Heard it in the lift line 2011/12

[bigwavedave]

Riding up the chair yesterday with bobble (black 180 Donek FC) and me (180 black Kessler) at Spirit Mt, Duluth with two young teen boys on park boards. One asks, "what are those boards for?". Before I could say they're for carving turns, blah, blah, blah..., the other kid, with perceptive honesty, cleverly quips "they're for old people". Well, that triggered my alternate explanation.

After telling them that it was the most fun I've had on snow in 50+ years of playing on snow, I told them that it was very hard to master, taking years to learn and requiring an exceptional level of strength and fittness. Basically saying, "no way you kids could do this".

I've been wondering if using a little reverse-psychology might challenge one these kids with attitude to try it just to show the old guys how easy it is, and maybe discover something fun.

[C5 Golfer]

Riding up the chair yesterday with bobble (black 180 Donek FC) and me (180 black Kessler) at Spirit Mt, Duluth with two young teen boys on park boards. One asks, "what are those boards for?". Before I could say they're for carving turns, blah, blah, blah..., the other kid, with perceptive honesty, cleverly quips "they're for old people". Well, that triggered my alternate explanation.

After telling them that it was the most fun I've had on snow in 50+ years of playing on snow, I told them that it was very hard to master, taking years to learn and requiring an exceptional level of strength and fittness. Basically saying, "no way you kids could do this".

I've been wondering if using a little reverse-psychology might challenge one these kids with attitude to try it just to show the old guys how easy it is, and maybe discover something fun.

Kids -- I just love em... once I rode up with a young kid that was fast --I saw him previously. He got on with me and that day I was riding my Volkl 178 with Step-ins. I love the step-ins cuz I could get off the lift by just stepping in and go. Well, this kid saw my board and asked if I wanted to race him down the hill, I initially said "No Thanks" But then as I got near the top I re-thought about it, looking down at his board he had 4 strap bindings, and I thought to myself -- I step in off the lift and he has to sit down and buckle his 4 straps. So I turned to him and said " On second thought, Lets race!" He said ok. We just as I planned I got off and speed by him, " He yells "Wait" I said back " See ya at the bottom" -- Sometimes it is good to be a old man!!!

[NoirX252]

Kids -- I just love em... once I rode up with a young kid that was fast --I saw him previously. He got on with me and that day I was riding my Volkl 178 with Step-ins. I love the step-ins cuz I could get off the lift by just stepping in and go. Well, this kid saw my board and asked if I wanted to race him down the hill, I initially said "No Thanks" But then as I got near the top I re-thought about it, looking down at his board he had 4 strap bindings, and I thought to myself -- I step in off the lift and he has to sit down and buckle his 4 straps. So I turned to him and said " On second thought, Lets race!" He said ok. We just as I planned I got off and speed by him, " He yells "Wait" I said back " See ya at the bottom" -- Sometimes it is good to be a old man!!!

Way to cheat a little kid! hahahahah

[C5 Golfer]

Way to cheat a little kid! hahahahah

not cheating -- just helping him expand his knowledge base.

[Big D]

Dads know all

Kid - Whoa, look at that board what does it do (SIMS Burner)
Dad - Oh that's a ski board, it's uh like a mono ski
Kid - I wonder where he got it
Dad - Well they have special stores

D

Of course I let it lie, never correct a dad in front of his son...

[DrCR]

Guy looks at my 4807 and/or hardboots and asks me about them. My riding buddy, softbooter, talks about the VSR on his Donek Incline. We ask him what is is riding.

His response: "Oh, just a Burton"

That became the quote of the week.

[DrCR]

i also always get a kick out of it when a skier says what were doing is cool..

I got a bit of a kick out of a couple of venerable skiers digging my intec heels/bails connection. I'd imagine they saw at least a few HBers in passing (this was MtBachelor), but I guess they never noticed stepins before.

[KingCrimson]

At a top secret skate spot, we were setting up cones and a grom with a dh board asked me what I was doing. I told him my friend and I are running a slalom course, but I'm not very good..to which he replied "so then why are you here?"

[NickG]

At a top secret skate spot, we were setting up cones and a grom with a dh board asked me what I was doing. I told him my friend and I are running a slalom course, but I'm not very good..to which he replied "so then why are you here?"

My usual response to this kind of thing is to stop, look at the person, and say, "My god...you're right..." and then I start packing up my stuff or taking my board off, etc. I think it must really confuse people.

A week ago I was making some pretty wide turns on a gentle blue and a skier *almost* hit me from behind. She stopped and I stopped (unscathed), and she said in kind of a frantic tone, "what are you doing?! You shouldn't make those turns." I replied, "I know, I was actually just about to quit snowboarding, now is probably the best time." I took off my board and started walking down the hill until she skied away. Maybe she thought nothing of it, but I thought it was funny

[Chris]

Love this ^^^

[keltacer]

Last weekend at my local mountain, a teenage softbooter in front of me in the lift line takes a glance back and notices my setup.

Softbooter: "Hey is that thing hard to ride on these narrow trails?"

Me: "Its not to bad once you get the hang of it."

Softbooter: "I was in VT a couple of weeks ago and there were a whole bunch of guys riding those boards on the mountain"

Me: "Stratton?"

Softbooter: "Ya! It was the first time I've ever seen it, but those guys were tearing it up."

We ended up riding the lift up together and the kid was genuinely intrigued with hardbooting.

[ecshredder]

All the instructors know they're getting owned in front of their students when I ride by so they usually don't say anything.

[trailertrash]

All the instructors know they're getting owned in front of their students when I ride by so they usually don't say anything.

Really? You must not have a helmet cause your head won't fit in one. I bet if you listen real hard you will hear the instructors telling you to stop reaching for the snow.

[snowboardbill]

All the instructors know they're getting owned in front of their students when I ride by so they usually don't say anything.

As a instructor if I dont say any thing thats because theres nothing good to point out to my students

[ecshredder]

in all seriousness I have always gotten more props from the skiers as they usually seem to appreciate good turns more than the typical snowboarders nowadays.

[snowboardbill]

Also in all seriousness, if I was talking about carving with a snowboard class and you or another alpine carver went by I would not hesatate to use you as an example of what carving realy is, the tail following the tip of the board through the turn. So many softy snowboarders think they carve because they can feel the edge engage at the end of the turn. There are also a few that can really carve really well with a soft setup.

Bill

[crote123]

I was making quick tight carves under one of the lifts when towards the end of trail I hit some unexpected ice and fell hard.

As I gather my self up, I look up and see a snowboard instructor (softboot) leave his student and come my way rather quickly. As I expect him to ask me if I was allright as I fell pretty hard, he instead says "wow, that was some serious carving!". Definitely put a smile on my face.

[tufty]

So, on the chairlift, a guy kept going on about the 'modules'. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about and tuned him out. Later on, my buddy figured out that he meant 'moguls'.

Probably actually meant 'modules', as in the various park installations. That's what they call 'em over here.

So, guy saw my skwal last week. "What the **** type of ski is that?"

[Neil Gendzwill]

As a instructor if I dont say any thing thats because theres nothing good to point out to my students

I'll occasionally get a smile or nod from an instructor as I go by but usually they are focussed on what their students are doing, random passers-by no matter how skilled or unskilled don't really have a bearing. I assume if they need to have their student observe an example of the skills they are trying to teach that they are capable of doing their own demo.

[kieran]

I'll occasionally get a smile or nod from an instructor as I go by but usually they are focussed on what their students are doing, random passers-by no matter how skilled or unskilled don't really have a bearing. I assume if they need to have their student observe an example of the skills they are trying to teach that they are capable of doing their own demo.

the same, appreciative nods or a thumbs-up ... but most frequently, requests to partner-up with an ailing pupil on the t-bar. something to do with imitating a sack of potatoes.

[Dan]

On the chair at Meadows last week, on a big powder day at the end of a huge storm cycle (8 feet of snow over 10 days). I'm riding a 4807 with hardboots. (I know, I know, but buying softies just hasn't been a priority.)

The guy next to me says: "I get that you're riding a race board, but what's up with those boots?"

Me: "Um, this is actually a powder board...for all the powder we're riding today?" Then I explained about the hard boots and how they were overkill on a big pow day.

But seriously, what exactly do people think a "race board" is for?

[BlueB]

Last Thursday, after I won a snowboard race and then wracked myself in the ski race, first while being strapped into toboggan, then again later at patrol hut:
"That's the guy with carving board..."

[grayontray]

Dan,

Some people will just never understand. And that's OK;o) We had buckets of snow too. Should be long season of spring riding. Woot!

[philw]

In Taos the other day mostly good feedback. The history of the place may have something to do with it, but I think they'd never have banned snowboarders like us. Well they'd have to catch up with us first.

One "usual suspect" to report:
- "Wow, old school! How old is that board?"
Polite answer: "this is a 2012 Kessler, Titanal and Carbon fibre. No race has been won on a fibre-glass board like yours since about 2003."

If anyone can think up some better answers to these then I'd print them on my t-shirt so I could remember and use them.

[kieran]

in the fridge on saturday night:

woman: "is that an .. alpine board?"
me: "yes! .. how do you know about alpine boards?"
woman: ".. used to work in a snowboard shop. never seen one in use though. looks cool"

then, later ..

brat: "your crap your not even doing jumps"