Originally Posted by
sasquatch
What's the "MRG effect"??
Mad River Glen effect - the anti-snowboard people around here. It's amazing what I hear on a daily basis...it's like stepping back in time 15 years. I was on the lift at ME last week with a mother and her son, with my alpine board on, and I said "Nice day huh?". To which she replied, "yeah, except for the snowboarders". I s*** you not man. I didn't know what to say - I mean - it's like saying "I hate people who work in restaurants" when the waitress/waiter is at your table. So I asked her what specifically was the problem. Her answer: "We usually ski at Mad River, I just don't like them...the general intelligence level is just missing". Again, I promise you, I am NOT making this up. And her little kid is sitting RIGHT THERE between us! I was going to try to reason with here - and point out the item attached to my feet - but I figured it wasn't worth it and just kept silent the rest of the way up.
I figure maybe she's the woman on the local MRG ad that says "we never go any place else"...which would explain a lot, and I feel sorry for her in that sense with all the great mountains available in the world.
Earlier this year, before MRG opened, I was also at ME when I overheard the following in the liftline. This guy skis up to his wife/girlfriend (she was already in line in front of me) and she says "What happend?" He says "I hit a snowboarder bump and fell". Snowboarder bump???
They were both weraing MRG jackets so I know they were locals. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. So I take this to mean that these folks are unable to stay upright unless everything on the snow surface is perfect and the bumps are shaped by skis and the moon is in the 7th house..."Ski it if you can" indeed!!
Now I know plenty of supremely talented skiers over at MRG who are also great people, so this isn't representative of everyone there, but I NEVER hear stuff like this ANYWHERE else anymore, and I go to a LOT of different mountains. Heck, one guy and his wife refused to get on the charlift at South with me last year on a very busy day when the lift attendants tried to pair us up (I was in the singles line) - you guessed it...MRG jackets. Amazing. We don't bite. I'm a friendly and grown up intelligent person, who chooses to snowboard. The last ime I heard anything like this anywhere else was 15 years ago on the chair at Beaver Creek. I'm on the Centennial lift with a Mother, Father and their son. He says "Do you like that?" - referring to my snowboard. I'm thinking of answering "No, I'm into torturing myself" or something similar, but I just said "yeah, I love it". He responds "Aren't you a little old for that?" I was 30 at the time. Then he adds - "it's a DAREDEVIL sport".
That's me - overage immature daredevil. What would that make me now? (I know I'm opening myself up here - have at it folks!!)
Anyway - I just find it really sad that at my favorite mountain in the world these attitudes still exist...some sort of a time warp. Hope I don't hit a "skier bump" and fall down this week!
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