COVID 19 impact on skiing

I’m very disappointed at the response of self-centered backcountry skiers who continue to flout local and state pleas to stop. Of course with social media they revel in their rebel, libertarian philosophy that they believes they have the right to do what ever they want. China has the ultimate state maxim that the individual must always defer to the needs of the country while the USA has generally tread a reasonable line between the right of the individual vs the state. However, I see a trend over the last 20-30 years that individual rights are slowly driving political forces. This a national emergency which requires a nationalized  strategy, not a state by state strategy. Sometimes we must acquiesce for the common good. The pleas to stay home are coming from the local backcountry counties, not some big city bureaucrat.i am pleased to see support on many tgr and other sites supporting this temporary ban but there just seems to be too many yahoos who continue to defy. I can live without skiing if it means saving lives, maybe my own. This is like the marshmallow test for skiers, and surfers, and etc...

I actually don’t have a problem with folks getting out if they are competent and close enough to do it in a no-contact manner. It does appear that a lot of people with no uphill experience are trying it out for the first time which probably isn’t wise but even that I could imagine some relatively safe ways to go about it. I’ve heard  the complaints that people are congregating in groups too much after skiing but I haven’t seen any apre pictures that really alarmed me.

Locally down here, we have certain groups of people who are ignoring the greater good and going about their normal daily business (which includes lots of mass gatherings)  and my FB feed has filled up with pics of this behavior. I feel like if the uphill skiing problem were as bad as the internet is making it out to be, there would be photographic evidence. So far I’ve just seen small groups of people enjoying the outdoors on mellow terrain and lots of non-specific accusations. Im certainly open to being convinced otherwise.

I know this won’t make me popular with some, but I think that people who continue to engage in higher risk activities are selfish, and continuing to do those things is the wrong thing to do.  They are risks (even if small) that we can’t afford at this time, are unnecessary right now, it sends the wrong message to others, and defeats the purpose of all the pain we, collectively, most of us, are going through right now.

You need to get out on your bike, ride around the neighborhood instead of heading to riskier single track in the hills.  You have snow out your back door, go for a gentle tour instead of tackling riskier backcountry terrain.  Traveling to do any of that, forget about it.

People who can’t forgo risky backcountry skiing and mountain biking for a few months, putting themselves in a position to potentially consume valuable resources at a scarce time, and putting others at greater risk of getting COVID, are just plain selfish.  Period.

But, but, but....it’s not a risk for me.  Bullshit.  It may not be much of a risk, if things go according to plan.  However, I’m sure the avid mountain biker who went over the bars last week, broke his pelvis, and ended up in a hospital bed thought the same thing.  So did the guy last week who skied Superior from the black knob, triggered an avalanche, got flushed over a cliff and through a choke and was buried....and was lucky enough to dig himself out from his shallow burial and walk away....thought the same thing.  There have been multiple close calls daily in the Wasatch.  In Colorado, in addition to a guy who got caught in an avalanche where the rescue required 40 people, during the last week there were something like 26 reported avalanche activity incidents.  Fortunately they were mostly close calls.....but that number is astounding.  And they surely weren’t ALL noobs.  What about the CT lady that needed to be rescued from Marcy a couple weeks ago?  Tuckerman’s saw 400 people last weekend.  400!  

These may seem like normal activities and the kinds of reasonable risks we normally take......but these are normal times!  Nobody should be acting like they are, and nobody should be taking normal risks....just so they can say ‘I got mine, f#%k the rest of you’.

Grow the f’ up.  Would I love to throw my skis in the car right now and go find some turns?  Yes!  Or go up to the Cape, do a little surfing?  Absolutely!  But I shouldn’t, and I don’t, because even if I can maintain proper social distance it’s the wrong thing to do.

Opinions and assholes, and all.

Well said. Somehow jerry is always the problem. I don’t think Jerry is out skinning. It’s the self professed hard core who can’t stop.The enemy is us to paraphrase an old expression.

JTG4eva! wrote

Opinions and assholes, and all.

And that was certainly a shitty one.

Everyone takes risks. You take a risk when you walk out of your house (you might break your ankle stepping off the front porch).

Who are you to determine what risks people should be able to take?

(That being said, I am certainly seeing a lot of inexperienced idiots on the trails around here. Like, maybe learn how to shift your bike in your driveway, guy)

Yeah, shitty opinion because you don’t like the message, and you are one of the selfish culprits.

“Ohhh, I’m MC, when it comes to the economy and politics I think those who are more fortunate and more capable than others should sacrifice for the greater good!”

When it comes time for the ski and MTB God that is ‘No Risk to Me MC’ to sacrifice his precious ski and MTB time for the greater good......CRICKETS!!!!

Hypocrite!

I’m way more scared to go into a gas station store right now than riding my bike on single track.

I think it’s ok to go outside and enjoy activities. Maybe just dial it back a notch or two.

I think the correct question to ask is "Are the hospitals/EMTs where I plan to do this activity experiencing a crush of CV patients?"  If the answer is no then the risk is minimal.  The frenzied response to this situation has produced a ton of unemployed hospital staff and a corresponding amount of empty hospital rooms. I know this first hand as my (now unemployed RN) wife is sitting next to me with our cat on her lap...which she has been doing for over two weeks because our genius leader declared all elective surgery suspended.  I know "but what if...".

raisingarizona wrote

I’m way more scared to go into a gas station store right now than riding my bike on single track.

I think it’s ok to go outside and enjoy activities. Maybe just dial it back a notch or two.

Yep.

The Jump Turn Guy is the worst kind of overbearing nanny state douche. Really loves to tell other people (other people that he doesn't know) exactly what to do. I'm *extremely* curious about his posts on those Disney message boards now.

Go find them and report back please. I like everyone but they will be some funny shit on sure.

tjf1967 wrote

Go find them and report back please. I like everyone but they will be some funny shit on sure.

I made a brief attempt (googled his old screen name & "Disney message board") but came up empty. That's about as much effort as I care to put in.

You're right that there would probably be some funny shit on there.

I wish we could get the old RSN stuff. I was like 22 when I was posting on that.

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I wish we could get the old RSN stuff. I was like 22 when I was posting on that.

You were on there? What was your handle?

campgottagopee wrote

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I wish we could get the old RSN stuff. I was like 22 when I was posting on that.

You were on there? What was your handle?

mattchuck2, of course

We have talked about this before.

MC2 5678F589 wrote

campgottagopee wrote

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I wish we could get the old RSN stuff. I was like 22 when I was posting on that.

You were on there? What was your handle?

mattchuck2, of course

We have talked about this before.

LOL

We have. I forgot

That you put in that much effort is...disturbing.

Who has seen the latest episode of The Fifty?  M(e)C(entered), don’t bother, you wouldn’t like the “we’ve got more important things than skiing to worry about” message that Cody includes.

What’s all your opinions about me taking my kayak out on the Hudson for a couple hours? Seems pretty harmless to me though I’m not sure where I stand with regards to the actual stay at home rules imposed on the metro area. I’ve gone above and beyond for the most part in terms of keeping everybody at home and social distancing and everything but I’m getting pretty squirrelly with no outlets down here.

Brownski wrote

What’s all your opinions about me taking my kayak out on the Hudson for a couple hours? Seems pretty harmless to me though I’m not sure where I stand with regards to the actual stay at home rules imposed on the metro area. I’ve gone above and beyond for the most part in terms of keeping everybody at home and social distancing and everything but I’m getting pretty squirrelly with no outlets down here.

I would go kayaking if I were you.

For a lot of people, their chosen outdoor pursuit is like a drug. The endorphin rush. Withdrawal is tough. Telling people to go cold turkey is probably not the best idea. It is almost like trolling them. They want to prove you wrong.

Educating people on how to be responsible now and look forward to future pursuits is a better path, although even that leads to backlash if people feel like some sort of groupthink is holding them back.  

And even relative newbies can be and often are the real addicts. It might be easier for someone with a long history of milestones and achievements in their chosen pursuit to sit back and contemplate than someone who is still trying to make their mark.

Don’t shame people. I know it’s hard when that seems to be a lot of people’s favorite use of social media.

Brownski wrote

What’s all your opinions about me taking my kayak out on the Hudson for a couple hours? Seems pretty harmless to me though I’m not sure where I stand with regards to the actual stay at home rules imposed on the metro area. I’ve gone above and beyond for the most part in terms of keeping everybody at home and social distancing and everything but I’m getting pretty squirrelly with no outlets down here.

Do you normally paddle at this time of year? Do you have proper cold weather gear for if you wind up in the drink? Do you have a reliable social distancing paddling partner?

Those are the questions I would start with.

I normally paddle solo or with my son (honestly that’s more of an extra liability then a safety net) more or less from about this time of year until some time in October. I have all the fear and skills to self rescue but I haven’t gone for a swim since the 90s so it’s pretty unlikely I would end up getting wet.