I think its appropriate that there are a few resorts who don't allow borders. I personally don't have anything against borders. That doesn't mean that they don't view the mountain differently than skiers. I have never come across skiers sitting in a line across a run but I have have come across borders doing this time and time again. Skiers see this as inconsiderate and, quite honestly, it is to all other people on the mountain.
Many of the comments in the video were totally inappropriate and, due to the nature of the subject matter, I'm not the slightest bit surprised. I have gone to Alta and Deer Valley to (specifically) ski without borders.
For the most part, I think it's a cultural thing here in America. Skiing in Europe, I don't ever remember seeing borders be as inconsiderate as they are here in the states. However, I have heard Europeans voice their dislike for borders, in a similar fashion to what's heard on this video.
Part of the problem is in the learning and the basic differences in how each sport is viewed. I think the nature of the way you learn to stop on a board, as a novice, is part of the problem. You are taught to sit down as a border, whereas a skier is taught to stay on their skis, unless you are out of control and going to do damage to yourself or someone else. By staying upright, you are visible. By sitting down, you aren't. Especially when you are coming over a drop! Because borders are taught to sit down to stop, they don't think anything of sitting down in the absolute worst places on the mountain.
As to the fact that ALTA is on federal land, so what? I'm sure that border "purists" see it as discrimination but I don't agree. Like lakes that only allow sailing and no power motors, that's more the light that I see it in.
Lastly, borders do scrape off the top layers of snow on groomed runs a lot more than skiers do. The conditions are affected, positively, by not having borders on the runs.
fwiw....
TO |
