This quote comes to us from an Apsen Daily News article written by columnist Lorenzo Semple, in a piece titled “Skiing Ajax: To turn or not to turn,”
“Public enemy number one used to be snowboarders. Now they’ve been dethroned by kids on fat skis straightlining. There has been a dialogue in ski magazines about this very phenomenon, and as a result there’s been some pushback. Big ski manufactures are making narrower skis. Freeride companies are holding their ground. There’s become an element of ski-shaming in the sense that you now get judged if you have skis that are deemed too fat. Fat ski skiers have essentially become the new snowboarders.”
Fat shaming skis, how dare you. This inflammatory quote comes from an article about the dangers of out of control riders in slow zones…..
“Raise your hand if you’re afraid of getting hit by another skier or snowboarder. Maybe I’m just getting old and slow, but it seems like skiing up on Aspen Mountain gets more and more dangerous every year. And it’s the ski industry’s own damn fault if you ask me. Incessant grooming, man made snow, equipment that begs the skier to “Point it.” Are we somehow surprised by this? Add a World Cup ski race to the mix, and all of a sudden everyone on Ajax thinks they’re Lindsey Vonn.
The widespread complaint you hear these days is that there are a bunch of young kids on fat skis going straight down all of the groomed runs at dangerously high speeds. There’s a common consensus that people who “straight-line” do it because they don’t know how to turn. They’re wearing baggie clothing and listening to music on headphones. Damn kids and their rock and roll music! Sound familiar?
The funny thing is, Aspen Mountain didn’t used to be a mountain where people skied fast. That’s because every run, from top to bottom, was covered with egg-carton formation moguls. Ruthie’s, Spar, Copper, all of the modern day speedways were mogul runs. You could only ski Ajax as fast as you could negotiate a minefield of bumps.”
Can’t argue with mogul minefields being a natural speed deterrent, Lorenzo got that right. From the resort’s perspective they have begun to address the problem of dangerous straight lining with beefed up ski patrol in high traffic areas wearing new highly visible uniforms, “The new ski parol uniforms, with neon orange patches on the arms providing a sharp contrast to the otherwise black background and white crosses, have been well received.”
Whether or not you agree with author’s opinion we all need to be respectful of those around us while cruising resorts especially in slow zones. While you might be completely under control doing 45mph, the same isn’t true for the majority. Keep it under control, keep it respectful and stay safe out there people.