I know its been addressed in other threads but its getting out of hand. And it blew my mind to see kids (10 ish) with Park city Freeride DNA jackets (axis or PC FREE kids?) doing it to boot, I don't know if your coaches were there or not but it completely blows my mind that many serious riders have no idea about park etiquette, having coached kids before myself it really isn't that hard to teach them park etiquette. I saw a kid plow into a group of ten kids because you were standing in the landing of the flat down box at PC. I'm not trying to be a prick 23 year old picking on a bunch of 15 year olds. but here are a few rules to remember so you don't get hurt, and I don't get hurt landing on yo. Jebus knows I can hurt myself well enough just riding without colliding with 20 grommets.
1. Don't hike flow parks (parks with back to back features, particularly when there isn't room to stand in between them), and unless your buddy is hurt and in the landing don't stop unless you are completely to the side of the run. particularly if there is a jump right behind you even if you aren't on the "landing of the jump" physics dictates a rider will be hauling ass even into the flats. Mr. Cooper at PC has been rad enough to build a whole rail park just for you kids to hike. added in bonus if you don't have to hockey stop to avoid hitting a million kids in a landing it doesn't get icey nearly as fast.
2. when you are hiking a feature remember uphill traffic always has the right of way, don't believe me read any ski area map in the country. they didn't put chairlifts in just to get you up where you could hike. if you want to hike great, rad, more power to you. just don't stand in the flow of the park and get pissed at people who decided to get their money's worth out of their passes. Look up the hill before you drop.
3. standing 4 feet to the side of a take off or landing of a rail is not far enough, I would honestly feel horrible if I spun onto a rail and my pole went into your eye socket and killed you. or even just maimed your face. If you're close enough to touch someone's extended pole with your pole you are too close too the rail and your ass is grass if they fall off. its really not that hard to stay next to the ropes in a single file line when you're hiking up and watching your buddies. everyone is hoarding together like a pack of colorful rats.
3. Last but not least call your drop and if you don't know the person in front of you give them enough room ahead of you that if they fall on the jump or rail, you aren't already in the air, I honestly saw 10 people train right after each other all doing rodeos landing basically blind. All while two people were in the landing after colliding because one kid was dumb enough to just stand on landing halfway down on jump one. everyone was damn lucky no one got seriously hurt.
Really all it comes down to use your brain, I'm stoked to see so many people stoked enough on park skiing to truly session it, but getting hurt because you are too lazy to move out of the way is idiocy. and someone getting hurt because they hit you for being somewhere you shouldn't even be is just being a prick on your part. Everyone have fun, and most of all ride safe and smart!
