seemed like the majority were boarders

Agreed, but if you look carefully you will see most of the local young kids are now on twin tips and the 20 somethings are freeheeling. They can do more tricks plus do everyhing a boarder can do and more. I ride and ski but ride more often I have to admit though these kids coming through on the twin tips and telemark skis are truly unbelievable Shocked
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:

I had a very similar conversation in Banff last year with 2 German guys who were complaining about the snow conditions - because it had been dumped a foot of fresh powder all over Sunshine. The conditions were too heavy for them, so they'd only put in a handful of runs and gone back to town... oh well more freshies for me!

Thats vacationers for you. if it even looks like snow in most north american resorts the signs "closed for powder day" go up and the shops close as the locals hit the slopes Smile
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